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livingthequestions
I started developing neurological problems, falling down stairs, running into doorframes even when I saw them coming...

That's my pet hate that is. When new agers call a psychosomatic illness a 'neurological problem.'

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I would put my hands out in front of me, one was yes, one was no and I'd ask my question and wait until one got heavy.

Why not use your rational, scientific mind? There is no proof for this.

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I got the supplements right, got off the meds and I was fine. After I eliminated the food allergies

No proof for most supplements, or food intolerances.

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, know how to compensate for the mercury when I eat foods that kick it out of my tissues

No proof for detox diets.

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Now...I'm not saying that everyone who is diagnosed bipolar is toxic. (But I'd highly recommend that they check, and with a chelation challenge not a hair test and [i:25c0bdd2d9]not[/i:25c0bdd2d9] a blood test.)

No proof for any of these tests. Chelation has actually led to some deaths.

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Nor am I saying that some kids aren't ADHD. But if we're going to be responsible about it, we need to do some digging. "Yes, ok, they are ______, but WHY."

Why not just give them a treatment that works? Rather than have years of suffering and continuing with a problem that effects their education, and often leads to them getting a criminal record?

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When there is a hazardous piece of equiment on a playground we remove it,

Precisely, remove the problem with proper treatment. Not question something to which there probably are no answers, or chant in the hope it all goes away.

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When my teacher railed abusively on a boy in my class in the fourth grade, I actually got physically ill.

Is that healthy?

You say you've had no depression for 9 years and your diagnosis is bipolar. Have you thought you might be hypomanic?

I know what my psychiatrist would say if I had thoughts that I was an elite human being and other bizarre, irrational beliefs.

Livingthequestions, believe me, I'm [i:25c0bdd2d9]really[/i:25c0bdd2d9] appreciating your participation in this thread :D :D :D My comments are only aimed at you in as much as you have bought the whole New Age package.

I was wondering if there was any of it you don't believe in. Faeries? Atlantis? Ascended Masters? Flower remedies? Urine therapy or colonic irrigation?
Love
Kath

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barabara
I wonder why there is such a need to make light of the personal experiences related by livingthequestions?
She is not an apologist for some "dangerous cult", after all.
Perhaps her [b:8733ae8405]beliefs[/b:8733ae8405] are unprovable, but I for one enjoy hearing about her experiences.

Me too lol :D :D :D :D

I think she is an invention by a creative senior member.
Love
Kath

We won't have shouting, here :D

kath wrote:

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livingthequestions wrote:

I started developing neurological problems, falling down stairs, running into doorframes even when I saw them coming...

That's my pet hate that is. When new agers call a psychosomatic illness a 'neurological problem.'

How would you know whether or not she had a "psychosomatic illness".
With those symptoms, it is possible that she had an actual physical illness.
Are you diagnosing this woman?
Are you a doctor?
You wrote:

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As I said originally, it is Doreen Virtue in her book who uses 'indigo' as a synonym for ADHD, not I.

My problem is not with the indigos 'differentness' as with the fact that they may benefit from treatment.

I take this to mean that you don't necessarily believe they are all mentally ill.
It may be true that they are "different".
Should all "indigos" be considered not "normal", and be placed under the care of a psychiatrist, then, in your opinion?

I honestly don't understand this obsession with therapy and medication for "indigos" and others.
Do you honestly think everyone who doesn't fit the "norm" is mentally ill?
Please enlighten me.

barabara:

What's your point on this thread?

Are you opposed to psychiatrists, medications etc. and want to use this thread to denounce both?

Or do you just enjoy debate and like to argue?

I suppose I enjoy debate on subjects about which I have a personal interest.
I am opposed to lay diagnosis of mental illness, certainly, as well as hitting children. I find certain reactions to the "Indigo child" concept, posted here, disturbing, and responded to them.
Is there something wrong with that?

Why do you find what I write so objectionable? Do you object to my opinions, or only my voicing them?

Barabara:

Let's try to stay on topic.

I have deleted a few of your recent posts that were not really relevant to this thread or for that matter this board.

There was a published article about "Indigo" kids in USA Today though, which is quite relevant regarding this subject.

[b:8bb078e2af]Indigo kids: Does the science fly?

By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY June 1, 2005[/b:8bb078e2af]

James Twyman is convinced that there's a new generation of special children among us who are psychically sensitive and spiritually evolved.
Those who follow metaphysics and ancient spiritual teachings have for years quietly nurtured the belief in these kids, known as Indigo children for the deep blue color of the "auras" psychics say they see around them.

Skeptics point out that there's no scientific research backing up the existence of these children, and Twyman, 43, knows that's true.

"Certainly in the scientific realm, this is just a bunch of New Age nonsense," says Twyman, a writer and musician known as a "peace troubadour" in his hometown of Ashland, Ore. "But I think anyone with an inquisitive and rational mind can look at many children out there today and say there's something about them."

Twyman was so inspired by Indigo children that he has co-written and produced a movie called Indigo about a girl with intuitive abilities.

In the film, a fictional girl called Grace has psychic and healing powers. She senses harmful situations before they happen and feels an instant kinship with other Indigos.

Tammy Glover says she sees evidence of the phenomenon in her daughters, ages 9 and 3, who she says have talked about past lives and seem to know things before they happen.

Glover says her preschooler, for example, described a bathing suit in detail that Glover had purchased for her, even though she says she never told the child she was going to buy her anything.

"I'm absolutely a believer," she says.

