Letters

Medicating Young Minds

"People need to stop depending on medications to fix all their problems. It is scary to consider the effects that drugs are having on kids." KELLY ROSS Alma, Mich.

I'm glad that TIME has written about the disorders that affect so many children and teenagers [Nov. 3]. Lots of people refuse to acknowledge childhood mental illness, but it does exist. I am 17, and no fewer than 14 different medications have been prescribed for me in an attempt to control my depression and other mental problems. I have often been worried about the long-term effects of many drugs I have taken (several of which are being examined regarding their safety for children). I know that without medication I am a wreck, but I often feel as though I am somehow altering the person I might have become. NAME WITHHELD Columbia, S.C.

Thank you for your article on the issues surrounding psychotropic medication, mental health and children. My personal experience as a counselor dealing with managed-care providers is that they want a quick fix at the least cost to them. Too many clients go without the services and medications they need because of the often strict and unreasonable guidelines that managed care applies to mental-health services. Consumers have no idea what they're up against. AMY KEIFER, L.P.C. Oklahoma City, Okla.

Medication without proper treatment is another form of institutionalizing our children. In a society that demands fast results, we prescribe a pill for every psychological disorder. This only masks the symptoms, however, without dealing with the root causes of a disorder, and it fails to teach children how to cope effectively. Freely prescribing drugs is detrimental not only to children's futures but also to our society. GRACE KONG New York City

As a pediatrician, I often find myself becoming uneasy as I write a prescription for an antidepressant, mood stabilizer or stimulant. When medication is unsuccessful, I am reminded that a drug will not help an abused or neglected child feel safer or manage a parent with a poorly controlled bipolar disorder. A child's behavior, in large part, is influenced by his environment: witnessing or experiencing abuse will cause anxiety and depression; an empty stomach will contribute to distraction, loss of interest and a sullen state of mind. Before prescribing a drug for mood and behavior, health-care providers must consider genetic, social, educational and environmental influences on a child. PAUL CATALANA, M.D. Greer, S.C.

What effect does the lack of parental guidance have on children with these behavioral problems? Adults think of their own happiness at the expense of their children's and then want an easy medication to fix children's problems. Let's give kids what they need and want--our time! MIKE ENNEKING Columbus, Ind.

In anticipation of all those letters you'll get about how parents medicate rather than discipline or love their kids, I have to write. My son, 13, is on five different medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity and bipolar disorder. The entire family has suffered through his bouts of suicidal thoughts, violence and mania. Although I am not entirely comfortable with having him on medication, it is the only thing that has worked. There may be another approach out there, but right now I am too sapped of energy, emotion and time from dealing with my son and the effects of his illness on the whole family to find it. Families like mine need understanding, not judgment. I am not looking for a quick or easy fix. There is none when raising a child with a severe illness. JANE M. SMITH Arlington, Va.

I only wish the new medications had been around when I was a child. Much needless suffering could have been avoided. Restoring a neurochemical balance in the brain, however imprecise the method, allows one to function normally and master emotional skills. Only then can a person benefit from psychological treatment and counseling. Those who call these medications a quick fix are hiding behind a screen of moralistic superiority and have never suffered from one of these debilitating diseases. JANE SIBLEY Dallas

Still at War in Afghanistan

In your article on the continued fighting in Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan [Nov. 3], you quoted a U.S. soldier who said, "Back home, nobody knows what's going on over here, how bad it is." Those words nearly broke my heart. Not only are we not hearing much about the war in Afghanistan, but the news media have returned to celebrity stories like the Kobe Bryant rape case. If 9/11 was a wake-up call, I fear we are dozing off again. ISABELLE BELMAN Jericho, N.Y.

President Bush made a serious mistake. He should have sent more troops to combat the terrorists in Afghanistan. He hasn't figured out that while he is sending people to find nonexistent weapons in Iraq, the enemy is regrouping in Afghanistan. What is Bush going to do now? Attack Syria? ARUSH SARWAR Kenner, La.

There have been forgotten battles throughout American history. What the U.S. faces in Afghanistan is an entire war that is being overlooked even as it is being fought. Although most of the media pulled out of Afghanistan to cover events in Iraq, we must remember that young American men and women are still there, fighting against those who have ties to the people who caused 9/11. Our armed forces need to know that they are not forgotten. W. JOHN TRITT New Tripoli, Pa.

