Maine filmmakers tell the story of children with behavioral issues

There is no shortage of problems in this world that don’t get the attention they deserve, and one of them is how to deal with children with serious behavioral and emotional challenges. Lone Wolf Media in South Portland has just finished a documentary on the subject called “The Kids We Lose,” which looks at the struggles faced not just by kids, but also by parents, teachers, administrators, police, and mental health experts.

More >> Maine filmmakers tell the story of children with behavioral issues

• http://www.thekidswelose.com/

Children diagnosed with ADHD on the rise

More children are being diagnosed with ADHD than 20 years ago and a Boston doctor says that could be a good thing.

More >> Children diagnosed with ADHD on the rise

THREATENED SHUTDOWN OF FAILING IMMIGRANT CHILDREN SHELTERS COULD CAUSE A CRISIS

Arizona health officials threatened this past Wednesday to revoke the licenses of 13 federally funded immigrant children shelters, accusing the facilities' operator, Southwest Key, of displaying an "astonishingly flippant attitude" toward complying with the state's child protection laws.

More >> THREATENED SHUTDOWN OF FAILING IMMIGRANT CHILDREN SHELTERS COULD CAUSE A CRISIS

Girl can attend school with her cannabis-based medicine, California court rules

It took a fight in court, but a 5-year-old girl will be allowed to bring her cannabis-based medicine to school and attend class with other students, according to a ruling by a California administrative court on Friday.

Brooke Adams, a Santa Rosa, California, kindergartner, has Dravet Syndrome. It's a severe and rare form of epilepsy that comes with life-threatening seizures that are unpredictable, frequent and can cause serious damage if not treated quickly. What can help control the seizures, if she gets the medicine fast enough, is cannabis oil. She uses CBD oil as a preventative medication and THC oil as an emergency seizure medication.

More >> Girl can attend school with her cannabis-based medicine, California court rules

Report finds no systemic failure in Loudoun Co.’s restraint, seclusion of special needs students

After allegations that Loudoun County public schools were isolating children with special needs in makeshift cells and improperly restraining them, Virginia’s Department of Education’s investigation has found isolated mistakes, but “no evidence of systemic failure.”

In March, nine state lawmakers asked Virginia’s secretary of education to investigate, after a report in the Loudoun Times-Mirror included a photo of a student at Belmont Ridge Middle School trying to climb out of a small pen where she was being kept, isolated from other students in the classroom.

More >> Report finds no systemic failure in Loudoun Co.’s restraint, seclusion of special needs students

DRUGGING THE US: THE EPIDEMIC OF FORCED PSYCHOTROPIC PHARMACEUTICALS

The consequences arising from the massive proliferation of pharmaceutical drugs in the United States are staggering. The fallout from the pharmaceutical industry can be felt in all corners of America, by people from every background and economic standing, but recent developments revealing that immigrant children held at detention centers were forcibly drugged with a variety of psychotropic substances against their will are among the most troubling incidents to have come to the forefront of America’s pharmaceutical nightmare.

More >> DRUGGING THE US: THE EPIDEMIC OF FORCED PSYCHOTROPIC PHARMACEUTICALS

Schools asking parents about their child’s mental health history

Tucked at the bottom of Palm Beach County’s student registration form, on the page that begins with who is permitted to pick up your child from school and just under the box to check if a student has life-threatening allergies, is a new question: Has the student ever been referred for mental health services?

Yes? No? Not known?

More >> Schools asking parents about their child’s mental health history

Mind-control engineers drugging children for “Social Justice”

It’s the latest thing. Psychiatrists are giving children in poor neighborhoods Adderall, a dangerous stimulant, by making false diagnoses of ADHD, or no diagnoses at all. Their aim? To “promote social justice,” to improve academic performance in school.

More >> Mind-control engineers drugging children for “Social Justice”

Texas can't let vaccination fears endanger children

Texas parents, we applaud the tens of thousands of you who will make the trek to the doctor this summer to get your kids’ vaccinations. You know that getting routine and timely shots has proven to help the U.S. fight off preventable childhood diseases.

But here’s a public health alert: You should be aware that the chances that your kid is sitting next to a student who hasn’t been vaccinated are growing at an alarming rate. That classmates’ parents have bought into discredited junk science and opted out of protecting their own kids. And they are endangering yours.

More >> Texas can't let vaccination fears endanger children

Emerging Hot Spots Of Disease Outbreaks Due To Parents Not Vaccinating Their Children

With the onset of parents deciding to not vaccinate their children, new research is showing that there are emerging hotspots of disease outbreaks associated with these lack of vaccinations. Through the work of vaccines, we have managed to evade and eliminate the risk of many diseases like measles and mumps.

