5 ms·

Exactly. Psychology is not totally exact... think of the false positive rate (it's going to be big!) and the toll a false positive would take on a child's life.

by mjfl 9y ago

Exactly. Psychology is not totally exact... think of the false positive rate (it's going to be big!) and the toll a false positive would take on a child's life. Think of a mentally ill parent doing exactly what you say. That is terrifying to me.

falcolas 9y ago
Imagine the toll on a parent if the child remains undiagnosed and untreated. Imagine constantly viewing yourself as a failure for 18+ years because you are unable to control your child's behavior - as they go from hurting pets for fun to hurting siblings and school peers... Not to mention the toll on their victims.
- mjfl 9y ago
  All children have empathy problems. It's a capacity you develop as you get older (some kids develop it faster or slower). If you diagnose your child with that kind of mental illness in the early stages of development you are completely insane and probably need to have your custody taken away.
  - dkarl 9y ago
    It definitely can't be left to the parents, but of course a determined parent is going to shop around for a diagnosis, and of course some people are really hungry for a diagnosis. On the other hand it can be tragic when parents deny a problem and prevent their kid from getting treatment. It sucks that so many parents let their own wishes interfere with their kids' medical needs, from inventing food allergies to denying mental illness. Some people just looooove a diagnosis (for themselves or their kid) because they love using it to give a certain context to their lives, and some people will live in denial for years because they don't trust doctors or fear stigma.
- wu-ikkyu 9y ago
  >Imagine constantly viewing yourself as a failure for 18+ years because you are unable to control your child's behavior I understand this sentiment, but looking at it from another angle, this sentiment suggests control/blame issues on the part of the parent. Which itself can be classified as a "mental illness". This highlights how often the macro social environment is ignored in the production of mental issues, and how the blunt of the blame is placed on the individual.
  - projektir 9y ago
    I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say... that if a parent tends to blame issues with their children on themselves, that parent has a mental illness? I don't think you understand a parent's position in society. It may not be a beneficial reaction, but it's presently a fairly normal one.
    - wu-ikkyu 9y ago
      Indeed it is "normal" in the sense that it is common, but allow me to elaborate. >>Imagine constantly viewing yourself as a failure for 18+ years because you are unable to control your child's behavior This sentiment implies the impossible and horrid belief that a parent has and should exercise absolute control over their child's mind. Incessantly blaming yourself for 18+ years for something you were never in control of in the first place is self-destructive and masochistic. Furthermore having such an attitude is toxic to those around you, like that of a infectious disease, and would only serve to reinforce the mental issues of the child.

by mjfl 9y ago

falcolas 9y ago

Imagine the toll on a parent if the child remains undiagnosed and untreated. Imagine constantly viewing yourself as a failure for 18+ years because you are unable to control your child's behavior - as they go from hurting pets for fun to hurting siblings and school peers... Not to mention the toll on their victims.

mjfl 9y ago
All children have empathy problems. It's a capacity you develop as you get older (some kids develop it faster or slower). If you diagnose your child with that kind of mental illness in the early stages of development you are completely insane and probably need to have your custody taken away.
- dkarl 9y ago
  It definitely can't be left to the parents, but of course a determined parent is going to shop around for a diagnosis, and of course some people are really hungry for a diagnosis. On the other hand it can be tragic when parents deny a problem and prevent their kid from getting treatment. It sucks that so many parents let their own wishes interfere with their kids' medical needs, from inventing food allergies to denying mental illness. Some people just looooove a diagnosis (for themselves or their kid) because they love using it to give a certain context to their lives, and some people will live in denial for years because they don't trust doctors or fear stigma.
wu-ikkyu 9y ago
>Imagine constantly viewing yourself as a failure for 18+ years because you are unable to control your child's behavior I understand this sentiment, but looking at it from another angle, this sentiment suggests control/blame issues on the part of the parent. Which itself can be classified as a "mental illness". This highlights how often the macro social environment is ignored in the production of mental issues, and how the blunt of the blame is placed on the individual.
- projektir 9y ago
  I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to say... that if a parent tends to blame issues with their children on themselves, that parent has a mental illness? I don't think you understand a parent's position in society. It may not be a beneficial reaction, but it's presently a fairly normal one.
  - wu-ikkyu 9y ago
    Indeed it is "normal" in the sense that it is common, but allow me to elaborate. >>Imagine constantly viewing yourself as a failure for 18+ years because you are unable to control your child's behavior This sentiment implies the impossible and horrid belief that a parent has and should exercise absolute control over their child's mind. Incessantly blaming yourself for 18+ years for something you were never in control of in the first place is self-destructive and masochistic. Furthermore having such an attitude is toxic to those around you, like that of a infectious disease, and would only serve to reinforce the mental issues of the child.