Increased sensitivity towards diagnosing childhood mental health

By Ashton Daigle

Doctors should tread lightly when treating childhood behavior disorders
By Ashton Daigle

While the treatment of childhood behavior disorders has come a long way in recent years, Chicago-based Dr. William Wittert says it still proves to be a challenging path.

“I’ve been in practice for 25 years now,” Dr. William Wittert, MD, selected as a Chicago Top Doctor by TopTierMD as a top rated pediatrician in Chicago, said. “During that time, there’s been a substantial increase in the number of kids with difficulties involving social activities and interactions.”

Dr. Wittert attributes this, in part, to increased sensitivity to problem children.

“There was a day and age, not all that very long ago, when mental health just really wasn’t talked about,” Dr. Wittert said. “It wasn’t talked about because of the stigma attached to it.”

Dr. Wittert said that, for the most part, that stigma has changed.

“On one hand, our recognition has become clearer,” Dr. Wittert said. “Also, our ability to diagnose has become clearer and more focused.”

Another reason children have seen increased difficulties involving social interactions, Dr. Wittert said, is because of real-life incidents and societal changes over the past decade or two.

“We live in much more complicated times today than we did even 10 years ago,” Dr. Wittert said. “We’ve had some major societal changes. There are a lot more single parent families today. There are also a lot of cases where both parents have to work. We’re seeing earlier introductions into academics, which in turn creates stress. And there have been major advances in technology. Any time you see such big changes over a short period of time there are more likely to be societal difficulties.”

Another fairly recent change in the treatment is the increased use of medicines to treat a variety of behavior disorders. Dr. Wittert said he uses an extreme amount of caution in treating behavioral disorders with drugs.

“I personally do not use psychotropic medicines for my patients,” Dr. Wittert said.

Psychotropic drugs cover a large gamut, from illegal substances like marijuana to prescription medicines, including certain antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and tranquilizers.

Dr. Wittert said liability concerns with certain types of medicines are just far too great.

“The true and real key to managing behavioral disorders is simply taking the time to do it,” Dr. Wittert said.

Diagnosis of and treatment can be very difficult and can take their toll on the families of the patient.

“Psychological and behavior disorders are far more difficult to treat because they’re ongoing disorders that aren’t 'curable' in the standard sense of the word,” Dr. Wittert said. “They’re emotionally destructive and usually very erratic. At least when an illness is consistent you can deal with it. In some cases, these disorders really can limit families to what they can or can’t do.”

Dr. William Wittert, MD, was selected by TopTierMD as a Chicago Top Doctor and is considered Best in Pediatrics in Chicago. He specializes in pediatric obesity, pediatric nutrition and pediatric behavioral disorders.