Young Girl Dies From Overdose

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070323/ap_on_he_me/drugged_to_death;_ylt=AgisErLptqurQ4CQGKEO9rdH2ocA Rebecca Riley was found dead in her parents house on December 13 from an overdose of presribed medications. In a world full of suicides and drug overdoses what makes this story so different from other overdoses? Rebecca was only 4 years old and had been diagnosed as Bi-polar and Attention Deficit when she was only 2 1/2 years old! Reports indicate that Rebecca's mother was using the child's prescribed medications to keep her quiet and out of the way. There is so much about this story that is appalling, but what really got to me is that it's a tragic example of a major pet peeve of mine. Children being diagnosed and medicated instead of simply taught how to behave! In no way am I knocking Bi-polarism, ADD, ADHD, or any of these other disorders that we are seeing all over the place. I'm sure they are real problems, but I'm not sure that everybody diagnosed with these disorders, especially children, really have them. Instead, I'm seeing parents that don't want to take the time to raise their children properly, to teach them how to control themselves and behave appropriately. They'd rather have a doctor diagnose them and medicate them, giving these children an excuse to behave however they want to and the parents an excuse to not be parents because "they can't help it." The parent's job is to care for and protect their child which covers everything from food, shelter, clothing, education, to being taught how to be a competent adult. Just as babies are not born knowing how to walk, talk, feed or dress themselves they are not born knowing how to control their emotions or how to function in society. These need to be taught to them and it's the parents job to do this. Drugging the child is not going to accomplish anything but hamper the child's social skills. I truly don't believe that Rebecca could have been properly diagnosed at the age of 2 1/2 years. She was still an infant, still learning about herself and the world. I don't understand why doctors and psychiatrists are so willing to hand out labels and prescriptions instead of just telling parents that they need to learn how to raise their children. What's the worse that would happen? The doctors wouldn't make as much money as they are, but they shouldn't be in it for the money to begin with. I think that's a small price to pay for the welfare and safety of those who can't protect themselves.