I teach at a Karachi school and visited Afghanistan for a week in October. I went by car, without a guard, and traveled in an area around Kabul. Everywhere I saw people going about their lives, harvesting wheat and putting up hay for the animals to eat in winter. I visited some schools, including one with 5,700 students who come to classes in shifts starting at 7 in the morning. At no time did I feel threatened. I would say the majority of Afghans simply want to get on with living. RUTH DEIBLER Karachi

The Boykin Affair

Much attention has been focused on Lieut. General William Boykin's preaching anti-Islamic sermons to evangelical Christian gatherings [Nov. 3]. As a top Army officer in the war on terrorism, Boykin is not only contradicting President Bush's position that this is not a war against Islam, he is also fanning the flames of Muslim hatred of the U.S. Americans should be concerned about how Boykin's remarks suggest that U.S. foreign policy is captive to right-wing Christian fundamentalists. WILLIAM A. MCCARTNEY Delaware, Ohio

As a Christian, I was upset that Boykin invoked the name of God to support his militaristic agenda. I can empathize with moderate Muslims who are revolted by the extremists within their communities who pervert sacred Islamic writings to justify hate and violence. JAMES N. FOSTER Herkimer, N.Y.

People like Boykin seem comparable to crazy religious megalomaniacs from Malaysia but are difficult to place in a Western democracy. Boykin's ignorant slurs on Islam have no place in our democracy or in the Bush Administration. JUSTEEN WARD Van Nuys, Calif.

A Strategic Leak?

In his leaked memo, secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld wrote that "the coalition can win in Afghanistan and Iraq ... but it will be a long hard slog" [Nov. 3]. The memo shows that Rumsfeld intends to have it both ways. If the U.S. is successful in Iraq, he gets all the credit. If Iraq is a disaster, he can say, "I told you so!" EVELYN WOTHERSPOON Calgary, B.C.

Rumsfeld is firing parting shots as he begins his long exit from the Bush Administration. He knows he will not be Defense Secretary after this President's current term in office ends. Rumsfeld is going to do it his way. JEFF MORGAN Rochester, Minn.

The Whirlpool of Iraq

The continued attacks in Baghdad show that Iraq is nothing but a whirlpool of disaster, a waste of money and lives. [Oct. 27]. If the same amount of money were spent on health care and jobs for Americans, they would be singing the praises of their President. PRAVEEN K. MALHOTRA Faridabad, India

Come Back, Walter!

What a joy it was to read "10 Questions for Walter Cronkite" [Nov. 3]! How we miss him! How often we reminisce about his years on television, his sincere reporting style, without the nonsense of present-day newspeople who talk on top of one another, laugh at nothing and perform like actors. Today's news programs are unabashed competition for ratings. As Cronkite admitted in the interview, he retired too soon. JACQUELINE MARTIN Kerrville, Texas

The Hunger Artist

Your people item on magician David Blaine, who spent 44 days suspended in a Plexiglas box above the banks of the Thames River, referred to his "starvation for attention" [Nov. 3]. This was completely unwarranted. Blaine's stunts may be sensational, but there are easier ways to get attention. Blaine instead gathers his audience with performances of little illusion or fanfare but much talent and extreme physical control. He's impressive and inspiring. I have even thought of him while in the throes of labor pains, deleriously wondering to myself, "What would David Blaine do?" AMY SCHEER Orange City, Iowa

No Fan of Grant's

Josh Tyrangiel's interview with the director and cast of the film Love Actually [Nov. 3] quoted Hugh Grant as saying "Acting is unmitigated torture for me from beginning to end." Likewise it is torture for some of us to watch Grant act as if he could act. The man has played the same role in every film he's been in. If he finds acting so difficult, maybe he could do us all a favor and get a job commensurate with his abilities. I hear McDonald's is hiring. JAMES BOYCE Farges, France

Wi-Fi on the Road

Your article "Wi-Fi Gets Rolling," about wireless Internet access [Nov. 3], mentioned wi-fi access at Kampgrounds of America (K.O.A.). I'd like to clarify our role: We are adding campgrounds to the Hotspotzz wireless network at a rate of about three a week, and plan to have more than 100 equipped by next summer. But because of connectivity problems in rural areas, it's unlikely that we will be able to "unwire" all 500 of our locations in the near future, as your article stated. In addition, we are charging not a flat $19.95 a month but $4 an hour or $8 a day for wi-fi access. Subscribers to our K.O.A. Konnect dial-up service ($14.95 a month) will have free wireless access at K.O.A. campgrounds and RV parks. MIKE GAST COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR KAMPGROUNDS OF AMERICA Billings, Mont.