Hey Stupid! Why Do You Think They Call it Dope?

His society lives in the future, beneath the earth's surface. Everyone is carefully monitored, controlled and content. Then one day, he tries the unthinkable: he stops taking his medication, and something very peculiar begins to happen: he starts to feel and experience his emotions.

Robert Duvall stars in the film THX 1138, and plays the title role. Experiencing his emotions is not good. In this future society, emotions are a disease. So is thinking. THX 1138 starts to "think" and see things clearly for the first time: he lives in a city where everyone toils for the state like automatons.

All are controlled by medication--drugs. He becomes a rebel, a malcontent and escapes from the city. "Come back. We only want to help you," the authorities plead over the intercom as THX 1138 makes his way to the city limits and climbs up the ladder leading to the earth's surface.

At the end of the film there is a shot of Duvall standing tall, soaking in the sunlight, his arms spread eagle above his head, sober and free.

This sci-fi film was released back in 1971. No one took it seriously. After all, a drug-dependant society could never (!) happen.

Kiss Corporal Punishment Goodbye

According to a very famous talk-radio host, public school teachers are no longer allowed to spank students. Sister Margarita of St. Mary's School For Wayward Boys and Girls could get into a lot of trouble if she raps some unruly kid's knuckles with a ruler.

"It is the parents' responsibility to discipline their kids," opine school officials. But what if the parents don't discipline their kids, then what?

Enter ADD, GAD and BS

"We think your child has ADD. There is medication he can take for that. We only want to help." The year is 2007. The future is now!

The Usual Dialog

Parent: My kid won't listen to me; he gets into trouble at school and his grades have fallen.

Therapist: Do you punish your child when he behaves badly?

Parent: Yes, I have cut his privileges, spanked him...I have tried everything I can think of--and nothing seems to work.

Therapist: Relax, you are obviously a good parent. It is not your fault that your child behaves poorly. He is suffering from ADD--Attention Deficit Disorder. I will prescribe some medication that should take care of the problem. You can pay the receptionist on the way out.

An Honest Dialog

Parent: My kid won't listen to me; he gets into trouble at school and his grades have fallen.

Therapist: Do you punish your child when he behaves badly?

Parent: No, I pretty much let my child do what ever he damn well pleases.

Therapist: Well, no wonder he's behaving badly. You have turned him into a spoiled brat!

Parent: You're right. I should discipline my child. As a parent I'm a lame duck. I never blame myself for my child's poor upbringing--I prefer to blame others or chock it up to some illness. It would be so much easier on me and my fragile ego if you would just prescribe some medication for him. That way, when he acts up, I can just give him a pill, and tell my friends that I'm really not a rotten parent after all--my child is sick. Our family can also receive disability benefits.

BIG DRUG COMPANY: We think you might be on to something. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

As the forgoing dialogs demonstrate, it can be difficult for a therapist to diagnose a problem. Not all parents are completely honest with regard to their parenting skills and practices. A therapist is NOT a mind reader and is limited to the parent's allegations. Therefore, a misdiagnosis can occur.

Let's Assume

Let's assume that ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) and whatever other diseases are being proffered these days are legitimate--not junk medicine as talk radio claims. Is it really necessary to dope up our kids to deal with these illnesses?

Here is what Wikipedia says about GAD:

A psychological method of treatment for GAD is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which involves a therapist working with the patient to understand how thoughts and feelings influence behavior.[11] The goal of the therapy is to change negative thought patterns that lead to the patient's anxiety, replacing them with positive, more realistic ones. Elements of the therapy include exposure strategies to allow the patient to gradually confront their anxieties and feel more comfortable in anxiety-provoking situations, as well as to practice the skills they have learned. CBT can be used alone or in conjunction with medication.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalized_anxiety_disorder

CBT can be used alone--without drugs. Fantastic! No child will have to escape from the underground city to live drug-free.

Side Effects--the Straight Dope

Also from Wikipedia:

Pharmaceutical treatments for GAD, include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs),[9] which are antidepressants that influence brain chemistry to block the reabsorption of serotonin in the brain.[10] SSRIs are mainly indicated for clinical depression, but are also effective in treating anxiety disorders.[9] Common side effects include nausea, sexual dysfunction, headache, diarrhea, among others.

Headache? Not so bad. Diarrhea? Nasty! Sexual dysfunction? No fracking way! I think I'll pass on SSRI medication!

My Ex-junkie..ER...Girlfriend

OK, enough opinions and analyses. How about a real-life experience? My ex-girlfriend told her shrink that she was waking up in the middle of the night (around 4:00 A.M.) because she couldn't sleep. She was diagnosed as having some sort of sleeping disorder. She was given medication to deal with this problem. However, she was misdiagnosed. How is that possible, you ask?

Simple, she failed to tell her shrink that she takes a two-hour nap in the afternoon, and then goes to bed at 8:00 P.M. When she wakes up at 4:00 A.M., she's already had 10 hours of sleep. No wonder she wakes up in the middle of the night!

She takes meds so she can sleep until 8:00 A.M. She either thinks she needs 14 hours of sleep or she likes the way the drugs make her feel. I think I'll go with "she likes the way the drugs make her feel."

She has been doing meds long-term and suffers from CRS--Can't Remember Stuff (courtesy of busby777). Once, when we were on vacation, we made plans one day at breakfast. By lunchtime, she did not remember the (!) plans--nor what we had for breakfast.

How Well Do the Meds Work?

Joey is a thirteen-year-old neighbor who was diagnosed with ADD. He plays on a basketball team that I coach. According to his mother, he takes his meds everyday. There shouldn't be any problems, right? Wrong! Even when Joey's on meds, he still punches and throws rocks at the other players when something does not go his way. The meds apparently don't teach this kid that that kind of behavior is unacceptable.

I sent him home on one occasion when he threw a tantrum. His mother thinks I'm evil for doing this. Rather than back me up and teach the kid right from wrong, she has decided to blame me for the way her son behaves. Is it any wonder this kid is so screwed up?

On another occasion, Joey's mom informed me that his dosage had been increased so he should "behave." During a basketball game, he took his clothes off in the middle of the court. He was high as a kite! Hey! How about decreasing the dosage?! Like...to zero?

Interestingly enough, when Joeys' grandpa comes to visit, Joey behaves like a gentleman. Unlike Joey's mother, the grandpa won't put up with any sh*t! He's old school.

Hey Stupid! Why Do You Think They Call It Dope?

You, the reader, have the right to decide what's best for you and your children. But before you dope up yourself or your kids, think of Elvis and Gary Coleman. Do some research. If you seek a therapist's advice, don't LIE! He or she can't help you if you misrepresent the facts because you don't want your fragile ego to be bruised.

As far as I'm concerned, medication is a last resort--not a first resort. If and when I suffer from bone cancer, and its searing, unbearable pain, I will re-assess my anti-drug position at that time.

Perhaps I'll take an aspirin.

WP