Tag Archives: ADHD

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)…A necessary response to the “bipolar” epidemic

Adding diagnostic criteria to the DSM-5 for DMDD is a significant plus for kids if the new guidelines help clinicians to be more thoughtful in evaluating kids with moodiness and irritability. Continue reading

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ADHD…DSM-5 criteria validate what’s being done in practice

The most important revisions in the diagnostic criteria take into account the reality that symptoms of ADHD persist into adulthood for many with the disorder, and that the functional impairment associated with ADHD may not be readily apparent for many kids prior to the teen years. Continue reading

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A different way of thinking about kids with mental illness

Let’s think about church for a minute and consider the reality that folks with mental illnesses have disabilities that cause them difficulty in some environments but not others. There are lots of things about the environments in which we “do church” that pose major barriers for a parent or child struggling with common mental health disorders.
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Commentary…CDC reports 20% of high school boys diagnosed with ADHD

The study also reports that 15% of boys have been diagnosed with ADHD, and that nearly 20% of high school boys (along with 10% of high school girls) have received an ADHD diagnosis and one in every ten high school boys currently takes medication for ADHD. Continue reading

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Is our system for treating persons with ADHD broken? Or is our society broken?

Our current model of caring for people with mental health disorders is in a near state of collapse. Sadly, I have little hope of the situation getting better and fear things are going to get much worse. What I found unsettling about this story is how accurately it represents the service delivery system that kids and families enter into when they leave our practice. Continue reading

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Are they really depressed, or do they have something else?

One of the challenges I face as a clinician when a family comes to our practice because they suspect their child is depressed is teasing out all of the other possible explanations for why their child might appear depressed. Continue reading

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Understanding Depression and Comorbidity in Children and Teens

This is Part Four in our Winter 2013 blog series Understanding Depression in Kids and Teens…A Primer for Pastors, Church Staff and Christian Parents. Today, we’ll look at the phenomena we refer to as “comorbidity”… the propensity for other mental health disorders … Continue reading

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Unapologetic…

Parents, let’s resolve to move through as many days as the Lord grants us, loving our children, taking in their beautiful and unique qualities, being unapologetic for who they are, and enlightening those around us in the special way He has given us. After all, we don’t know if our child might be the very tool that God uses to change others in some unforeseen way. And that makes every life, even the quirky, chaotic or unusual, extremely worthwhile. Continue reading

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Special Needs and Divorce: What Does the Data Say?

The level of understanding about autism in the community has progressed to the point that having a child with the condition has become more socially acceptable. The same is true of Down’s Syndrome, which is caused by a specific chromosomal abnormality. Mental health is still a taboo topic. It’s less stigmatizing to have a kid with an autism spectrum disorder than a kid with a psychiatric disorder. Continue reading

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The Pros and Cons of Medication for Kids

We’re looking back at our ten most popular blog posts from 2012. Here’s #4… The widespread use of medication among children with mental health disorders is the ultimate “hot-button” topic in our field today. Undeniably, the use of such medications … Continue reading

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