What is it with this new "fad"?

HeyHeyitsMaay · Oct 16, 2008

Nope, it's not 'might righty' close to what I said. I won't indulge your game of semantics any further. You clearly did not understand one iota of the message I was attempting to express, which is fine. But I take it very personally that you would insinuate that I WOULD EVER DREAM of withholding med therapy to a dying child.

That's just evil. Carry on with your discussion, but don't do it with me. This kind of game doesn't get very far with me so I'm telling you now, I don't mind disagreement. But if these sorts of insinuations are part of your personal code of ethics, I'm really sad for you. And again if you don't agree with me, fine. I'll clarify as you CLEARLY don't understand my points, but when clarification is used to insinuate untruths because you just don't like my position, something is clearly not right.

I'm sorry for you, I REALLY am.

Jules A, MSN · Oct 16, 2008

But I take it very personally that you would insinuate that I WOULD EVER DREAM of withholding med therapy to a dying child.

Where did you come up with dying children????? I work in pediatric psych. You are the one that started with the leukemia etc. Sheesh talk about needing to be careful with dissemination.

mrsraisinkain · Oct 16, 2008

in my class of almost 40 i can count 8 people that i know of that have been put on these meds since we started school in april.
this must be a very chatty and gossipy class for people to know so much about what is going on personally with other people. a person's medical diagnosis is confidential information and it is up to the person with the problem to break that confidence. it is then dependent on the ethics of those who have head that information to maintain its confidentiality. hipaa, you know? i think the more serious question to be asking is why there is so much unethical behavior going on, so many "loose lips", in your class?

not quite the way it is. the people on these meds are bragging like it's their badge of honor. "i got put on strattera! you too? oh my gosh what strength are you on? wow! me too!" or "hey i'm on adderall too. i didn't sleep for 2 days when i first started taking it!" or the fellow bragging about walking into his doctor's office and demanding meds (his excuse for the story is it's been his lifetime doctor and he trusts what this student says) i personally thought a little more testing had to go into an add or adhd diagnosis. my understanding that in order to warrant a diagnosis of add is that not only do you have to exhibit the signs and symptoms, but also these symptoms have to impair your life in a chronic way. anyway, trust me, these people have made their own decision about breaking their own confidentiality. one girl actually made the comment, "woah. this drug makes me feel like a crack whore."
one person said he walked into his doctor's office and said, "i think i have add" and got a script written.
does that story sound legitimate? does it sound competent for a doctor to do that without doing an examination and testing of the patient? either this person is embellishing the story or the name of this doctor needs to be obtained and the doctor needs to be reported to the state medical board for investigation of malpractice.
it's hard to pay attention in class sometimes when you have tweedle-dee over there surfing craigslist for dates on his laptop or tweedle-dum over here cracking her gum incessantly
this is a problem of the instructor not keeping order in the class. report this behavior to the instructor and ask that something be done to enforce some classroom decorum. or, sit somewhere else.

this
is a whole other issue, a whole different thread. in our classes we have many disturbances that are not controlled by the teacher as i think they should be. they know about the disturbances, they make comments very often, they even make people leave the room.
i can't tell you how many night shifts i've worked where we had confused patients screaming "mother!" or "nurse!" continually at the top of their lungs when we were doing everything we could for them.
in nursing we learn to multi-task while there is chaos around us. if you think i'm kidding, just hang out at a busy nurses station and watch what is happening and what all the different people are doing.
in nursing we learn to problem solve and we are given the nursing process to help us do that. the method of solving a patient's nursing problems (the nursing process) is a practical crossover skill that can be successfully applied to our everyday lives.
you are driving along and suddenly you hear a bang, you start having trouble controlling your car's direction and it's hard to keep your hands on the steering wheel. you pull over to the side of the road. "what's wrong?" you're thinking. you look over the dashboard and none of the warning lights are blinking. you decide to get out of the car and take a look at the outside of the vehicle. you start walking around it. then, you see it. a huge nail is sticking out of one of the rear tires and the tire is noticeably deflated. what you have just done is step #1 of the nursing process--performed an assessment. you determine that you have a flat tire. you have just done step #2 of the nursing process--made a diagnosis. the little squirrel starts running like crazy in the wheel up in your brain. "what do i do?" you are thinking. you could call aaa. no, you can save the money and do it yourself. you can replace the tire by changing out the flat one with the spare in the trunk. good thing you took that class in how to do simple maintenance and repairs on a car! you have just done step #3 of the nursing process--planning (developed a goal and intervention). you get the jack and spare tire out of the trunk, roll up your sleeves and get to work. you have just done step #4 of the nursing process--implementation of the plan. after the new tire is installed you put the flat one in the trunk along with the jack, dust yourself off, take a long drink of that bottle of water you had with you and prepare to drive off. you begin slowly to test the feel as you drive. good. everything seems fine. the spare tire seems to be ok and off you go and on your way. you have just done step #5 of the nursing process--evaluation (determined if your goal was met).

