The Silenced Child: From Labels, Medications, and Quick-Fix Solutions to Listening, Growth, and Lifelong Resilience (A Merloyd Lawrence Book)

It’s been a trend for years now: more and more kids are getting diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety disorders at younger and younger ages and are being given strong medications to “fix” the problem. But are these medications actually helping? What kinds of long-term effects are we seeing? Claudia Gold, a pediatrician who specializes in mental health, worries about these things, especially when, in her experience, many children are being diagnosed without anyone examining the actual causes of their problems. Gold wants readers to know that, for many families, the simple act of listening can make a world of difference. In her book The Silenced Child, Gold discusses both the disturbing amount of children on intense psychiatric medicine–medicine that, in many cases, has never been properly studied for use in children–and how a simple style of therapy can help unravel the hidden causes of mental disorders. Are there drug issues within the home? Are both parents present? Is fighting and discord a daily occurrence? Readers will be amazed by the inspirational real-life stories that Gold offers throughout these pages, stories in which trying to improve life overall while providing a safe place for open discussion can lead to better outcomes than any drug can offer.