More >> Emerging Hot Spots Of Disease Outbreaks Due To Parents Not Vaccinating Their Children

New study reveals gap in mental health services for at-risk kids

In a paper published in The Lancet Public Health this month, a University of South Australia (UniSA) research team has estimated a concerning gap in the workforce required to deliver tertiary-level community health care to infants, children, adolescents and their families across South Australia.


The world-first, needs-based study, funded by the NHMRC and SA Health and led by UniSA expert in the social determinants of health, Professor Leonie Segal, identified seven per cent of children (to age 18) in South Australia are suffering very high to extreme levels of distress.


More >> New study reveals gap in mental health services for at-risk kids

For Troubled Kids, Some Schools Take Time Out For Group Therapy

Evidence of Psycho-Babble School Systems

Sometimes 11-year-old B. comes home from school in tears. Maybe she was taunted about her weight that day, called "ugly." Or her so-called friends blocked her on their phones. Some nights she is too anxious to sleep alone and climbs into her mother's bed. It's just the two of them at home, ever since her father was deported back to West Africa when she was a toddler.

B.'s mood has improved lately, though, thanks to a new set of skills she is learning at school. (We're using only first initials to protect students' privacy.) Cresthaven Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md., is one of growing number of schools offering kids training in how to manage emotions, handle stress and improve interpersonal relationships.

More >> For Troubled Kids, Some Schools Take Time Out For Group Therapy

Perhaps they should offer free Karate classes to bullied kids instead of psycho-therapy.  You know something that helps to toughen them up so they aren't easy targets...

Just a thought.

Kids Are Taking Fewer Antibiotics, More ADHD Meds

Children and adolescents are getting fewer prescription drugs than they did in years past, according to a study that looks at a cross-section of the American population.

"The decrease in antibiotic use is really what's driving this overall decline in prescription medication use that we're seeing in children and adolescents," says Craig Hales, a preventive medicine physician at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics and lead author of a study published Tuesday in JAMA.

More >> Kids Are Taking Fewer Antibiotics, More ADHD Meds

US experts back marijuana-based drug for childhood seizures

A medicine made from the marijuana plant moved one step closer to U.S. approval Thursday after federal health advisers endorsed it for the treatment of severe seizures in children with epilepsy.

If the Food and Drug Administration follows the group's recommendation, GW Pharmaceuticals' syrup would become the first drug derived from the cannabis plant to win federal approval in the U.S.

More >> US experts back marijuana-based drug for childhood seizures

Big Pharma Created ‘ADHD’ to Push Drugs on Children for Profit

ADHD is a controversial topic in itself. Some people believe strongly in its existence and others are not easily convinced. I believe regardless of our opinions of its validity we can all agree lots of children who do not have it are diagnosed with it and treated for it.

Many doctors have been speaking out about this problem for years and all the while others do not hesitate to slap an ADHD label on just about any ‘problem’ child. One of those speaking out against this diagnosis is Richard Saul who happens to be a neurologist. He has had a very long career in patients with short attention spans and those who also struggle with focusing. Saul has mentioned on more than one occasion that he strongly believes ADHD is a ‘fake disorder.’

More >> Big Pharma Created ‘ADHD’ to Push Drugs on Children for Profit

Improving the Use of Psychotropic Medication for Children in Foster Care: State Profiles

Children in foster care, who typically rely on Medicaid to cover their physical and behavioral health service needs, are more likely than other children to receive psychotropic medications. In response, as part of federal legislation passed in 2012, states were newly required to develop protocols for the appropriate use and monitoring of psychotropic medications for children in foster care.


More >> Improving the Use of Psychotropic Medication for Children in Foster Care: State Profiles

Doctors push for annual teen depression screenings

Teen depression often goes undiagnosed.

“Probably 20 percent of kids are going to experience a depressive episode at some point during their teenage years. Unfortunately, we are not identifying two out of three of those kids who is experiencing depression,” said Dr. Stephen Johnson who is a pediatrician and child psychologist for Norton Pediatrics.

More >> Doctors push for annual teen depression screenings

Official Studies Report Link Between Psychiatric Drugs and Increased Violence

The Florida chapter of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), a non-profit mental health industry watchdog organization that has been investigating and collecting information on psychiatric drug links to school shooters and other acts of senseless violence since 1989, is once again calling upon lawmakers to investigate the plausible link between psychiatric drugs and the recent tragedy in Parkland.

More >> Official Studies Report Link Between Psychiatric Drugs and Increased Violence

PROZAC PRESCHOOL

From the time he was a baby, Max, now seven, struggled with crippling anxiety.