Glover's daughters are both in the movie, which was filmed in Ashland using local actors, including Neale Donald Walsch, author of the best-selling Conversations with God (Penguin Group) books.

In a one-day event in late January, more than 600 churches, movie theaters, schools and bookstores screened Indigo in the USA and Canada. The independent film took in almost $1.2 million, Variety says. Now the movie is available on DVD at mainstream video and other stores.

The movie, along with several new books and Indigo-focused Web sites, is bringing the Indigo phenomenon to the attention of the general — and often skeptical — public.

Even among believers, Indigo kids are known to exhibit some unruly behaviors similar to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; they are often diagnosed with ADHD.

Some mental health experts fear that parents may embrace the Indigo label because they don't want to believe their children have behavior problems associated with ADHD, such as resistance to authority and trouble with school rules.

"The odds are that mixed in that group are a number of children who are very, very bright and astute and alert and very sensitive to picking up cues in other people," says David Stein, a psychology professor at Longwood University in Farmville, Va.

But "I would not call them Indigo children. I would simply say it's a bright child who misbehaves."

David Cohen, a clinical social work professor at Florida International University in Miami, agrees.

"The view in medicine is that ADHD is a defect. It's a disorder," he says. "If you're a parent, the idea of 'gifted' is much more appealing than the idea of a disorder."

March data from the National Center for Health Statistics say 6% of children ages 3-17 had ADHD in 2003.

But believers say Indigos are special kids who have been misunderstood.

"These are sensitive, gifted artists who are non-conformists and don't fit in, and that's what gets them sent to the school psychologist," says Doreen Virtue, author of the 2003 book The Crystal Children: A Guide to the Newest Generation of Psychic and Sensitive Children (Hay House Inc).

Teresa Zepeda's daughter Crystal is among the case studies in Virtue's book. Zepeda, of San Antonio, says Crystal healed herself of an earache when she was 6. Zepeda says she told her to "lie down, put her hand on her ear and ask God and Jesus to heal her."

Indigos may have existed in many generations. But in the past, parents may have discouraged kids from developing psychic talents, says Wendy Chapman, director of a Web site called MetaGifted.org.

Twyman believes Indigo kids will play a significant role in the evolution of humanity. "It's such an important time in human evolution and our history that we need wise souls," he says. "Maybe it's possible these children are coming to save the planet."

Meghan McCandless, now 11, stars in the Indigo movie, but her family is not convinced Indigos really exist.

"We are from fundamentally different places spiritually," says Cameron McCandless, Meghan's mom. "There has never been any shred of evidence that I've seen to support the existence of Indigo or that phenomenon. However, there are people that we respect and admire who believe in that."

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barabara
kath wrote:

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livingthequestions wrote:

I started developing neurological problems, falling down stairs, running into doorframes even when I saw them coming...

That's my pet hate that is. When new agers call a psychosomatic illness a 'neurological problem.'

How would you know whether or not she had a "psychosomatic illness".
With those symptoms, it is possible that she had an actual physical illness.
Are you diagnosing this woman?

Which is more likely considering it went away when she cheered up? I'm all for her consulting a doctor, but I somehow doubt she did and received a physical diagnosis.

Barbara wrote:-

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I honestly don't understand this obsession with therapy and medication for "indigos" and others.
Do you honestly think everyone who doesn't fit the "norm" is mentally ill?
Please enlighten me.

Considering the stigma around mental illness, it's well known that a large amount of people who could benefit from help do not seek it.

You seem to be greatly in the thrall of this stigma. There is nothing shameful about experiencing mental distress- we all do of some kind over the years.

As you said earlier, about 1 in 4 people will have a mental illness in their lifetime. You say this invalidates the whole concept.

But think of all the physical illnesses, chronic or acute, that 100% of us have over our lives.

Psychiatry is just another sphere of medicine.

It is the quickest and most successful way of relieving people's mental distress. Complimentary treatments can be pleasant too I know but personally I would use them in tandom with something proven to work.

LivingTV has been diagnosed bipolar. I am bipolar myself so I know that without medication a relapse is pretty certain sooner or later.

[www.healthyplace.com]

Mood stabilizers, especially lithium and divalproex, are the cornerstones of prevention or long-term maintenance treatment. About 1 in 3 people with bipolar disorder will remain completely free of symptoms just by taking mood stabilizing medication for life. Most other people experience a great reduction in the frequency and severity of episodes during maintenance treatment.
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I take my bipolar meds the same as I do my asthma meds-it's no different.

It is you who thinks mental distress is abnormal- I know it's quite normal.

If everyone talked about the anxieties, depressions, etc that they had we'd realise we're all in the same boat.

If people would rather suffer longer and risk more relapses and suicide is up to them I suppose, but personally I wish more people would seek the help they need.
Love
Kath

Kath:

Let's try to stay focused on topic within this thread.

A debate about mental health is not the subject.

I realize that it got pulled in that direction and understand your concern about livingthequestions, but let's try to move on from here.

Suffice to say that people with serious problems regarding their mental or physical health should consult a doctor.

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rrmoderator
Kath:

Suffice to say that people with serious problems regarding their mental or physical health should consult a doctor.

from the USA Today article:

Twyman believes Indigo kids will play a significant role in the evolution of humanity. "It's such an important time in human evolution and our history that we need wise souls," he says. "Maybe it's possible these children are coming to save the planet."

note- this is the messianic aspect of this whole thing that troubles me.