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You cannot reason with someone who is being unreasonable.

"Cutting" is a visible sign to the world that you are hurting.

Children do not develop on their own - they only develop within relationships.

"Parents aren't the cause of ADHD, but they are part of the solution." (Kenny Handleman, M.D.)

Children fare better when expectations on them are clear and firm.

The best inheritance  parents can give their children is a few minutes of their time each day.

Simple rules adhered to when children are young can prevent more serious problems later.

The challenge of adolescence is to balance the right of the parents to feel they are in charge with the need of the adolescent to gain independence.

The teenage years require a delicate balance between the young person's need to gain independence, and the parent's need to retain authority.

There has been an explosion in the prescribing of medication for very young children, particularly preschool and kindergarten boys (Juli Zito , Univ. of Maryland)

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Types of Depression

TYPES OF DEPRESSION
DIAGNOSED IN YOUNG PEOPLE
(the Oxford Psychiatric Dictionary lists 25 different types of depression)
 
a) MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD)
                  – serious depression lasts an average of 7-9  months
                  – similar to adult depression in some ways
                                                                        – sadness
                                                                        – pessimism
                                                                        – sleep & appetite disturbance
                                                                        – decrease in concentration
                  – dissimilar in some ways
                                                                        – anxiety
                                                                        – irritability
                                                                        – overly sensitive
                                                                        – eating & sleeping too much
 
b) DYSTHYMIC DISORDER
                                    – milder but more chronic
                                    – low level depression
                                    – usually able to carry out daily routines but requires major effort
                                    – continues for years
                                    – often progresses into major depression
 
 
c) DOUBLE DEPRESSION
                                    – combination of above
                                    – serious and chronic
 
 
d) BIPOLAR  (manic depressive)
                  – unusual & extreme swings in mood and energy
                  – may cycle each day or several times per year
                  – frequently begins with depressive episode in youth
                  – runs in families
                  – research suggests 20-40% of adolescents with MDD develop bipolar within 5 years
                  – usually starts in adolescence or early adulthood and continues throughout life
                  – equal male & female
 
 
e) REACTIVE DEPRESSION
                  – most common form of mood problem
                  – brought on by disturbing experience
                  – lasts anywhere from a few hours and a few weeks
                  – least serious
                  – not considered a  mental disorder
 

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Workshops

+ Behaviour Management (now available online)

This full day or 2 evening workshop will introduce you […]

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+ A Parent’s Guide to the Teenage Brain

  A teenager’s brain is not just an adult brain […]

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+ Reading Rescue

A program for children with reading problems

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+ A Guided Tour of ADHD (now available online)

This workshop will present the facts, myths, misconceptions, controversy and […]

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Contact

2720 Rath Street, Putnam, Ontario
NOL 2BO

Phone: (519) 485-4678
Fax: (519) 485-0281

Email: info@rickharper.ca

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Parents' Comments

“I am no longer overwhelmed with a child who has unending discipline and behaviour problems.”

(P.S. – London)