my frustration which lead me to start this thread was not only at the number of classmates that are (or claim to be on) add medication but also at the blatancy of it. everybody sharing and oversharing. the "cool" factor these people think their medication brings them. the way these people, who are going to be nurses soon, looked for the easy way out instead of the pp who shared with us her story of living and dealing with her diagnosis on a daily basis. in school we are being taught that although medication will help with some things, we need to look at our patients and clients as a big picture - exercise, nutrition, teaching them relaxation techniques if necessary, massage, pet therapy, the list goes on and on! i am sure that if my classmates had tried other methods of overcoming their issues they would not be on a medication that makes them feel so jittery, nervous, anxious, etc. are these the nurses that when they have an agitated or confused patient are just going to medicate them rather than find out the reason behind the alternate behavior?

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2008

School is exposing you to lots of different theories on treatment of disease and its care. If anything, we learn that there are many different roads to get to Rome. Each has its merits. No one treatment is the overall best in all situations. We each have a choice. My choice may not be your choice. If I make a mistake, it is mine to make.

Jules A, MSN · Oct 16, 2008

That is so crazy about SSI benefits. My 12 year son TRULY has ADHD and has suffered for some time now with it. He has gone through several diff meds, only to switch again yesterday. He was Dx by a psychiatrist using the Toggle test (I think that was the test, it was 6 yrs ago and I have slept since then, I think!)
He now sees a great psych that is well worth the 1 hour drive.
Anyway, I would never in a million years think to get SSI for him,. that is crazy to me!!
There are quite a few people in my class that started on these meds once school started. I was DX with ADD late 06 and I too refuse to accept it. I do, however, take meds for it only on class days. I do not take the meds on the weekend, or for clinicals. I feel it has worked with great benefit to me, I can actually listen to my instructor without daydreaming and all the other weird things I do!!

Thank you for sharing your experience and I am glad you feel your medication helps you.

I totally understand what the OP was saying about how immature her classmates are acting although I don't feel it is appropriate to judge who really needs the medication and whether or not they tried appropriate alternatives before starting meds. Kudos for exploring the nursing process though. :) They are acting unprofessional and like idiots for sure but that doesn't mean it isn't a protective mechanism for their anxiety related to being in NS and having ADHD. As someone who has seen real honest to goodness psychosis in children whose parents are reluctant to give them their medication I get a little prickly when people act as if psych meds are always optional or a quick fix. If we were talking about an insulin dependent diabetic we wouldn't suggest they simply forgo the cake with desert instead of taking insulin. This really has the potential to be an educational thread.

missjennmb · Oct 17, 2008

I stopped reading the responses when it began to go back and forth about symantics, but just wanted to comment on my experience.

My son has ADHD. I've been told its "full blown" "most severe case I've ever seen", etc by medical professionals. The first time he ever was put on meds, I took him to his pediatrician at the insistance of his school guidance counselor, spent about 5 minutes with her, and they put him on meds right then and there. Over the next 5 years, he was on so many meds that I don't think there is a single one left from that period that he did not use for some amt of time. We finally had it when it became obvious that his growth was being stunted, and I learned that one of the possible side effects was related to a heart problem that his father had (i.e. his risk was greater due to genetics and nobody ever ever mentioned it to me). I took him off his meds (gradually and with the help of a psych NP), told his schools they would just have to deal with him or not as he was, and eventually began homeschooling him. He's 13 now and its finally starting to subside.

But long story short... YES you can walk into a doctor's office and get medicated for ADHD (or get your child medicated) without so much as a physical. Its not right, and I agree with the PP who suggested other disorders are masked by the blanket ADHD diagnosis, but it DOES happen.

**and nobody EVER mentioned dietary changes or behavior modifications as an alternative/adjunct therapy either...even though I have found those very things to be WAY more beneficial than the meds for my son (they worked, but had major side effects including bed wetting, inability to sleep and thus overtired the next day, etc etc)