"He would fly into screaming rages for no apparent reason," says his mother, Stacy, a 44-year-old lawyer from Seattle who wanted to keep her family's identity private. "He was constantly on edge."

At two years old, Max began three years of behavioral therapy, "but it did nothing to help him," Stacy says. His fear-driven outbursts continued into kindergarten. "Some days, he couldn't even walk into class. I'd have 45 minutes of crying and screaming."


More >> PROZAC PRESCHOOL

Handcuffs and a psych exam for a 7-year-old? Schools do that too often, parents say.

A 7-year-old at Miami’s Coral Way K-8 Center was handcuffed, put in the back of a police car and taken to a hospital for an involuntary psychiatric exam after he hit and kicked a teacher during lunch.

More >> Handcuffs and a psych exam for a 7-year-old? Schools do that too often, parents say.

Bizarre hallucinations reported in children taking Tamiflu

Eleven-year-old Lindsay Ellis of Indianapolis, Ind. imagined there were bugs on her body and the devil was whispering in her ear after she took Tamiflu, an anti-influenza medication, KTVT-TV reported.

More >> Bizarre hallucinations reported in children taking Tamiflu

Use of sand vests to calm children with ADHD sparks concern

German schools are increasingly asking unruly and hyperactive children to wear heavy sand-filled vests in an effort to calm them and keep them on their seats, despite the misgivings of some parents and psychiatrists.


The controversial sand vests weigh between 1.2 and six kilograms (2.7 – 13Ib) and are being used by 200 schools across Germany.

Advocates of the vests, which cost between €140 and €170(£124 – £150), say they have witnessed a remarkable change in behaviour in many of the children who have worn them, claiming the heavy vests help to curb children’s restlessness.


More >> Use of sand vests to calm children with ADHD sparks concern

Using ADHD drugs to control 'non-compliant' pupils is 'inhumane', say experts

Teachers should monitor the use of medication like Ritalin as part of their safeguarding duties, says British Psychological Society

The use of ADHD drugs like Ritalin to control "non-compliant" pupils is “politically totalitarian, physiologically inhumane” and reminiscent of Stalin’s Russia, leading educational psychologists have said.

More >> Using ADHD drugs to control 'non-compliant' pupils is 'inhumane', say experts

More Than Half Of Today's American Kids Will Be Obese By Age 35, Harvard Study Projects

A new Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health study projects that if current tends continue, more than 57 percent of today's youth will be obese at age 35.

Currently, about one in five schoolchildren is considered obese.

More >> More Than Half Of Today's American Kids Will Be Obese By Age 35, Harvard Study Projects

Google cracking down on creepy YouTube videos targeting children

As you may be aware, Google has been having problems managing YouTube lately, especially when it comes to advertising. The famous 'Adpocalypse' taking a toll on many creators' incomes has been a prevalent topic, but Google has been seemingly oblivious to another major problem - disturbing videos specifically targeting children.

More >> Google cracking down on creepy YouTube videos targeting children

Mental Health Watchdog Strengthens Campaign to Protect Children from Unjust Involuntary Psychiatric Examination

Encouraged by a change to the mental health law earlier this year that now requires a minor to be examined within 12 hours after arriving at a psychiatric facility during a Baker Act, the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) of Florida has strengthened their campaign to restore parental rights and protect children from unnecessary involuntary examination.

More >> Mental Health Watchdog Strengthens Campaign to Protect Children from Unjust Involuntary Psychiatric Examination

Bogus Psychiatric Science and Big Pharma Lead to Drugging Kids

A few years ago, a founding father of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), announced a few months before his death that … “ADHD is a prime example of a fictitious disease."

Read More >> Bogus Psychiatric Science and Big Pharma Lead to Drugging Kids

BOYS, YOUNG MEN REPORT RISPERDAL BREAST GROWTH FROM POPULAR PSYCHIATRIC DRUG

Thousands of boys and young men across the country have been plagued with a devastating side effect from a drug that has caused them to develop breasts like those of a female.

More >> BOYS, YOUNG MEN REPORT RISPERDAL BREAST GROWTH FROM POPULAR PSYCHIATRIC DRUG

Keith Conners, Psychologist Who Set Standard for Diagnosing A.D.H.D., Dies at 84

Keith Conners, whose work with hyperactive children established the first standards for diagnosing and treating what is now known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or A.D.H.D. — and who late in life expressed misgivings about how loosely applied that label had become — died on July 5 in Durham, N.C. He was 84.

