Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Akron police investigate teen mob attack on family
Woman, 75, charged with beating fawn to death
Akron woman found dead at Brimfield Township store
Man shot outside his Akron home during robbery attempt
Man shot in back near Akron park
Suspect sought in Portage Path bar robbery
Tragic day puts man on path to be Pinnacle owner
Blogs:
Pets:
Dogs' Bark: Not fair! Study shows pups get jealous
The Heldenfiles:
Who Will Get the Michael Media Treatment Next?
Patrick McManamon:
More on Varejao
Akron Zips:
Opponent outlook: Kent State
Browns Bulletin:
Quick thought on Browns rookies
Tribe Matters:
Wedge challenges relievers
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth test showed marijuana
Kent State Sports:
Men's Basketball Scheduling update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Andy’s Signed According to ESPN
All Da King's Men:
Does Medicare Have Lower Administrative Costs ?
Blog of Mass Destruction:
CIA Did Mislead Congress
Akron Law Café:
Breaking Story: CIA Lied to Congress about Secret Program
Varsity Letters:
East basketball update
See Jane Style:
Oh Baby!
Car Chase:
Where do We Go from Here?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Closings….Not the Good Kind!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Margy inquires-when is a Taste of Hudson?
Sound Check:
LeVert II live performance Saturday night — "Dedication" album due July 13,
HRLite House:
DDI One of Best Places to Work
Akron Gamer:
First 24 'Guitar Hero 5' songs announced
But columnist is taken to task for neglecting to recommend one
By John Rosemond
Published on Tuesday, Apr 22, 2008
If a child develops a bit of a runny nose, but seems otherwise healthy, it doesn't make a lot of sense to make a visit to the doctor, much less rush to the emergency room. If, however, the child develops a cough, then a fever, an appointment with the doctor would be prudent. Even absent additional symptoms, if the runny nose requires the consumption of box after box of tissues over several weeks, it's a good idea to at least check in with the doc.
This came to mind upon receiving a letter from a child and adolescent psychiatrist scolding me for not recommending a psychiatric evaluation for a 10-year-old boy who used a school writing assignment — a poem, actually — to express sadness at the state of the world. He wrote he was afraid of death, afraid of life, had scary dreams sometimes, wanted to die, and wonders how life will turn out. The rest of the poem was about things he loved and looked forward to, like eating macaroni and cheese and reading imaginative books.
When his mother asked him about the poem, he broke down crying, saying that life is made up of good and bad and the bad dominates. In general, his mom said, he's bright, articulate, and ''cautiously happy.''
What we have here is a sensitive kid who's becoming aware that life is not a plate of macaroni and cheese. He's losing his innocence, which is too bad, and lacking emotional maturity, feels at times overwhelmed by things he's just beginning to understand. He uses a poetry assignment to express what he hasn't felt free to express otherwise. Such is the nature of poetry, as well as the upshot of losing one's innocence prematurely, which is the plight of today's kids.
I advised the child's mother not to overreact. It was obvious from her letter that this gloominess was not a regular feature of her son's personality. The last thing he needs at this time in his life, I said, is a mom who is anxious about him. A parent who worries unnecessarily about a child can cause the child to begin worrying that perhaps something is wrong with him. The child's anxiety causes the parent to worry even more, and before you know it, there's a problem where there might never have been one otherwise.
The psychiatrist felt I was being ''irresponsible,'' and thinks the mother should take the child to a psychiatrist for a ''face-to-face evaluation.'' With all due respect, I think it might completely unnerve this child for his mom to take him to talk to a professional because he seized upon the license of a poetry assignment to purge himself of certain feelings.
It could possibly cause the child to resolve to never talk to his parents about anything other than macaroni and cheese again. Keep in mind, too, that the overall tone of his poem was upbeat, concerning things he liked to do. All in all, this child had the equivalent of a runny nose, not symptoms of a life-threatening illness.
Yes, the child wrote that he sometimes felt he wanted to die, but that is not the equivalent of ''I feel like killing myself.'' Besides, one incident does not a diagnosis make, nor does it necessarily justify seeking professional help. If this was part of a pessimistic pattern, then professional help would certainly be warranted, and I certainly would have recommended it.
What alarmed the mother was that the child was usually a ''cautiously happy'' kid, not given to pathos. What about that word ''cautiously''? I took that to mean that while this little guy isn't exactly happy-go-lucky, he's generally in good spirits — happy enough, in other words.
Speaking of caution, common sense should tell us that prudence should temper any consideration concerning psychiatric or psychological services for a child. In that regard, I generally recommend bouncing the idea off someone who knows the child's history — the child's primary physician, for example — an objective third party who can help the parents put their concerns into proper perspective. Taken out of context, molehills can sometimes look an awful lot like mountains.
John Rosemond is a family psychologist. Questions of general interest may be sent to him at his Web site: http://www.rosemond.com.
If a child develops a bit of a runny nose, but seems otherwise healthy, it doesn't make a lot of sense to make a visit to the doctor, much less rush to the emergency room. If, however, the child develops a cough, then a fever, an appointment with the doctor would be prudent. Even absent additional symptoms, if the runny nose requires the consumption of box after box of tissues over several weeks, it's a good idea to at least check in with the doc.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
