Parenting

Salimah Needs Help For Her Depressed 17 Year Old Daughter

Dr. Dale Archer — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Salimah's 17 year old daughter is going through severe depression. They tried a medication and a counselor, but she's still depressed. She used to be a very bright student, but now she doesn't care. She doesn't understand why; there's no reason her daughter should be depressed. Do you have something to offer this concerned mom?

Cristy Worries Her Daughter Will Become Bipolar Like Her

Dr. Dale Archer — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Both Cristy and her husband are bipolar. She has suffered from delusions and manic spending sprees and is on disability. She and her husband have had their problems, but she worries that her 5 year old daughter might develop bipolar disorder, too. What do you think? Does having bipolar parents increase a child's chances of being bipolar?

R's Mother Has Become So Angry!

Dr. Dale Archer — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:00:00 GMT

R's 64 year old mom has always been nice and easy going. One day while in the car line to pick up her granddaughter from school, a teacher pointed her out and motioned to pull up to let traffic flow by. Her mom was furious she was the one targeted!

Victoria's Daughter Doesn't Provide Stability For Her Child

Dr. Dale Archer — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Victoria has recently divorced and moved in with her daughter and granddaughter. Her daughter acts bipolar and leaves periodically to take trips with men she met online. Often she's either on her computer for hours or sleeping all day. There's no structure or routine, and her granddaughter doesn't know why mom has no rules.

Sophia's "Straight A" Son Went To Live With Dad; Now He's A Dropout

Dr. Dale Archer — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Sophia's son was a straight A student and received a scholarship for college. He moved across the country to live with his dad, however, and started getting into trouble. Now his dad has kicked him out of the house, he's no longer in school, doesn't work, rides a bike and is lucky if he gets a weekly bath.

Sandra And The Case Of The Missing Panties

Dr. Dale Archer — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Sandra is not sure what to do. She has been happily married for six years to a wonderful man, even though she has caught him lying and cheating in the past. For the past several months, her teenage daughters' panties have gone missing, forcing her to buy more, which also went missing. Her husband "found" them, in a zip lock bag under a couch cushion.

Anna's Father Says She Is A Loser

Dr. Dale Archer — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Anna's father always told her she wasn't good enough, that she was a loser and constantly negatively compared her to others her age. Of course, she now thinks she's not good enough for anything.

Should Betsey Apologize For Being Kind To Her Father-In-Law?

Dr. Dale Archer — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Betsey's father-in-law is unwelcome at family gatherings because of bigoted remarks he's made way in the past. One of his sons advised Betsey not to invite him to her daughter's wedding. She didn't, but when she received a Christmas card from him, she returned the gesture, and included an update letter which mentioned both the wedding and the fact that he's now a great grandfather. Her brother-in-law is now angry with her.

Divye's Parents Have Chosen Her Career

Dr. Dale Archer — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Divye is distraught. She loves and has a natural talent for physics and math, and wants to be an engineer. Her parents, however, insist she go to medical school even though she cannot memorize facts easily and hates biology.

Elizabeth's Mother Can't Remember Anything

Dr. Dale Archer — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Elizabeth is concerned about her 64 year old mother. She can't remember anything, has the same conversation several times a day, forgets what TV she's watched after 10 minutes, forgets how to pay bills and even forgets her grandchildren's names.

Lauren Doesn't Know How To Help Her 13 Year Old Son

Dr. Dale Archer — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Lauren has a 13 year old son who has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, OCD and Asperger's. He goes to therapy but doesn't take his medication. He doesn't want to go to school -- but when he goes he insists mom drive him (which is hard on her) rather than taking the bus. He sleeps all day, spends all day and night in his room on his computer, has already had an online gay relationship and is withdrawing from the world.

Bobby Thinks His Girlfriend's 6 Year Old Son Is Narcissistic

Dr. Dale Archer — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Bobby's girlfriend has three children, the youngest is a 6 year old boy. He thinks the boy is narcissistic; the girlfriend disagrees. The child has seen a doctor and been put on medication for ADD, but he disagrees with the diagnosis. He thinks the boy is narcissistic and not ADHD and wants to know how to treat this.

Danna's Depressed Son Refuses Treatment

Dr. Dale Archer — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Danna's 20 year old son has been diagnosed with depression. Now he doesn't want to return to work and he refuses to go to counseling. She is besides herself, because she cannot pay his bills. She asks how to MAKE him help himself or should she just kick him out?

Louis Thinks His Stepson Could One Day Be A Mass Murderer

Dr. Dale Archer — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Louis is very worried about his 15 year old stepson. He spends all day on the computer or playing games. He texts his friends, and when he does talk on the phone, all he does is mumble. His anger gets out of control to the point of rages and he wonders if he's living with a future mass murderer. The boy has attacked his mom and tried to beat her up -- I intervened -- and he often spaces out to where he doesn't know anyone around him. He will stay in his room 14 hours a day and only text. Louis thinks he needs a shrink, but his mom disagrees. What do you think?