More >> Keith Conners, Psychologist Who Set Standard for Diagnosing A.D.H.D., Dies at 84

Psychiatric Labelling and Drugging of Australian Children

Australia is experiencing a tidal wave of psychiatric drugging. In a population of just over 24 million, more than 35 million prescriptions are written for psychiatric drugs every year, with $8 billion spent annually on mental health. Of great concern is the growing numbers of children and teenagers on antidepressants when no antidepressant is approved for use in children under the age of 18 for depression. Considering the huge increases in psychiatric drug consumption over the last twenty years – drugs we are told are nothing short of miraculous – why aren’t we doing better? This compelling documentary details the real story of what lies behind the ever-increasing psychiatric funding and drugging of our children and society. Watch Psychiatry: Friend or Foe? The Untold Story of Australian Psychiatry. It is vital information everyone needs to know.

More >> Psychiatric Labelling and Drugging of Australian Children

Lawmakers debated a bill April 24 that would authorize teachers to restrain violent students and remove unruly students from the classroom without facing legal action.

Lawmakers debated a bill April 24 that would authorize teachers to restrain violent students and remove unruly students from the classroom without facing legal action.

More >> Physical restraint of unruly students debated

Kids Diagnosed with Autism More Likely to Get Psychotropic Drugs

In a recently published study reviewing medication prescription in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Madden and her colleagues report that children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are much more likely to be prescribed a psychotropic medication compared to their peers who do not have this diagnosis.
More >> Kids Diagnosed with Autism More Likely to Get Psychotropic Drugs

ADHD Meds Won’t Necessarily Help Your Kid’s Grades

Giving stimulants to kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may not help them complete homework or get better grades, a small study suggests.

More >> ADHD Meds Won’t Necessarily Help Your Kid’s Grades

FDA APPROVES OXYCONTIN USE FOR CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 11

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week approved the narcotic painkiller OxyContin for pediatric use. The regulatory agency reported the drug is safe for children as young as 11 who are experiencing chronic pain that cannot be treated successfully with other medications. OxyContin is an extended-release version of oxycodone.

More >> FDA APPROVES OXYCONTIN USE FOR CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 11

Study links Acetaminophen during pregnancy to ADHD in kids

A shocking new study says a pain killer that half of all pregnant women in the United States take causes ADD and ADHD in children.

More >> Study links Acetaminophen during pregnancy to ADHD in kids

'No jab, no pay': thousands immunise children to avoid family payment cuts

The federal government’s ‘no jab, no pay’ policy has prompted thousands of parents who had previously refused to immunise their babies to get them vaccinated.


More >> 'No jab, no pay': thousands immunise children to avoid family payment cuts

Psychiatric drugs: Normalizing our kids

Many families have to face the difficult decisions involved in giving prescription drugs to their kids.

More >> Psychiatric drugs: Normalizing our kids

'Children who cannot keep quiet are being told they have brains so defective they require psychoactive drugs'

Non-academic children are likely to grow up thinking of themselves as failures or, increasingly, as sufferers from mental disorders, says the author of a new satirical novel about the ADHD epidemic

More >> 'Children who cannot keep quiet are being told they have brains so defective they require psychoactive drugs'

How we're misunderstanding medicated kids

The stereotypical medicated kid in America is wealthy and spoiled and retains a psychiatrist to guarantee him extra time on tests or to help process the emotional fallout of being neglected by high-powered working parents. In this formulation, rich kids have psychological problems, and poor kids have real problems. But the stereotype isn't accurate; the correlation is, in fact, the opposite. Children in poor families are significantly more likely to be diagnosed with emotional and behavioral problems and to be prescribed medication. Our national understanding of youth and mental health starts with an important mistake.

More >> How we're misunderstanding medicated kids

This new ADHD medication for kids comes in a fruity package.

Adzenys XR-ODT, an extended-release amphetamine, was released in May and is aimed at children 6 years and older with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. More than 11 percent of kids ages 4 to 17 have ADHD, and 75 percent of those children take medication, the CDC reports.

More >> Why this ADHD drug for kids is so controversial

Anti-psychotic medication for children could have lasting effects, research suggests

Researchers have found evidence that medicating children with behaviour problems could have an impact on levels of depression, anxiety and hyperactivity later in life.

More >> Anti-psychotic medication for children could have lasting effects, research suggests

Antipsychotic Guidelines for Kids Still Largely Unheeded

Antipsychotic prescribing rates for children in foster care and for other Medicaid-insured children have leveled off following a period of rapid growth in the early and mid 2000s. However, guideline-recommended practices are frequently still not followed, new research shows.

