Scroll down for the next post to continue the conversation about exercising. :)
I have seen the show here and there on my parents TV, but since we don't have cable of any kind, I couldn't watch it. Well, the other day I discovered that you can watch tons of them...online! Lately it has been our guilty pleasure. When we get done with homework, we look at each other and ask, "You wanna watch Frontline?" We're such nerds.
Two of my favorites I've seen lately have been "The Meth Epidemic" and "The Medicated Child." This show is exactly what it says, "Thought provoking journalism."
I constantly find myself drawn to social problems that are growing in the United States. The two episodes above are alike in that they both talk about substance abuse and the breakdown of the family.
"The Meth Epidemic" talks about the history of meth and how the main component of the drug, ephedrine, made it's way into the United States from the pharmaceutical companies that produced it in India. Because meth made from this ephedrine was so pure, it had a huge impact and increase on how many people were addicted to the drug, and it continued to spread from the west coast to the east coast. The documentary emphasizes that most of the time, it is the children that really suffer from these addictions. Many families are broken up and children put into foster homes because their parents are junkies.
"The Medicated Child" talks about the role of child psychology and medication in America, and how it is becoming a large business. The documentary talks about psychologists who misdiagnose children and keep giving them medication. One psychologist goes as far as saying he believes most kids that have ADD actually have bipolar disorder. A family takes their child to the doctor concerned about the amount of medication that he is taking and they leave with yet another prescription.
It was so hard to watch these documentaries and to not get frustrated. Both talk about the role that huge pharmaceutical companies play in both illegal drugs and perpetuating the idea that it is okay to medicate our children who are often around three or four years old. And in both of these cases, it is our children who are suffering.
I try not to judge anyone and I can't speak for each child and their needs, perhaps they do need medication. But I can't help but think there is a bigger problem that no one is addressing when parents give their child medication after medication. Are people giving medication to their children to babysit them? Are they doing it to make parenting easier? Isn't there an alternative?
I don't know what is behind the increase in the amount of children diagnosed with ADD. But like it says in Frontline, after a psychologist came out with the theory that children with ADD actually have bipolar disorder, bipolar disorder diagnoses soon increased by over 4,000%. Can you believe that?!
They also point out in the documentary that we do not really know the implications of putting our children on these meds. But as it shows, it is not a good outcome.
What's important is to educate ourselves so we know what's going on around us, especially with the variety of factors that can damage our families.
Note: If you're interested in the debate of medicating children, there is also another Frontline episode that is a little older than "The Medicated Child." It is entitled "Medicating Kids." I haven't watched it yet, but I'm getting around to it.
