Judith Warner is the author of the New York Times bestselling Perfect Madness- Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety and Hillary Clinton- The Inside Story, as well as several other books. She writes the Domestic Disturbances column for the New York Times website and is a former special correspondent for Newsweek in Paris. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and their children.
In this manifesto for change, New York Times blogger Warner
(Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety, 2005, etc.)
examines the argument that Americans are overmedicating their
children.
The author wanted to write a condemnation of American parents for
hysterically spotting mental disorders where there are none. When
she began interviewing parents and mental-health professionals,
however, she reversed her position. Only five percent of American
children take psychotropic drugs, she writes, yet that many suffer
from extreme mental illness, while another 15 percent endure at
least minimal illness. Not only has Warner never met a parent who
lunged for the medicine cabinet to dope up their kids, but some
fought the medication route as long as they could, to the detriment
of their child. It's true that antidepressant prescriptions for
children have skyrocketed, but that's because primitive
understanding of the brain left many sick children undiagnosed in
the past; we now have more effective drugs for some illnesses; and
the stigma of mental illness is blessedly diminished. Warner cites
research that girls, minority children and those with less-educated
parents are undertreated for ADHD. Careful reporter that she is,
the author acknowledges that some experts might dispute parts of
her thesis. Other signs of childhood trauma-teen pregnancy, school
violence, crime, substance abuse and suicide-have declined, and
Warner reports special professional skepticism about exploding
rates of bipolar diagnoses in children. Meanwhile, too many
laypeople are spooked by drug companies' ads plugging their latest
products, which doctors might not recommend. Curtailing those ads
and more insurance coverage for pediatric mental-health screenings
are among the author's welcome common-sense proposals.
Parents of mentally ill children will find this tonic reassuring,
while all parents will find it a valuable reminder that it's not
poor parenting to seek medical help for your children.
-Kirkus
"Warner, New York Times columnist and author of the best-selling
Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety, set out to write
a follow-up volume exposing what she believed were capricious
diagnoses and medication of children's mental and learning
disorders. Instead, she fell down the rabbit hole to an alternative
reality. Although she found the stereotype of pushy parents who
shop for prescriptions or educational accommodations to fit their
overscheduled children, Warner's heartbreaking conversations with
pediatricians and the parents of children with mental issues such
as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, serious
depression, or bipolar disorders led her to see beyond her
prejudices. As Warner passionately writes, appropriate care for
childhood mental illness, if possible, is not necessarily probable.
The perceived stigma of mental illness, deep-rooted suspicions of
the medical and educational establishments, and, above all,
merciless economic factors deny a shocking number of children with
learning or mental disabilities the care and medications they need
to succeed in school and society. Parents, social workers, and
educators will find Warner's compelling study troubling but
enlightening. Highly recommended.
-Library Journal
"This is a groundbreaking, thoughtfully argued book. My experience
with families in the consulting room supports Judith Warner's
nuanced argument exactly. The myth perpetrated by a breathless news
media is fals: In reality, parents don't want to medicate their
children. And every one of us has family members and friends (or
ourselves!) who could have led richer, less anguished lives had
they been given appropriate medication during childhood for
learning or emotional problems."
-Wendy Mogel, Ph.D., author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
"This is an important book, a landmark book, a triumph of honesty
over bigotry and of patient learning over the the rush to
judgement. I see every day in my office the awful, preventable
damage done by zealots and reductionistic 'thinking'. Judith Warner
rejects the panicky sound-bites that have plagued the discussion of
children's mental health for the complexity of truth. She brings to
all who read her book the resoundingly good and hopeful news of how
much we have learned over the past few decades, how trasforming the
best help can be, and how all children can turn into responsible,
joyful adults. We owe her a huge debt."
-Edward Hallowell, M.D., co-author of Super Parenting for ADD and
author of The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness
"Readers love Judith Warner because she is open, honest, attuned,
and curious. In We've Got Issues, Warner considers children and
psychotherapeutic medicine: whether drug companies hold too much
sway, whether doctors over-prescribe, but also whether troubled
boys and girls might sometimes need more help than they get today.
The result is a caring and informed book that will earn the trust
and loyalty of a wide audience."