More >> Antipsychotic Guidelines for Kids Still Largely Unheeded

Antidepressive treatment during pregnancy can affect newborn brain activity

A new Finnish study shows that fetal exposure to commonly used SRI drugs may affect brain activity in newborns. The researchers suggest that the effects of drugs on fetal brain function should be assessed more carefully. Furthermore, indications for preventive medication should be critically evaluated, and non-pharmacological interventions should be the first-line treatment for depression and anxiety during pregnancy.

More >> Antidepressive treatment during pregnancy can affect newborn brain activity

What It's Like to Go on Antidepressants Before Puberty

When I was in elementary school, my two best friends were diagnosed with depression and given psychiatric drugs. They were both eight years old. At the time, I was weirdly jealous; I felt like they got more treats than me and the teachers gave them special attention. At one stage, I even made my mom take me to the doctor's, just to check that I wasn't depressed too.

More >> What It's Like to Go on Antidepressants Before Puberty

What to expect when your child is restrained at school

In a previous article, I called for a reduction in the use of seclusion and restraint in public schools by focusing on positive behavior interventions. In circumstances when restraint is used, parents need to be aware of the information they should expect to receive from their child’s school. I will address seclusion in a future article.

More >> What to expect when your child is restrained at school

Foster kids get antipsychotics at ‘new normal’ rate

Although fewer children in foster care and on Medicaid are getting prescriptions for antipsychotic medicines than during the early and mid-2000s, challenges remain.

More >> Foster kids get antipsychotics at ‘new normal’ rate

Most Antidepressants Don't Work for Kids, Study Finds

Most antidepressants don't work for children or teenagers with major depression and some may be unsafe, researchers reported Wednesday.

More >> Most Antidepressants Don't Work for Kids, Study Finds

Use of psych drugs in poor kids has leveled off

The good news is that the surge in use of antipsychotic medicines in poor kids peaked in 2008. The peak came a year later for those with private insurance.

More >> Use of psych drugs in poor kids has leveled off

This Common ADHD Medication Could Pose Heart Risks for Some Kids

Ritalin, a popular drug for treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), might increase the risk of an abnormal heart rhythm shortly after a young person starts taking it, a new study suggests.

More >> This Common ADHD Medication Could Pose Heart Risks for Some Kids

Antipsychotic drug use linked to autism risk

The side effects of antipsychotics can be quite problematic and researchers have found that the proportion of adolescents with autism or intellectual disability has increased among youths treated with these medications.

More >> Antipsychotic drug use linked to autism risk

Does Your Child Have ‘ADHD’? It Might Depend On Your Doctor

A study published in the journal Pediatrics reveals large differences from one pediatrician to the next when it comes to diagnosing and prescribing drugs for ‘ADHD.’ The researchers found that the percentage of children being diagnosed with ‘ADHD’ varied from as high as 16% of patients at some offices to as little as 1% of patients at others. The data also revealed significant but lower variability in the pediatric diagnosis of anxiety and depression.

More >> Does Your Child Have ‘ADHD’? It Might Depend On Your Doctor

Here’s why states want to make it tough to skip childhood vaccines

When Jennifer Stella’s two children were babies, she made sure they got all the usual vaccines. But when one started having seizures and the other developed eczema after they’d gotten immunizations, the Vermont woman decided her kids would no longer get shots required to attend school.

More >> Here’s why states want to make it tough to skip childhood vaccines

A Broken System: Rhode Island Mental Health Treatment for Children

Until last spring, his fits were mostly contained within his home. A hole in the hallway wall proves it. But one fair day last April, his aggression went public.

More >> A Broken System: Rhode Island Mental Health Treatment for Children

Care for children with mental health problems is woeful, say GPs

Family doctors have condemned NHS care for children with mental health problems as woefully inadequate and warned that vulnerable young people are coming to harm during waits of up to a year for specialist help.

More >> Care for children with mental health problems is woeful, say GPs

Stop drugging ADHD kids — and start teaching them to use their gifts

This year, Americans will spend more than $8 billion on members of the stimulant family, in a desperate attempt to keep squirmy school kids with ADHD glued to their chairs — or sometimes, even their kindergarten rugs.

More >> Stop drugging ADHD kids — and start teaching them to use their gifts

CCHR to Protest the Electroshocking of Children in Atlanta at the American Psychiatric Convention

In response to the American Psychiatric Associations calling on the FDA to allow the electroshocking of children who don't respond to "treatment" (drugs), CCHR is holding a protest at the annual American Psychiatric Association convention in downtown Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, May 14, 2016. Anyone interested in joining the protest can sign up on the Facebook event page. The protestors will meet up at 10:30 am at the north end of Woodruff Park to start the march.

