Replies to '09/28 Overmedicating America: The Cruise Controversy'

Excuse me when you say kids fight thats normal??  Is it normal for a 14 year old TEENAGER to choke a 3 YEAR OLD toddler?? 

I do not think so. 

My daughter is not just your average "hormonal teen" so before you go telling me that I should not have her on meds you should live my life. 

Is it normal for teenagers to cut themselves 40 times? Is it normal for 12-14 year old sto attempt suicide? Is it normal for a 14 year old to see a little boy and a little girl calling her name? Is it normal for a 14 year old to feel "someone" tapping her on the back while she is trying to sleep?
 

I know ALL the risks to medications and my daughter is now NOT attempting suicide. 

She was attempting suicide and self mutilating BEFORE she was put on meds. 

Believe me when I tell you meds was my last resort. Not everyone needs them but not everyone can function without them. 

If I may be frank, you are full of baloney!  I suffer from clinical despression and my father has suffered from a chemical imbalance, to the point of being suicidal. 

I have taken medication for my depression for five years and I have tried to wean myself off of it, and everytime I do my condition deteriorates.   

Unless you and Tom Cruise or anyone else has any experience in this area, please keep your opinions to yourself.  People that are ignorant to this subject cause more harm than good.  You probably also think Post partem depression is a myth too right ? 

Are you A DOCTOR???? NO you are not.  I have had a chemical imbalance since I was 25 years old.  I have very severe migraines and depression.  I agree we over-medicate our children but when medication is used in the right way and you look for adverse reactions to the medication it can be very useful.  It is a known fact that depression and migraines are caused by a chemical imbalance.  I can not just will the migraines and depression to go away.  Depression is an illness, some people can live with depression without medication and some people cannot.  Medication is good when you use it the way it was intended.  You have to be proactive when you take medication.  If you are having adverse reaction to a new medication or old one  you should let your doctor know.  Not everyone can take the same medication.  Tom Cruise in neither right or wrong.  It is just his opinion! 

Hi, 

I'm bipolar and I also have a degree from college in biology and with a minor in chemistry. I was lucky to finish it up because I had my breakdown a couple days after finals. But that's beside the point of this post. While in my very last classes, biochemistry and histology (study of all human tissues including the mysterious brain:), in college I learned a lot about our brain cells. But there is also so much we do not know.  

What I do know is that the new mood stabilizers, if not for them I would have too much dopamine which would make me very manic and psychotic when I'm at my peak of mania, off  meds... Seroquel, my medication, and its precursor, Zyprexa has quelled the storm in my brain for the last 8 years and kept me out of the hospital. As far as Serotonin, another chemical made by our brain cells, known as neurotransmitters, , I don't have enough of so I get depressed so Effexor "recycles" it along with norepinephrine, another brain chemical I do not have enough of. I'm not cured or happy all the time. In fact my life has eroded quite a bit in quality but if not for the drugs for my clear and present chemical imbalance, I might not be here today. I just wanted to share with you some scientific basis for needing these medications and they do save lives, like mine, if taken every day, and if the person takes good care of themselves like me, meaning no drugs or drinking, etc... 

Thanks for listening:) Also I got to see an MRI of my brain one time and how my brain looks so different from a normal person's, more blue than red in some places: the chemicals do this, so out of balance. Not even the medications can "fix" that unfortunately. Maybe the answer lies in gene therapy..hopefully. Elle 

       You most live in a perfect world i have a 10yr son with bipolar and ocd if it wasn't for his meds who knows what would happen to my son he has voilent rages ( now with his meds adjustment  he is doing great he has had two rages in the last 9 months instead of almost daily and they haven't been as horible as they was he has been arrested 4 times for asult on a family member) he has done thousands of dollars in damages to my home and punched, kicked, spit, cussed hit us with anything he can get in his hands flipped over chair,tables, bite us and hiself  intill blood was drawed ( this is happens when we are restaining him for his and our safety) clawed, went after my disable mother with a screwdriving, threw a bucher knife and his older sister, stabing himself with pens, went after his older brother with a baseball bat you name it he has done it ( of course all sharp objects are lock up where he can get to them anymore) a few times his rage was so bad blood would gush out of his nose. there was many times we never knew what started it he would be fine one min and a drop of a dime he would rambling on aboult things that made him mad and went on getting madder and madderintill it was like he couldn't stop himself. after all was calm he would look around the house and say what happen there like he had no clue what just happen and what he just done he would ask mommy why are you mad and when he started a rage many times he didn't know what he was mad about. then there was the times we would be setting there ( he is a big mommy's boy) just fine then all the sudden he would say out of no where i know you hate me and want to kill me and go on giving deal tell on how i was going to kill him ) and for one minute anyone thinks well he most be something he heard or seen or by watch something bad on tv his tv watching is limited to only surten shows if something bad or voilent has happen in are town we do what ever we can to make sure he doesn't hear about it will make his fear of the outside go threw the roof more  than he all ready has. but he would lose it and watch everymove i make when he is like this i have to get away from him and someone else need to talk to him and try to convence him mommy isn't trying to kill you. my son gets pariond over the littlest thing when it rains is ok but he  watches for the lighnting to come and when it does he goes in crazy mode saying over and over watch out the lighting will kill you there is times he feels if he walks by a window someone will be there to shoot him, he was taking no less then 10 showers a day even getting up in the middle of the night and showering. He was calling my up to 20 times a day to make sure i was ok. my son in 4 yrs never spent the night with anyone because they don't know how to lock the doors right so killers don't get in. everynight he checks all the doors and window or has his brother check them. he willn't no matter what walk in the grass even with the hint of darkness coming because pitching bugs will eat his feet. he has night terrors. sence he was five he has seen this same man in jeans and a t-shirt with black gloves on he was always hanging from a rope around his neck in the door way about a year ago the guy is no longer hanging he just walks around following him or hiding behind something. my son now faces his fear ( of the guy) and yells at him to leave the house telling him you don't scare me anymore this has help alot along with his meds that he has been on  for the last 4 yrs (depakote and geadon and clondine when needed)  we do support groups and other classes to help parents deal with children with mental disorder and the kids class teaches ways to control your anger dealing with fears , self control and teaches them more about there disorder. my son does good most of the time but when his meds need ajusted we know qiuckly by his behavior. we also learned different techniqes to do with him if he is focus anger on one person ( which is mostly me they say it is because we are so close) you remove your self from his sight  the more he looks at you the madder he gets or when the anger isn't at one person i talk him threw it i will keep talking to him about play outside with his aunts dog i use this with night terrors also ( this doesn't always work. so it is not all aboult drugging my son he isn't drugged i hate when peolpe say to me if you just beat his ass a good and show him that your the boss he would stop or let him come spend sometime with me he wouldn't act that way after i get done with him  or all them drugs you have him on make him do these well if that is the case what caused it before i every put him on the meds when you walk a mile in my shoes then you have the right to say something about how i am raising my son intill then go on about your buisness. i would give anything in the world to have my son be like other kids i have asked myself what didn't he or i do to deserve this my son is the sweetest most loving kid you could every ask for he is such alittle charmmer  he will help you do anything you ask but he has his moments when he isn't him self and when he goes in a rage he has the coldest, darkest look in his eyes and a blank look on his face, his voice changes and his ears will turn beat red and hot as fire like the devil took over when you watch your child your baby go threw thing like i do you will do what ever you can to help him even if it is by meds my son is not a sombie by far your look at him and could never tell he takes meds he leads a normal as normal can be for him