-Peter D. Kramer, author of Listening to Prozac
In this manifesto for change, New York Times blogger Warner
(Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety, 2005,
etc.) examines the argument that Americans are overmedicating their
children.
The author wanted to write a condemnation of American parents for
hysterically spotting mental disorders where there are none. When
she began interviewing parents and mental-health professionals,
however, she reversed her position. Only five percent of American
children take psychotropic drugs, she writes, yet that many suffer
from extreme mental illness, while another 15 percent endure at
least minimal illness. Not only has Warner never met a parent who
lunged for the medicine cabinet to dope up their kids, but some
fought the medication route as long as they could, to the detriment
of their child. It's true that antidepressant prescriptions for
children have skyrocketed, but that's because primitive
understanding of the brain left many sick children undiagnosed in
the past; we now have more effective drugs for some illnesses; and
the stigma of mental illness is blessedly diminished. Warner cites
research that girls, minority children and those with less-educated
parents are undertreated for ADHD. Careful reporter that she is,
the author acknowledges that some experts might dispute parts of
her thesis. Other signs of childhood trauma-teen pregnancy, school
violence, crime, substance abuse and suicide-have declined, and
Warner reports special professional skepticism about exploding
rates of bipolar diagnoses in children. Meanwhile, too many
laypeople are spooked by drug companies' ads plugging their latest
products, which doctors might not recommend. Curtailing those ads
and more insurance coverage for pediatric mental-health screenings
are among the author's welcome common-sense proposals.
Parents of mentally ill children will find this tonic reassuring,
while all parents will find it a valuable reminder that it's not
poor parenting to seek medical help for your children.
-Kirkus
"Warner, New York Times columnist and author of the
best-selling Perfect Madness: Motherhood in the Age of
Anxiety, set out to write a follow-up volume exposing what she
believed were capricious diagnoses and medication of children's
mental and learning disorders. Instead, she fell down the rabbit
hole to an alternative reality. Although she found the stereotype
of pushy parents who shop for prescriptions or educational
accommodations to fit their overscheduled children, Warner's
heartbreaking conversations with pediatricians and the parents of
children with mental issues such as attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder, autism, serious depression, or bipolar disorders led her
to see beyond her prejudices. As Warner passionately writes,
appropriate care for childhood mental illness, if possible, is not
necessarily probable. The perceived stigma of mental illness,
deep-rooted suspicions of the medical and educational
establishments, and, above all, merciless economic factors deny a
shocking number of children with learning or mental disabilities
the care and medications they need to succeed in school and
society. Parents, social workers, and educators will find Warner's
compelling study troubling but enlightening. Highly
recommended.
-Library Journal
"This is a groundbreaking, thoughtfully argued book. My experience
with families in the consulting room supports Judith Warner's
nuanced argument exactly. The myth perpetrated by a breathless news
media is fals: In reality, parents don't want to medicate
their children. And every one of us has family members and friends
(or ourselves!) who could have led richer, less anguished lives had
they been given appropriate medication during childhood for
learning or emotional problems."
-Wendy Mogel, Ph.D., author of The Blessing of a Skinned
Knee
"This is an important book, a landmark book, a triumph of honesty
over bigotry and of patient learning over the the rush to
judgement. I see every day in my office the awful, preventable
damage done by zealots and reductionistic 'thinking'. Judith Warner
rejects the panicky sound-bites that have plagued the discussion of
children's mental health for the complexity of truth. She brings to
all who read her book the resoundingly good and hopeful news of how
much we have learned over the past few decades, how trasforming the
best help can be, and how all children can turn into responsible,
joyful adults. We owe her a huge debt."
-Edward Hallowell, M.D., co-author of Super Parenting for
ADD and author of The Childhood Roots of Adult
Happiness
"Readers love Judith Warner because she is open, honest, attuned,
and curious. In We've Got Issues, Warner considers children
and psychotherapeutic medicine: whether drug companies hold too
much sway, whether doctors over-prescribe, but also whether
troubled boys and girls might sometimes need more help than they
get today. The result is a caring and informed book that will earn
the trust and loyalty of a wide audience."
-Peter D. Kramer, author of Listening to Prozac
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