Rx For Parenting Today

Republican Misinformation about Children Separated from Parents at the Border

The 400 children who have been separated from their mothers and their fathers at the San Diego border did not tried to come in illegally but applied for legal admission at the San Diego   port of entry.. The Republicans I have heard speak about this are saying that they were separated because they tried to come in by themselves without their parents. That is simply not true. Fortunately the lawyers for the San Diego office of the ACLU have filed a major lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security. It is amazing to think that the Republicans think a two or three-year-old could try to cross the border alone. It is embarrassing to see little children being used as tools of the Republican party. Of course, Trump is trying to blame all the immigration problems on President Obama and his administration. 

It is  hard to believe that we  have sunk so low as a country that even small children are being  used as fodder to win elections. I thought we as Americans were better than that.

The 1500 children who have been lost did try to come in alone. Some are apparently with family members but the placement agencies just try to make a telephone call to find them. Why not a home  visit?  Are the children being abused, sold or dead?  Yes, we need a workable immigration plan but separating children from their parents when they are toddlers or babies is just plain wrong, cruel and evil. 

Separating Children from Their Mothers at the Border is Cruel

I don't understand how Trump or the Republicans can do this. 700 children have been separated at last count since Trump took office. 1500 children are missing and their whereabouts unknown. Parents have little recourse to find their children. There are agencies that try to help, but fighting the administration is difficult. I realize that Trump is angry because he has not received the billions of dollars he wants to build his big wall. Americans  have always welcomed immigrants. I realize we need a workable immigration policy but hurting children and their mothers is not the way to go about it. Trump's mother and his current wife were all immigrants. Other countries have problems with immigration too but I  have not heard or read that taking away children from their families was something they were doing. 

I wish the American Academy of Pediatrics would speak out strongly and even try to meet with Trump and the leaders of the Republican  party. Someone or  people in power needs to start making a lot of noise. I wonder what the people in other civilized countries think about Americans these days?  Trump seems to badly want the Nobel peace prize. perhaps he could do something to help the poor mothers at the border?

Another School Shooting that Should Have Been Prevented

There have now been 43 school shootings in 2018. I don't understand how parents can allow kids to have access to guns when the students have obvious problems. I have kept a record of these shootings and also all of the teens should have been identified and helped by the parents, the school personnel or doctors. It seems to be almost the same story: a lonely, often bullied teen, who is a loner and seems to be wearing  a sign saying "I need HELP". Didn't the  parents or anyone at the school notice that today's shooter was always alone, walked around with headphones on and never had any friends? If there was bullying, as has been reported, where were the school authorities?  Did the school have a nurse, a school counselor,or a psychologist? Anyone of these individuals should have been aware that the teenager was crying for help. To arrive at school on a hot Texas day wearing a long black coat and big boots means something is wrong. I have not heard  if there were siblings or a mother. 

As long as the Republicans and Trump will not stand up to the NRA, parents and doctors should demand that all parents keep their guns under lock and if a child seems lonely, bullied or has mental illness help should be sought and provided. I have picked up many lonely, lost kids and insisted they receive testing and counseling. Parents must demand  their schools are safe. One or more individuals with guns will not help when a student is carrying weapons and intent on killing and self-destruction. I cannot imagine being a parent today and sending a child to a public school where no help is available for the students. The school administrators and  parents have to do a better job. or the killings will keep happening. We cannot rely on the Republicans to stand up to the NRA.

College Students and Suicides

There was an article in last week's New York Times about two suicides of students at Hunter College. The parents of the one student were asking why they were not notified of their son's problems. The college administrators replied that because of privacy notices, the son would  have had to sign a form allowing the parents to be notified. A mental health professional made the remark that when a patient's life was in danger, the privacy rules did not apply. No where in the article was any mention made of referral to the student health service. However, in similar cases referral to the student health service was not helpful because these are often not staffed by physicians or psychiatrists but by nurse practitioners. New York University had a much publicized case where a depressed student saw a nurse practitioner at the student health service and was given a prescription for medication. No referral to a physician was  made and no physical examination or lab tests were ordered. Six months later the student returned and was given a different Rx. Again no referral to a physician was made and the student committed suicide. 

Nurse practitioners do not  have the training to see college students with mental health problems. They should not be writing prescriptions without the supervision of a physician and no medicine should be given without a complete physical examination and lab work  ordered. It certainly is less expensive for colleges and universities to hire nurse practitioners than physicians, but when the lives of young people are at risk, this is unforgivable. I have always advised parents of college students to locate a doctor in the surrounding community in case their child needs medical help. I did that for my children and grandchildren. A child's life is too precious to have money be the dictating factor.

 

Parenting a Difficult Teenager

It must be difficult to be the parent of a teenager these days, particularly if you find it hard to say "No". Even parents who  have set firm guidelines and loved their teens may have a child who acts out and drives them to distraction. Single parents may have a particular problem, particularly if their partner or spouse has left or died. When a teen is out of control and adequate psychiatric care has not helped or been received, there are parents who send a teen to a facility where they are essentially imprisoned. Some of these are not licensed and don't have personnel with the training to help. One type of facility that can be very bad is when the personnel  are holistic or neuropathic. 

I had a teenage patient whose  parents who wanted me to fill out a physical examination  form so they could send her to a wilderness camp far away. There the patients were given a knife and sent out to the country without any support. I would not fill out the form, so the  parents had a bachelor doctor, who was a friend and an internist, sign the form. I was greatly concerned and called the director of the camp. The teen was not accepted and it may have saved her life. Some of these so-called rehabilitative camps charge enormous amounts of money. They also often put the teens in solitary confinement. No psychiatric care may be provided and the whole process can lead to increased depression and even suicide. There is no excuse for such unlicensed camps or facilities to exist. I wish the American Academy of  Pediatrics would do something about these camps and maybe they  have tried. Teens in trouble need a child psychiatrist, a lot of love,and often medication.