More >> CCHR to Protest the Electroshocking of Children in Atlanta at the American Psychiatric Convention

CCHR Working to Restore Parental Rights and Prevent Abuse of the Baker Act

The mental health law in Florida, commonly known as the Baker Act, allows children to be involuntarily committed from school and sent for psychiatric evaluation. This is supposed to happen if it is believed the child has a mental illness and could be a serious threat to themselves or others.

More >> CCHR Working to Restore Parental Rights and Prevent Abuse of the Baker Act

5 things every parent needs to know about ADHD

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looks at the best way to treat young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD. The new studies provide strong evidence that not only is behavior therapy effective and it works without the side effects of medication —it's the better first step.

More >> 5 things every parent needs to know about ADHD

Studies find drugs prescribed inappropriately

In unrelated studies released Tuesday, the agency found that nearly a third of antibiotics were prescribed needlessly, potentially feeding resistance to those drugs, and that very young children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder who should have been referred first for behavioral therapy might have instead been placed on medication, with unknown long-term consequences.

More >> Studies find drugs prescribed inappropriately

Egan: Mom battles to give daughter medical cannabis, fends off police, CAS

Motivated by love and desperation, an area mother is fighting an uphill battle to treat her daughter’s chronic illness with a special cannabis oil.

More >> Egan: Mom battles to give daughter medical cannabis, fends off police, CAS

Government allegedly takes autistic Perth boy from family after medication fight

A long battle over medical care for a young Perth boy with autism has allegedly resulted in the government removing him and his sister from the foster mother who has cared for them for seven years.

More >> Government allegedly takes autistic Perth boy from family after medication fight

Stop giving bullied children anti-depressants, warns Government adviser

Britain’s child mental health crisis is far worse than most people realise and we risk "medicalising childhood" through botched attempts to address the problem, the Government’s mental health champion for schools has said.

More >> Stop giving bullied children anti-depressants, warns Government adviser

Kids With ADHD Do Better With Therapy First, Study Finds

When their son Christian got tossed out of kindergarten because of his impulsivity and hyperactivity, Laura and Adolfo Siclari knew they needed to do something.

More >> Kids With ADHD Do Better With Therapy First, Study Finds

Why are children being prescribed more psychiatric and serious medications than ever before?

New studies suggest more children than ever are being prescribed psychiatric drugs and other serious medications.

More >> Why are children being prescribed more psychiatric and serious medications than ever before?

Concern over 'extremely dangerous' untrained therapists putting vulnerable clients at risk

Counsellors have expressed “huge concern” that untrained therapists are breaking professional boundaries, putting vulnerable clients at risk and could even induce a nervous breakdown.

More >> Concern over 'extremely dangerous' untrained therapists putting vulnerable clients at risk

Family Court orders chemotherapy to be administered to a 6 year old against parents’ wishes

This case illustrates how the Family Court will take the best interests of a child into account in making its decisions. This is the case even when both parents are united in their wishes for their child.

More >> Family Court orders chemotherapy to be administered to a 6 year old against parents’ wishes

Drugging Our Kids: Foster care bill targets excessive prescribing of psychiatric drugs

The voices of foster youth and their advocates overcame the powerful physicians lobby in the Capitol on Monday, as a bill to identify and investigate California doctors who overprescribe psychiatric drugs to traumatized foster children won a key Senate vote.

More >> Drugging Our Kids: Foster care bill targets excessive prescribing of psychiatric drugs

CCHR Educates Over 7,000 Families on How to Protect Their Children from Involuntary Commitment in Florida

Participating in dozens of family orientated events, CCHR is on a crusade to stop the involuntary commitment of children in Florida without parental consent or knowledge.

More >> CCHR Educates Over 7,000 Families on How to Protect Their Children from Involuntary Commitment in Florida

Parents of autistic kids frustrated by lack of residential treatment options

The Steffens can’t go on a family outing to a park. Or stay with out-of-town relatives. Or, if 11-year-old Andrew is along, even stop by the grocery.

More >> Parents of autistic kids frustrated by lack of residential treatment options

ADHD Drugs:Helpful or Destructive?

There is some confusion as to why stimulant drugs have a calming effect on children. Therefore, it was postulated that children with ADHD have some sort of deficiency that stimulants fill. This is a false notion, as the effects of ADHD drugs are the same in all people, whether they have ADHD or not. When scientists experimented on lab animals, by giving them stimulants, they observed a universal adverse response. This reaction, which we will elaborate on below, occurs in humans to the same degree.

More >> ADHD Drugs:Helpful or Destructive?

Keith Conners, Father of ADHD, Regrets Its Current Misuse

Keith Conners can rightly be called the “Father of ADHD”. He was there at the birth of the disorder and probably knows more about it than anyone else on the planet.

