Sadly, I wasn't able to attend the first day of Donna Weston's 2-day training at Fort Worden, kindly sponsored by the Regional Service Network and offered free to interested professionals. Here are some photos from the second day, both of the conference and of the unique environment of Fort Worden State Park, to convey the flavor. I have video clips of her presentation which I will be sharing in subsequent posts on this site. -gw
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
On My Two Cents: Drs continue to prescribe inappropriate medications to young children
So here is my two cents... Did you read this article in the New York Times? 
OPELOUSAS, La. — At 18 months, Kyle Warren started taking a daily antipsychotic drug on the orders of a pediatrician trying to quell the boy’s severe temper tantrums
Here is an educated response. -gw
It’s time to put a stop to this out-of-control prescription of atypical antipsychotics off-label. The American Academic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry apparently agrees:
Dr. Lawrence L. Greenhill, president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, concerned about the lack of research, has recommended a national registry to track preschoolers on antipsychotic drugs for the next 10 years. “Psychotherapy is the key to the treatment of preschool children with severe mental disorders, and antipsychotics are adjunctive therapy — not the other way around,” he said.
So why do doctors continue to prescribe clearly inappropriate medications to younger and younger children? Costs and time. Medication is cheaper than psychotherapy in most cases. And psychotherapeutic interventions require a time and commitment on the family’s part to embrace change. Changing the family dynamics, changing the nature and quality of the parenting relationships, and changing how a parent copes with stress and the behavior of their child. Many parents fear a therapist will also be more judgmental — telling them that their parenting styles may have led to the child’s current problematic behavior. Some parents just aren’t able to hear that (even if therapists are usually far more tactful than looking to place blame — therapy is about helping produce beneficial changes, not blame).
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