by Michael Bridges

Created on: April 10, 2007   Last Updated: April 24, 2007

It is my opinion that doctors have given parents false hope that their child doesn't have a behavioral problem, that it's just some chemical imbalance that can be corrected with medicine. No parent wants to believe that they have a bad child, to them that would mean that some how they did something wrong in raising the child. A bad kid to them would mean bad parents and they refuse to have that reflection of themselves out in the public eye. So a doctor tells the parents that the child has a medical condition that causes him or her to act the way they do and it can be corrected with medicine. So for the need to look like good parents to the public, the parents take a chance on having their child become addicted or having some side effect to some medicine. The doctor and the pharmaceutical company are happy because they can line their pockets with more money, the parents are happy because they look like good parents to the public and the kid is happy because, well because he or she is all doped up.

I remember a time when a belt across the butt was the only medicine you needed and believe me you don't become addicted to that. I know times have changed and that in allot of homes both parents are working trying to makes ends meet. So they don't have the time or the energy to discipline their kids like they should. But, is putting your child in a drugged out stupor the best alternative? I would think not. You're taking a chance and a very big one in my opinion, that you're child will become drug addicted. They may grow up thinking that taking drugs is the best way to handle any problem.

Doctors and pharmaceutical companies keep finding ways to make money from people by coming up with more disorders and making medicines for those disorders. What once was a behavioral problem is given a fancy name with catchy initials and then given a cure. If you really look at it, allot of the disorders that are being diagnosed have allot of the same characteristics. It seems they just add a few things to them and bam, you have a new disorder.

As I look around I notice how dependent this generation has become on medicines. You can't sleep at night? Take a pill. Whatever happened to warm milk? Have a slight pain? Take a pill. Whatever happened to working it out? Got gas? Take a pill. Whatever happened to Rolaids or Tums? There seems to be a pill for any discomfort you might have and every pill has a side effect. With some the side effects that most medicines have you could put yourself in worse shape then you were with the original disorder.

I think this generation should go back to basics. Let your body do it's job, it can help you through some of those things you are taking meds for, just give it a little time. Look for natural ways to ease those discomforts not a pill. And parents take a belt to that bad kid the alternatives could be far worse.

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