Lois Needs Help For Her Son With Asperger's

Dr. Dale Archer — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Lois has a 22 year old son who has been diagnosed with Asperger's. He was in a college program and they told her he was exhibiting inappropriate behavior. She's new to Florida and is leery of putting him in a program she doesn't know anything about, but all he does is spend his days and nights playing video games. He won't listen to her and she is at a loss. She asks for help. Thoughts?

Donna's Sister Performs Exorcisms On Her Son

Dr. Dale Archer — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 06:00:00 GMT

Donna has been given temporary custody of her 15 year old nephew. He has delusions, suicidal thoughts, anger, paranoia and is a danger to himself and others. His mother told him he was possessed, which he believes. His father goes along with everything so his son is not upset. She wants to get mental health help for her nephew, but how, when her custody will run out soon? Thoughts?

Sherry's 8 Year Old Daughter Has Rage Attacks

Dr. Dale Archer — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:00:26 GMT

Sherry has an 8 year old daughter who can go 4 and 5 nights without sleeping. She has been in a mental institution three times, and has rages where she bites others. She has seizures, ADHD, PDD-NOS, mood disorders among other things, and mom is so sad. She cannot find help for her daughter, and doesn't want her to be on adult medication that turns her into a zombie. Do you have words of inspiration for this mom?

Shelby Cannot Get Over Her Forced Abortion

Dr. Dale Archer — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 06:00:34 GMT

A year ago, when Shelby was 18, she was forced to get an abortion by her father. Years before he insisted she work instead of seeking help for her bulimia, which she eventually overcame on her own. Now dad has run out on the family, and she has frequent dreams/nightmares of saving babies, but she never gets to them in time. She is working and supporting her mom, and needs help coping with her feelings. Do you have words of support?

Emily Thinks Her Abusive Childhood Has Ruined Her Life

Dr. Dale Archer — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 18:00:58 GMT

Emily survived a horrific, abusive, unspeakable upbringing, to the point of never being able to have a child of her own. Now in her late 40's, she thinks it's so unfair and she wonders if she has been damaged for life. She wonders if her childhood was just too abusive to overcome and if one day she will have something to smile about. She hopes that one day her life might be good. What do you think? Is there hope?

Allen's Wife Wants Another Child, Just Not By Him

Dr. Dale Archer — Thu, 24 May 2012 06:00:15 GMT

Allen wants to be a father, but his wife of one year is reluctant. She says he's shy, not a good communicator and is fearful that he has a chemical imbalance, which will be passed on to any future children. He self harms when the stress becomes overwhelming, but feels he now has it under control. The extended family knows about this and it has broken family ties. Should he resort to medication, or should he continue planning his divorce to find someone who will accept him for who he is?

Bethann Is Afraid She's Lost Her Daughter

Dr. Dale Archer — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:00:01 GMT

Bethann was married for 18 years before she divorced her husband due to drugs and other women. She admits she made mistakes as she raised her three children alone, but she did her best. Now her oldest daughter is 23 and doesn't want anything to do with her. Mom is distraught, and wonders if it's her daughter's drug use that is causing this. She asks if she lost her daughter forever. Thoughts?

Rhonda's Granddaughter Hates Everything And Everybody

Dr. Dale Archer — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:00:42 GMT

Rhonda has a 14 year old granddaughter who lives with her. She hates everybody and everything. Her mother has schizophrenia and lost custody, while the girl's father is married to a wife that said he had to make a choice between her OR his daughter. Thoughts?

ST Left Her Children With Her Childhood Abuser

Dr. Dale Archer — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:00:52 GMT

ST was abused relentlessly as a child by her father. As an adult, she needed medical attention which required her to go out of town. She left the children with her parents, never thinking her father would molest her young children. Now two of the children are victims of sexual battery and she cannot find free or reduced counseling for her children. Her GP has her on Prozac because she's so depressed, and some of her family members blame her for all the family troubles. Her life is getting more difficult by the minute -- she needs help. What would you tell this distraught mom?

Nida Wonders About Her Sons Meds

Dr. Dale Archer — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:00:42 GMT

Nida's 26 year old son is on mood stabilizing medications, and will be for life. She wonders if this will hurt his chances of becoming a father and if when carrying these large pill bottles if this could be an issue for him at airport security. Do you know?

Connie Worries About ADHD And Her Son's School

Dr. Dale Archer — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:00:06 GMT

Connie's 7 year old son is ADHD, and she feels forced to give him the meds so he will be quiet in class. The school says there will be problems if she doesn't keep him on his medication, but her son looks anorexic. Any time he stays home, she skips the meds and lets him just be himself, and says the school system is driving this and that some higher ups are simply padding their bank accounts. Do you have a comment on this subject?