As a child psychiatrist for over 30 years, I fully understand why parents are often anxious, hesitant, and concerned about giving medication to their child. All too often, such feelings arise from the biased, misleading, and even fabricated stories that are conveyed through the media. You wonder if you’re doing the right thing, what the long-term effects might be and should you try something more holistic. You read all kinds of posts and information on the Internet that, quite frankly, can be scary. The reality, though, is that your child needs this medication, and you need to be able to sleep at night and not worry that you are harming your child.
I have evaluated, treated, and prescribed medication for thousands of young people in settings that include hospitals, outpatient public clinics, residences, foster agencies, and in private practice, and I have followed the progress of many of them over the course of many years. I have plenty of experiences prescribing all of the current psychotropic drugs, and I have treated children and teenagers with all the various disorders including ADHD, bipolar disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Asperger’s, and more. I have seen the therapeutic effects of medication when administered properly, the harmful effects when they are abused or prescribed incorrectly, and I have observed the side effects that occur on a rare occasion.
In 2013, I wrote the book When Kids Need Meds: Everything a Parent Needs to Know about Psychiatric Medication and Youngsters. Look, I don’t believe every child with a mental disorder needs medication, but I strongly feels that some do. To withhold these important therapeutic agents can be harmful and, in some cases, tragic. In When Kids Need Meds, I discuss mental disorders, explain the process of psychiatric evaluation, answer many questions, and talk about stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, sleep medications, anti-anxiety drugs and others. I also stress the importance of non-medication therapies and provide references for readers to obtain more information. My goal is to provide a guide that covers almost every aspect of an extremely important and very prevalent topic as it educates, comforts, and provides support. I hope you will find it a resource and that it helps you to make peace with having to give your child medications.
Click the picture to purchase a copy of the book!
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DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription. Dr. Paul does not assume any responsibility or risk for the use of any information contained within this blog.