More >> Keith Conners, Father of ADHD, Regrets Its Current Misuse

Families with children suffering from mental illness should not fight alone

In February, the Duchess of Cambridge made news headlines around the globe when she publicly announced support for an initiative to reduce the stigma around children suffering from mental illness. I’d like to thank her for bringing heightened awareness to this critical issue.

More >> Families with children suffering from mental illness should not fight alone

Troubled Kids' Psychiatric Care Often Delayed by Insurance Rules

Children with severe psychiatric problems often have lengthy waits before they're transferred from a hospital emergency department to a psychiatric hospital due to insurance companies' "prior authorization" requirements, a small study suggests.

More >> Troubled Kids' Psychiatric Care Often Delayed by Insurance Rules

'Unfit' mother's religious objections can't keep children from being vaccinated, court rules

Despite a mother's religious objections, a Kent County judge acted properly in ordering her children to undergo vaccinations after finding her an "unfit" mother, a state court of appeals panel said.

More >> 'Unfit' mother's religious objections can't keep children from being vaccinated, court rules

• Parents, deemed unfit, lose bid to keep kids from being vaccinated

Maine Voices: Bill to treat ‘drug-addicted babies’ based on harmful misconceptions

Maine Sen. Angus King’s “Cradle Act” is an example of the many harmful misconceptions about maternal opiate addiction.

More >> Maine Voices: Bill to treat ‘drug-addicted babies’ based on harmful misconceptions

Court rules four children must have vaccines after mother objects

A family court judge has ruled that four children must be immunised after their Muslim mother refused consent because she said vaccines contained pork gelatine.


More >> Court rules four children must have vaccines after mother objects

Young girl at the center of hospital pot use battle dies Loading

A young girl at the center of a battle to allow hospital patients the right to use smokeless forms of medical marijuana, has died.

More >> Young girl at the center of hospital pot use battle dies

• Why kids with August birthdays are more likely to get an ADHD diagnosis

Kids with August birthdays are more likely to get an ADHD diagnosis. Here’s why.

One of the most contentious debates in child development in the United States is what's leading to the sharp rise in cases of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). More than one in 10 children ages 4 to 17 are estimated to have the diagnosis, and scientists are looking at the role things such as genetics, environmental exposures and low birth weight might play.


More >> Kids with August birthdays are more likely to get an ADHD diagnosis. Here’s why.

• ADHD Might Be A Misdiagnosis For Child's Maturity, Study Finds

Thousands at risk of unfairly losing welfare benefits because of "no jab no pay"

Thousands of Australians are at risk of having their welfare payments unfairly slashed because of inaccuracies in Australia's immunisation register, which is being used to process the Turnbull government's new "no jab, no pay" rules, health care workers say.

More >> Thousands at risk of unfairly losing welfare benefits because of "no jab no pay"

Youngest Kids In Class At Higher Risk Of ADHD Diagnosis

By the time they're in elementary school, some kids prove to be more troublesome than others. They can't sit still or they're not socializing or they can't focus enough to complete tasks that the other kids are handling well. Sounds like ADHD. But it might be that they're just a little young for their grade.

More >> Youngest Kids In Class At Higher Risk Of ADHD Diagnosis

• Active Children Are Being Overdiagnosed With ADHD a New Study Finds
• Children born in August at increased risk of being diagnosed with ADHD than those born in September: Study

ADHD is vastly overdiagnosed and many children are just immature, say scientists

Many children are needlessly prescribed drugs to combat ADHD when they are just immature, a study suggests

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• ADHD children may just be immature, research suggests

What’s causing ADHD to skyrocket in kids?

In 2003, 7.8% of 4- to 17-year-olds in the US were were diagnosed with ADHD, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health. By 2011, that figure had reached 11% of students, with 20% of high-school boys diagnosed with the condition.

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“New Mexico Law Prohibits Forced Psychiatric Drugging of Children”

Bill 53 has officially become law in New Mexico House Bill, ensuring that a parent’s decision not to administer psychiatric drugs to a child is not grounds for a child being removed from parental custody.

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Drugging Children to Keep Them Quiet

Two mothers mentioned getting perscriptions from doctors to medicate children during a plane trip. Presumably to keep them calm and sedated. This honestly bothers me profoundly! I try not to give my child chemical medications at all, just as I try to avoid taking them myself.

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ADHD Meds Tied to Lower Bone Density in Kids

Children on medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have lower bone density than their peers, a new U.S. study suggests.

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Parents ask lawmakers for pediatric medical marijuana

Joy O’Meara, of Trumbull, can’t keep track of the times she’s made emergency calls for her 7-year-old son, Jamison, but she won’t forget the moments when she held his seemingly lifeless body and began CPR.

