Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota have found a strong association between children undergoing surgery requiring general anesthesia before they are 2 years old and learning disabilities later in childhood.
Over a third of the children who had more than one surgery developed a learning disability later in life.
The study concludes that, “Repeated exposure to anesthesia and surgery before the age of 2 was a significant independent risk factor for the later development of LDs [Learning Disabilities] … We cannot exclude the possibility that multiple exposures to anesthesia/surgery at an early age may adversely affect human neurodevelopment with lasting consequence.”
The article appears in the journal Pediatrics, “Cognitive and Behavioral Outcomes After Early Exposure to Anesthesia and Surgery,” published online October 3, 2011 (10.1542/peds.2011-0351).
So-called Learning Disabilities are typically treated with harmful and addictive psychiatric drugs. In the cases cited here, one observes that an LD might be misdiagnosed as a mental disorder instead of as the result of a toxic drug overload which has vastly different treatment options.
There are hundreds of common prescription and over-the-counter drugs whose side effects masquerade as mental symptoms. Look for a future newsletter about drug-induced nutrient depletion and how this can cause many symptoms appearing as mental distress.
For more information about psychiatric misdiagnosis, download and read the CCHR booklet, Pseudoscience — Psychiatry’s False Diagnoses — Report and recommendations on unscientific fraud perpetrated by psychiatry.