Mental Health Humor and Cartoons

Free Mental Health Humor : The Friends We Keep

O.K., I admit it, I love STAR WARS! In fact, one of my kids is named after one of the main characters… NO NOT Jabba the Hut! My wife is into it, too. And yes, we are kind of Trekkies, too. Although, I have never been to a convention or dressed the part. I still like the show. Nuff said!

I wanted to talk about a hot subject: Early Mental Health Intervention. I can tell you right now, I have mixed feelings with the way it is done and how it is treated. But, maybe your comments, will help me avoid the “Dark Side”!

In my post “Mental Health Humor : Ramblings…childhood ramblings…Ramblings about Me” I talked about when “I got to be evaluated at the world renowned Children’s Hospital. After about 5 visits and tons of audio and visual sensory tests, they came back with my diagnosis… Dyslexia!” Yet I am sure if there was a test for Bipolar or ADHD, I might have had that label placed on me. But, the fact is back in the late 70’s, there was nothing.

What worries me is that getting diagnosed with bipolar 25 years later is a little late for me. I’m sure if I knew about the disorder in my early 20’s, I would have gotten healed. But the misinformation and stigma, kept me from seeking any help. Besides back then, I was mostly hypo-manic. Here is my point, since 1994 not long after an article was published about the new term “Childhood Bipolar” there was a jump in the stats. (see below)

“Children

Main article: Bipolar disorder in children

Children with bipolar disorder do not often meet the strict DSM-IV definition, tending to have rapid-cycling or mixed-cycling pattern.^[32] The incidence in this age group has been traditionally held to be very rare.^{[citation needed]} In September 2007, experts (from New York, Maryland and Madrid) found that the number of American children and adolescents treated for bipolar disorder increased 40-fold from 1994 to 2003, and it was increasing ever since. They concluded that doctors had been more aggressively applying the diagnosis to children, and not that the incidence of the disorder had increased. The study calculated the number of visits which increased, from 20,000 in 1994 to 800,000 in 2003, or 1% of the population under age 20.^[33][34]

Often other psychiatric conditions are diagnosed in bipolar children. These other diagnoses may be concurrent problems, or they may be misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder. Depression, ADHD, ODD, schizophrenia, and Tourette syndrome are common comorbid conditions. Furthermore some children with histories of abuse or neglect may have Bipolar I Disorder.”

The fact is many children are misdiagnosed and placed on heavy mind altering drugs that studies have shown are more damaging then the disorder they are treating.

I am all for getting the right help! I’m just not for tossing a child into a labeled group then putting them on drugs when … and get ready for this because it is a little controversial -  all that is needed is more parental involvement with the child and more loving, proper discipline!

Now I’m not saying, this is you, I’m talking about children being misdiagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Not other disorders or syndromes that are obvious.

I might feel this way since I’m a father and I worry about my own kids… I just don’t think a pill should be the first choice!

Am I way off here? Let me know… win me over.

Permission granted for non-profit use by artist: Chato B. Stewart.

^^^ When using this cartoon on your non-profit blog you must link us.^^^
Thanks for dropping by:
Chato B. Stewart
Mental Health Advocate - Cartoonist - and a few other things!
http://www.mentalhealthhumor.com

“Using Humor to Heal and Educate with badly drawn cartoons.”

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