Ugly Truth 30: Today My Son Was Diagnosed

Dear Readers,

Today, I fell to tears on my way home from work after a losing sleep battle at 5am, chronic pain, and the challenge of another trying day for my son. Today, Zachary was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

Today, I grieve for my son; for the way things will always be harder for him, for the way he can not yet apply insight toward his behavior, for the friends and caregivers who will misunderstand him and unwittingly make things worse, for the way he covers his ears when noises are too loud, for the way his IQ soars but his social life suffers, for the way I fiercely attempt to guard his self-esteem, for the way I fear I wont be vigilant enough, for those who will and do pressure us into difficult decisions, for the way he severely grapples to regulate his emotions, for the songs he sings that so many will mishear, for the constant redirection of a conformist society, for the way his intelligence will always lend itself to his awareness that he is different.

If you don’t believe in these diagnoses, do me a favor and keep your opinion to yourself. I can assure you our pain as a family is very real, but it is not unattended. Zachary has received hundreds of hours of counseling, various therapies, behavior intervention plans, the benefits of countless round table committee meetings by his cheerleaders, and accommodations as his progression and challenges fluctuate.

For now, I will have to rest in the years of education and instinct I have invested in. I will have to rest in the competence of the team, physicians, teachers and loving family that surround him. For now, I will have to rest in the knowledge that even when I am imperfect, I am enough.

Final Summation: The ability to comfort yourself is invaluable.

For more excellent insight and entertainment through a collaborative approach to all things mental health, including a guest post from yours truly, visit the Blunt Therapy Blog by Randy Withers, LPC! For additional perspectives on suicide prevention from master level mental health providers visit, 20 Professional Therapists Share Their Thoughts on Suicide!

In collaboration with Luis Posso, an Outreach Specialist from DrugRehab.com, Deskraven is now offering guides on depression and suicide prevention to its readers. For more information on understanding the perils of addiction visit, Substance Abuse and Suicide: A Guide to Understanding the Connection and Reducing Risk! In addition, for a comprehensive depression resource guide from their sister project at Columbus Recovery Center visit, Dealing with Depression!

Deskraven Book Series: The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog – and Other Stories From a Child Psychiatrist’s Notebook

A Deskraven Book Review

“Tina was my first child patient, just seven years old when I met her…”

Page 7, Paragraph 1

The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog-And Other Stories From a Child Psychiatrist’s Notebook (2006) provides vibrant insight to our lesser angels by shining a light on mankind, inhumanity, and our competency of child psychiatry as it relates to childhood trauma. While demystifying the misguided “child-resilience” theory, this book illuminates important clinical research and terror on a grand scale. Dr. Perry is intelligent and compassionate in all realms of his practice. A man to be admired, he is the psychiatrist we all hope for. An important book for every parent, this is a work I found impossible to put down.

BACK OF THE BOOK

What happens when a young child is traumatized? How does terror affect a child’s mind-and how can that mind recover? Child Psychiatrist Bruce Perry has treated children faced with unimaginable horror: genocide survivors, witnesses to their own parent’s murders, children raised in closets and cages, the Branch Davidian children, and victims of family violence. In The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, he tells their stories of trauma and transformation. Dr. Perry clearly explains what happens to the brain when children are exposed to extreme stress. He reveals his innovative methods for helping to ease their pain, allowing them to become healthy adults. This deeply informed and moving book dramatically demonstrates that only when we understand the science of the mind can we hope to heal the spirit of even the most wounded child.

CONTENTS

Author’s Note

Introduction

1. Tina’s World

2. For Your Own Good

3. Stairway to Heaven

4. Skin Hunger

5. The Coldest Heart

6. The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog

7. Satanic Panic

8. The Raven

9. “Mom is Lying. Mom is Hurting Me. Please Call the Police. “

10. The Kindness of Children

11. Healing Communities

Appendix

Acknowledgments

Index

PRAISE FOR THE BOY WHO WAS RAISED AS A DOG

“I have never encountered a child advocate with a better mind, a bigger heart, or a more generous spirit than Bruce Perry. This book captures the essence of his insights and the heroism of his actions on behalf of children who have encountered the dark side of human experience.”

-James Garbarino, Ph.D., author of Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them

“For many years, Bruce Perry’s work has been deserving of our highest praise. This book is his crowning achievement, the ultimate combination of science and humanity.”

-Joel A. Dvoskin, Ph.D., ABPP, University of Arizona College of Medicine, and President, American Psychology-Law Society

FINAL THOUGHTS

A fellow Houstonian, you can learn more about Dr. Perry and his clinical group at ChildTrauma.org, an extension of his ChildTrauma Academy.

Whether you’re a traumatized child, a psychology student, or simply curious about brain science there is much to be gained by picking up this book. Click below to take a look. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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For more excellent insight and entertainment through a collaborative approach to all things mental health, including a guest post from yours truly, visit the Blunt Therapy Blog by Randy Withers, LPC! For additional perspectives on suicide prevention from master level mental health providers visit, 20 Professional Therapists Share Their Thoughts on Suicide! In collaboration with Luis Posso, an Outreach Specialist from DrugRehab.com, Deskraven is now offering guides on depression and suicide prevention to its readers. For more information on understanding the perils of addiction visit, Substance Abuse and Suicide: A Guide to Understanding the Connection and Reducing Risk! In addition, for a comprehensive depression resource guide from their sister project at Columbus Recovery Center visit, Dealing with Depression!