One of my wonderful Facebook friends shared this simple yet thought provoking video about giving children psychiatric diagnoses. I started to re-post the video with a very looooong caption but then I remembered, that's why I have this outlet. For those that don't know, the letters on the t-shirts of the children in this video represent mental health diagnoses. The diagnoses are given based on symptoms that the child exhibits over a certain amount of time. More information about these diagnoses can be found through researching the DSM, which is the manual containing all mental health diagnoses for children and adults.
I'm sad to say that far too often in my line of work I am witness to the issue displayed in this video. On a daily basis I work with children and teenagers who have been labeled with diagnoses that follow them throughout the rest of their lives. From my perspective I feel that the quickness with which the diagnosis is given doesn't match the lifetime stigma that some carry. I believe that at times diagnoses get thrown out to appease complaining parents who are looking for a quick fix for troublesome behavior. Other times diagnoses are given because of faulty systems. In some cases the only way that a child can receive the supportive services that they need, is for them to be given a diagnoses. This is only followed by a medication prescription that may be unnecessary or too extreme. But the issue can be even deeper that this.
This issue with the diagnosis being the problem is also reflective of how we take advantage of certain groups of people. For example, earlier I shared that some parents are looking for a quick fix for their children's behaviors. If these parents lack a solid mental health education they can agree to and accept a diagnosis that is more of a hindrance than a help. Some low income families can not afford the high cost of outside mental health services and as I stated earlier in some cases the right mental health diagnosis can guarantee these services. If we look at gender, at times males and females can present with the same behaviors; but the males are more likely to be seen as "the problem" and given a diagnosis. Race also plays a role. I have seen white and black children with similar behaviors, both given a diagnosis, but a different diagnosis. One more favorable than the other. For example, our society has come to accept the ADD* and ADHD* diagnoses. I see a greater number of professionals who are more willing to deal with these diagnoses than diagnoses such as ODD* and Conduct Disorder (CD). Consequently I see white youths being diagnosed with ADHD and ADD and black youths diagnosed as ODD and Conduct Disorder. I also see more youths who are involved with law enforcement being labeled ODD or CD early on. This confirms what we see in our reality; males from low income, Black families being repeat offenders in our criminal system.
In spite of what may seem like a negative trend, there is hope! We as a society have to take back the labels that we are stigmatizing our children with. We are all unique and how we act and behave are signs of our uniqueness. We have to highlight and encourage the positives in the behaviors that are often deemed negative. For example, I had a professor when I was in grad school who had a son who had been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The name itself is negative, suggesting that one diagnosed with this disorder has a "deficit." Instead of ascribing to this description my professor labeled his son as having Attention in Different Directions (ADD). The description can have a negative connotation but it can also be used to direct the child in a positive direction though embracing the behaviors instead of stigmatizing them. As most parents can attest to there is no easy way to raising children. Sometimes these diagnoses can be a quick fix but fail to accurately address the true issues. Some of the symptoms that accompany the diagnoses can be treated holistically or behaviorally. But these methods take time, consistency, and attention while they can eliminate the debilitating label that accompanies a diagnoseis.
I have to end by saying that all psychiatrists, medications, and diagnoses are not bad nor do they have poor intentions. There are many who benefit through understanding behaviors through the context of a mental health diagnosis. There are some who have issues with chemicals in the brain which medication can help treat. The issue is that overuse can sometimes make a good thing ineffective. When too many children are diagnosed then the diagnosis doesn't hold much weight. Everyone looks at the children through the lens of their diagnosis instead of for who they are in addition to the behaviors that warrant a diagnoses.
These are jut my thoughts on children and mental health diagnoses. What are your thoughts? How do you see it? Agree or Disagree I would like to know! Thanks for stopping by and come back in two weeks for the next post.
"One must have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star"~Friedrich Nietzsche
*ADHD= Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
*ADD=Attention Deficit Disorder
*ODD= Oppositional Defiant Disorder
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