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Pills for your kid's ADHD? Try this instead

You likely first heard about attention-deficit disorder, or ADD, in the early 1980s when the condition came onto the popular radar under that label, and parents and teachers scrambled to learn about treatment.

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South Dakota partners with Big Pharma to prey on Native Americans in genocidal campaign to increase revenues

The use of culturally-biased guidelines in determining mental health status allows the agency to circumvent Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) rules, designed to keep these children from ending up in non-native foster homes, while generating millions of dollars for the pharmaceutical industry.

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Too many Pa. foster children are on psychiatric meds

Following a report last summer that large numbers of Pennsylvania children on Medicaid, especially those in foster care, are taking psychiatric medications, state officials Tuesday announced steps to address the problem.

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House panel OKs bill aimed at increasing child immunizations in Utah

The third time was the charm for a bill that requires parents to learn about preventable illnesses before exempting their children from immunizations.

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Early behavior therapy better than medication in treating children with ADHD

In the United States, medication is the first line of treatment for 90 percent of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, Florida International University (FIU) researchers have determined behavioral therapy—when used first—is more effective in treating children with ADHD than medication. It is also more cost-effective.

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Bill would prevent child vaccination opt-outs for personal reasons

Wisconsin parents would no longer be able to cite “personal conviction” for a reason to exempt their children from required vaccinations under a new bill currently being circulated at the Capitol.

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Parents credit antibiotic for autistic child's 'monumental' improvements

A five-year-old boy with autism who has never really communicated, has suddenly started answering back when asked a question, is making better eye contact and is happier, according to his excited parents who link these “monumental” changes to an unexpected source.

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With more parents choosing not to vaccinate, Utah on brink of losing 'herd immunity'

Noah Chesler was excited to go back to school.

Not many 9-year-olds are. But Noah had been gone for nearly two years — after a bone marrow transplant left his immune system too weak to fight the onslaught of infections lurking around every classroom.

More >> With more parents choosing not to vaccinate, Utah on brink of losing 'herd immunity'

ADHD Symptoms Less Likely To Fade When Parents Criticize Their Kids

New research out of the American Psychological Association links persistent attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to having critical parents, suggesting that parental behavior can have a significant impact on the mental disorder. In many cases, ADHD fades away towards the end of adolescence, and may completely disappear in adulthood. Among those whose symptoms persist as they age, harsh and critical parents may play a role, the research suggests.


More >> ADHD Symptoms Less Likely To Fade When Parents Criticize Their Kids

• Being overly critical of your kids makes them more susceptible to ADHD

ADHD in kids: What many parents and teachers don’t understand but need to know

There seems to be a never-ending stream of research reports about attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD — the most commonly diagnosed neuro-behavioral disorder in U.S. children — and how it affects young people.

More >> ADHD in kids: What many parents and teachers don’t understand but need to know

Christie: No apologies to family who left N.J. for sick child's medical marijuana

Christie: No apologies to family who left N.J. for sick child's medical marijuana

Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday defended the state's strict medical marijuana program and shrugged off a suggestion that a Scotch Plains family had no choice but to relocate to Colorado so their ailing daughter could have easier access to edible cannabis products.

Traumatized Kids Who Were Drugged Offer Lessons for Mental Health Care

Extensive use of psychiatric medication for children in foster care offers a striking example of childism,  or societal prejudice against children.  A powerful five part film “Drugging Our Kids”   by Dai Sugano and Karen De Sa documents this issue in a thorough and dramatic way, using interviews with young adults who were in the foster care system, some from as early as 2 years of age. They were  labeled with every psychiatric diagnosis under the sun, when really what they were suffering from was trauma and loss. After experiencing physical, sexual and emotional abuse, they were on multiple psychiatric medications for many years. With the help of a range of individuals who saw through the haze of drug effects to who they really were, those interviewed for the documentary were able to get off all medications.   In a segment entitled “Treatment for a Broken Heart is Not Another Medication,” child psychiatrist David Arendondo says, “The first line treatment not another medication. It is to understand, to listen to the child, to ask, ‘what’s going on, why are you sad in this way?’”

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Mom Breaks Law to Treat Sick Toddler With Cannabis Oil

Single mom Sarah Ellett knows she’s breaking the law every day when she gives her chronically ill daughter Remie, 3, two tiny drops of cannabis oil. She’s determined to continue, as the treatment has brought her child a quality of life that’s not only tolerable but also often joyful. But now child caseworkers have gotten involved, and Ellett is scared.

More >> Mom Breaks Law to Treat Sick Toddler With Cannabis Oil