Dr. Henry Paul, MD

Psychiatrist, Author and Educator

FIGHTING THE STIGMA OF MENTAL HEALTH

February 19th, 2016

39018469_sThere is a stigma surrounding mental health issues, not just here in the United States, but around the world. There always has been! Today the Huffington Post began their “Young Minds Matter” campaign to raise awareness about mental health in children, and the Dutchess of Cambridge is leading the charge. The former Kate Middleton said in the Huffington Post Wednesday that “she and Prince William wouldn’t hesitate to seek help if they thought their children, George and Charlotte, needed it.”

As a guest editor for the Huffington Post, the Dutchess of Cambridge said in her first blog post for the new series “Young Minds Matter” that she wants to “celebrate the amazing work being done to improve and understand the mental health of young children”. She discussed her charity work and how it led her to realize that unresolved issues in childhood were leading to addiction and mental health problems for many adults. She writes, “What I did not expect was to see that time and time again, the issues that led people to addiction and destructive decision making seemed to almost always stem from unresolved childhood challenges. It became clear to me that many children – even those younger than five – have to deal with complex problems without the emotional resilience, language or confidence to ask for help. And it was also clear that with mental health problems still being such a taboo, many adults are often too afraid to ask for help for the children in their care.”

The new series will explore the issues and work on the mental health of the young child.

I applaud the Huffington Post and the Dutchess of Cambridge for starting this dialogue, and I encourage you to follow and join the discussion. The mental health crisis in the UK mirrors the American crisis, and there is a lot to learn from this ongoing dialogue.

LINKS
Let’s Make a Real Difference for an Entire Generation of Young Children
Duchess of Cambridge raises mental health issues in HuffPost

ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS AND THE DISORDERS THEY TREAT

April 10th, 2014

I want to address in my latest series the antipsychotic medications and the disorders they treat. Of all the drug classifications, antipsychotics sounds the scariest to parents. They assume that by prescribing them, the doctor is saying their child is psychotic. It is essential to understand that this class of drug – in spite of its name – has many uses and has helped countless children with different disorders. Unlike stimulants, which essentially treat one mental disorder – ADD – antipsychotics are used in the treatment of not only psychoses (disorders that include the loss of touch with reality), as their name implies, but for many behavioral problems in children and teens.

These drugs are called antipsychotics because upon their introduction into mainstream psychiatry they were used primarily for the psychoses. However as time has passed, this has been greatly overshadowed by their widespread use treating a myriad of other conditions. Unfortunately, the name has stuck and thus the immediate anxiety parents and teens experience when they are suggested. Many parents simply won’t give it to their children just because of the label. Until someone comes up with a more suitable name, parents need to be educated and reassured.

In my next few blogs I will address the disorders and the use of these drugs for treating Schizophrenia, Conduct Disorder (CD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Stimulant-Resistant Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Tics (Tourette’s syndrome), Childhood Bipolar Disorder, and some other trends in the use of the antipsychotics.

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.

THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY CHILD

November 7th, 2013

These are three phone calls that I received in one week:

(Steven)
“The school principal just called and said our son Steven, a fourth grader, was overheard talking with some friends about bringing a knife to school. He has a history of misbehavior, but recently he has gotten worse. He has been fighting a lot, not following rules, talking back, leaving the classroom without permission, and now this. I’m freaking out. When can we see you?”

(Jessica)
“Our fourteen-year-old daughter, Jessica, has been sad since her grandma died six months ago. She’s been withdrawn, sleeping a lot, and hardly eats. At first we sympathized with her and gave her space. But this morning I looked in her diary and read a note in which she talked about yearning to be dead and join her grandma in heaven. I think this is much worse than just grieving. What should we do?”

(Marty)
“Marty, our eleven-year-old son, has always been shy. Ever since we can remember, he was scared to do anything new. We would have to accompany him everywhere — school, camp, after school activities, and the like. He could never go on a play date without great fear. He never made close friends. But now he is beginning to act really strange. He talks to himself, he is over-involved on strange websites, he smiles about things we can’t understand, and yesterday said something about being connected to other people through mind reading. I read something about psychosis on the Internet and he seems to fit the bill. I’m terrified something really serious is wrong with him.”

I get calls like these almost every day.  Realizing that your child may have a problem is really scary. It can be devastating to learn that your child is physically sick, but discovering that your child suffers from a mental disorder adds another layer of confusion and anxiety. Mental disorders are not as well understood as physical disorders, and it is only recently that they have begun to be talked about openly. Add the fact that new diagnoses come up seemingly weekly, along with all the misinformation in the media about the medications used to treat mental disorders, and you have some very confused and worried parents. Through my blog I want to address your questions, fears, and worries about treating your child.  I want you to ask me questions and I want to hear your concerns.

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.