Behavioral disorders in children, medication or love and discipline?

At the beginning of my professional career, after I graduated college, I began working for a company part time and volunteering at another on the weekends and sometime throughout the week after work. At both organizations I worked with children with what they call behavioral disorders. One group was at the juvenile detention center and the other I worked as a B.S.T (basic skills trainer. While working with these children, I had noticed that quite a hand full of them had some form of a behavioral issue. Majority of the children in the juvenile detention center acted out this behavior because they had no other outlet. Some of the ladies used prostitution, drugs, fighting, alcohol, pills, etc., but not one f them used theirs talents, ambitions, their full potential towards ny of their actual goals.

While working as a B.S.T, the children were all over. They were not listening to what they were being told, disrespecting their parents, being destructive, refusing to do their chores and homework, etc. Once I sat down and took a moment to actually do an analysis on what was taking place, I developed my own theory, which may be the same as others. The first thing that individuals do when they feel something is wrong with themselves or a loved one is turn to a physician which then in return the physician administers medicine. Not every issue needs a diagnosis and not every diagnosis needs medication. When my son was younger he was extremely hyper.

His teachers would send letters home stating that he was frigidity, that his attention span was very short, he was bothering the other children, he would destroy property, and so on. They suggested that I seek medical attention for him. With careful consideration and respect I did just that. From the physician and his prescription when went to the psychiatrist and his prescriptions. They both had their own diagnosis, hence the two different medications. The meds had my son zombie like, he would sit and stare, move slow, would  not eat, and loose weight. He was only 7 so I took him off. And instead gave him my time and attention, realized that he was only a child, a little boy. I talked with him more, made his interest mine, spoke with him about his day, read to him, and built a strong positive relationship with him. His behavior began to change.The conclusion to children with behavior disorders is simply this: when a child acts out do not turn a blind eye and ignore it. Children cry out for attention, love, and acceptance the best way they know how this does not mean they have ADD or ADHD or have a behavioral problem. This means that as parents we have to pin point those cries. It is our responsibility to discipline, to be firm but yet understanding. To protect and guide. To educate. The moment we do not do these things along with some others our children will see, and that is when they create their own judgments and opinions of us as parents. Begin to formulate their own life styles. Their characters become someone else's. They assume different roles and positions, forget that they are children and not adults. All the while you have some parents who put those children in adult positions and when they become uncontrollable parents turn to those physicians who then diagnosis them as having behavioral disorders and meds come into play. We as parents should stand UP and become better role models for them.... they do need us regardless.....