Book Review: Please Don't Label My Child

A Common Sense Approach to Dealing With Emotional and Mental Health

Jun 30, 2008

In a world marked by a need for instant gratification are we too quick to label children and drug them rather than deal with their behavioral problems?

For example, from 1987 to 1996, the number of children in the U.S. who were given prescription medications for psychiatric diagnoses tripled. So did the number of children with this faulty brain chemistry actually increase three fold, or have parents, teachers and physicians jumped to the prescription pad too quickly?

Classrooms are overcrowded and children are highly stimulated with electronic devices. Sitting still to listen to a classroom lesson, to read a book or do math the “long hand” way is boring or takes too long. They are conditioned to be highly stimulated and entertained. Is it any wonder the children are fidgety and hyper? So is it really necessary to medicate them, or should more attention be paid to channeling their energy and challenging their creativity?

Is a child who is constantly in possession of a computer, cell phone or other hand held electronic device really suffering from ADD or ADHD if he is deprived of all devices and expected to sit quietly and listen?

In Please Don’t Label My Child, Dr. Scott M. Shannon M.D., a renowned child psychiatrist, shares his experiences and observations. He suggests that perhaps there aren’t nearly that many children with faulty brain chemistry, but rather that a flawed (but well-meaning) medical system has supported parents and teachers in medicating children to control their behavior issues.

Dr. Shannon discusses the fact that the real stressors in today’s society are not being addressed. Additionally, the nutritional status of many of these children may be more to blame than their brain chemistry. The fast paced life style that promotes fast food and quick fixes is not a nurturing environment for young brains that need vitamins, minerals and some down time. American children consume foods that rank high on the glycemic index which causes spikes in blood sugar and potentiates mood swings.

This book helps parents and teachers understand and recognize the stressors which may be causing the symptoms being diagnosed or labeled as hyperactivity, attention deficit problems, bipolar disease and childhood depression. It also offers some common sense approaches to meeting these challenges and solving the problems which are causing the symptoms and behavior issues.

Environmental factors such as sleep deprivation, inadequate exposure to sunlight along with exposure to lead, mercury, pesticides and environmental toxins can also contribute to possible brain dysfunction and damage and cause emotional and mental health problems. By recognizing the potential harm and protecting children, their emotional and mental well being can be improved.

Dr. Shannon offers parents and children potential for improving the emotional and mental health of children without resorting to labels and prescription drugs.

The copyright of the article Book Review: Please Don't Label My Child in Health Psychology is owned by Kathy Quan . Permission to republish Book Review: Please Don't Label My Child in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.