The Side Effects

The video shows the struggle that parents face with children with mental disorders. The specific topic of discussion centers on medication. Parents worry that their children are harming themselves more by taking medications than helping their illnesses. The video reveals how medications can quickly multiply only to cause more and more problems in the children taking them. Parents worry that the side effects of all of the child's medications can be harmful. At this point it comes to this: a patient and/or family is the only someone that can make a decision to take drugs and how much of that drug to take. I definitely support the availability of medication for parents and children who desire medication to better them or their loved ones. Like all medications, prescriptions for mental health have side effects too. Every medicine has side effects. What families must decide is whether the side effects are worth the benefits of the medication or if the side effects are too great. In some situations, the medication helps the patient in so many ways that the side effects are seen as minute. The video shows many children who are struggling and claim over and over again that medication makes a world of difference in their child's lives. For these parents, medicine is necessary at any cost. To me, it is like having a headache. You can choose to take medication or refuse it. The pain will go away or remain. Side effects may appear or may not. Certain pain relievers may prove more effective than others. It is a gamble. No one knows exactly how a medication or dosage will affect a given person. It is a gamble. A solution comes with experimentation. I also agree that children are diagnosed, often times, wrongly. Some "problems" that parents recognize in young children will fade, but rushing to the doctor for medication for nonsense can easily lead to problems. I feel that medication should be distributed more cautiously. It is important to distinguish between needing a medication and wanting a medication. Everyone should have access to things that they need. Getting everything you want can lead to serious problems. The video also brings up the fact that doctors rely too heavily on medication. Many parents want natural cures to their child's illness. I do feel that doctors abuse the availability of drugs and overlook natural treatments. I feel it is important for parents/patients to weigh all of their options before selecting a routine treatment.