Too Many Parents Don’t “Understand Their Role” in Getting Children Diagnosed

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About half of parents say they wouldn’t report their children’s anxiety, temper tantrums or homework troubles to a physician, according to a survey by the University of Michigan Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. This is a problem, stated the researchers, because too many parents evidently do not “understand their role” in helping identify such “medical” problems.

“Temper, Anxiety, Homework Trouble Are Medical Issues? Many Parents Don’t Realize It,” headlined a University of Michigan press release about the survey of some 1,200 parents, and the resulting report. “While more than 60 percent of parents definitely would talk to the doctor if their child was extremely sad for more than a month, only half would discuss temper tantrums that seemed worse than peers or if their child seemed more worried or anxious than normal. Just 37 percent would tell the doctor if their child had trouble organizing homework.”

“Findings from this National Poll indicate that many parents do not fully understand their role in helping to identify child behavioral issues,” stated the report.

“The reason for parents’ reluctance to discuss is also seen in poll findings: Nearly half of parents believe that behavior and emotions are not medical problems.” That is a “common misconception,” stated the report — without providing any citations or referring to any evidence for the assertion.

Temper, Anxiety, Homework Trouble Are Medical Issues? Many Parents Don’t Realize It (University of Michigan Health System press release on Newswise, May 18, 2015)

Many parents missing the link between child behavior and health (University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health, May 18, 2015)

12 COMMENTS

    • It really is a reflection of how extensively they seek to make the most vulnerable victims by never allowing them to be human. This should be criminal. We should label mainstream mental health delusional and run, not walk away from it.

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    • “That is a ‘common misconception,’ stated the report — without providing any citations or referring to any evidence for the assertion.” These type fraudulent and unsubstantiated claims should be illegal.

      And truly, the medical community claiming everything is a “medical problem” is insane.

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      • I’m sure that having a bad teacher or being bullied is a mental illness. Which is also a great message to send to a kid struggling with toxic social environment. “These bullies who tell you that you’re useless and a weirdo – they’re right”. Awesome.

        Some people have no shame.

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  5. Sounds like the parents are smarter than they expected.

    This kind of sounds like “black people are unaware of their role as an underclass in American society” or “women are unaware of their role as housekeepers and raisers of children for the more privileged male class.” Why the F(*K would I take my kid to the doctor if s/he had trouble completing his/her homework? I’d take them to the kitchen table or the desk and say, “OK, it’s time to do your homework!” And sit there with them until they got into the habit of doing it without my help and assistance. No doctors required, thanks.

    —- Steve

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  7. Actually this sounds encouraging, to wit:

    About half of parents say they wouldn’t report their children’s anxiety, temper tantrums or homework troubles to a physician

    and

    Nearly half of parents believe that behavior and emotions are not medical problems.

    50% isn’t a bad number to start with. We need to encourage the trend and give people resources with which to support their anti-psychiatry consciousness-raising. Let’s think about developing a 2-5 year strategy to get those numbers up to at least 75%.

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