Paul Caldwell wrote:
> A child (brat?) has just been diagnosed as having 'conduct
...snip...
> Are these pseudo-diagnoses not only wrong but are socially
> defined, but are
> counterproductive? Is this child simply a brat as a result of social
> inadequecy. I curse the SW!
This is the world in which we live, and our culture seems content to absolve
people of responsibilities but assign them often meaningless (but
psychologically empowering) "rights".
What can you do? SW (to be fair) are caught somewhere between a rock and a
hard place. They have not the power nor the professional independence to
intervene and say where fault lies, particularly where pseudo-diagnoses of
disease are involved. Doctors, I naively like to think, do still have this
onus of responsibility and the respect and candor to make their opinions
carry weight. We also have, ultimately, a responsibility to the good health
of both the mother and child (in this example) and it is perhaps our place
to lay out an opinion that makes clear where responsibility lies - to
provide a realistic scenario for cause and effect that may help the parent
perceive her behaviour differently and change it accordingly, to the benefit
of the child.
But this is, of course, cloud cuckoo land. The problem will be the
personality disorder in the parent. Unless you can dedicate the rest of
your life to saving the child I would allow the specialists to do their
specialised jobs, stand back and wonder at their ways and worry about those
with high blood pressure instead.
--
Paul
Glasgow
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