“Latest surveys show that, in some suburban areas of the U.S, including parts of New York, more than 20 per cent of white boys are taking Ritalin.” “American parents have become increasingly reliant on powerful medication to control their children.”
“Last month, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported a sharp increase in those under six taking psychotropic drugs such as Ritalin…and the antidepressant Prozac.”
The future does not bode well for little Johnny if Mummy is making sure he takes his drugs every morning before he goes to school. Maybe those moronic pro-legalization potheads are right after all - I’d rather see kids kicking back with a doobie than being zonked out on chemical shit every day. Drug-free would be best, of course, but obviously suburban Americans are learning at a tender age that life is best coped with with the aid of drugs.
When little Johnny gets into high school, his friends will teach him how to crush up that Ritalin and snort it. Helluva buzz. By the time he graduates, Johnny’s mucous membranes won’t be in very good shape.
If we’re moronic, does that make people like Barry McCaffery and Orrin Hatch the smart ones? Man, I hope not.
One of the many problems with the War on Drugs is that it arbitrarily divides all drugs into “good” and “bad”. “Good” drugs are often prescribed at the drop of a hat and become a crutch, a way of avoiding dealing with a complex condition like ADD. “Bad” drugs are villified even when they have curative and palliative properties that could be used to alleviate suffering.
All too often the “good” drugs - like Ritalin and Prozac - are given a free ride, and “bad” drugs - like marijuana - are placed beyond the reach of informed citizens with a genuine need for their properties.
And Al, one need not be a pothead to be pro-legalization. Or moronic, either.
The reason methylphenidate is so readily prescribed to treat ADHD is that it works. There are other modifications that need to be made, but none of them are anywhere near as effective without the medication than with. Methylphenidate is no more of a “crutch” than reading glasses or exogenous insulin.
Yes, it is overprescribed among rich white boys. However, I don’t want to make a judgement about MPH use in childhood leading to teenage drug use without seeing some unbiased numbers.
As an ADDult, I will state that if diagnosed properly, ADD/ADHD medication is far more productive than letting a child go untreated as happened to me. If left untreated, most ADD/ADHD patients will look for self medication, ie: drugs and alcohol, like myself, which leads to problems later in life.
I agree, there may be too many kids out there treated for a problem they don’t have. But I do believe that it is up to parents and physicians (not teachers which drop ADD/ADHD symptoms without other causes). It takes more than a simple office visit to determine that someone has ADD/ADHD. I spent an entire day of testing plus some therapy sessions before the diagnosis at 15.
That probably didn’t mean a lot, but as an ADDult I wish my parents had the knowledge when I was a young child about ADD/ADHD which may have made all the difference in how I perceive myself and where I went with my education.
BTW neutron. For a true ADD/ADHD person, Ritalin or it’s equivilent (sp) does not make a ADDer high in any manner.
In fact (not from personal experience since I am ADD) most kids feel more ill than “high” from using Ritalin if they are not ADD.
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techchick has studied up on ADD/ADHD and it’s treatments for over 10 years, although I need to pull some of the research out of my brain…got lot’s of cobwebs up there.
I have to weigh in in favor of Ritalin for treatment of ADD. Both my boys are much calmer and able to focus while they’re taking their medication. Without it, they’re emotionally volitile and unable to do schoolwork.
Memories of Junior High…
One day, my stepfather, (who, by the way, my mother and I have since determined is a pathological liar) came home from an appointment with his psychiatrist with a bottle of Ritalin. I had been having some difficulty concentrating in my afternoon classes, and the Ritalin was supposed to help. It didn’t. Both my mother and stepfather swore that they saw improvement in me, but I really think they were seeing what they wanted to see. Noticing my positive behavior more, not that I engaged in a lot of negative behavior. Basically, I was a ditzy teenage girl, and the Ritalin was supposed to cure me of that. I didn’t feel that the drug was doing me any good.
Then one day, after I forgot to take my daily “fix”, I nearly passed out in typing class. My parents accused me of having taken a double dose to make up for the one I had missed, which I hadn’t, but they chose not to believe me when I told them I hadn’t. I quit taking the drug shortly after this incident.
Here’s the kicker. My stepdad’s shrink had prescribed the Ritalin for me without ever having seen me. So there was no investigation of possible reasons why I was having problems concentrating in the late afternoon, such as the fact that I wasn’t eating lunch because I was trying to lose weight. (I’m hypoglycemic by the way, but I was nearly thirty before I found this out). God knows what my stepfather was telling this doctor about me, how much of it was exaggerated, how much was flat out not true.
I think Ritalin is prescribed indiscriminately to children whose parents don’t have the time or the inclination to deal with the root causes of their children’s problems, such as nutrition, or simply a need for some parental attention.
“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.” — Han Solo
did your newspaper really use the phrase “white boys?”
“Hyperactivity is a problem that affects about one out of every one children. You should see a doctor about it. Maybe he’ll give your kids drugs and you can steal them.” P.J. O’Rourke.
In all seriousness, I’ve done Ritalin, and found it helpful. I’m sure it is overperscribed, though.
Yeah, the newspaper story really used “white boys”. It was a press wire story by a reporter from the London Times. The UK isn’t quite as politically correct as North America.
Interesting and intelligent posts, people.
Sorry about the moronic potheads crack. This is the Pit so I was stirring up shit. I do consider legalization of pot a moronic issue because it’s never going to happen. No mainstream politician will ever support it. Most young pot lovers are damaging their futures. Sitting around stoned is not time well spent. It may not be addictive but, like so many abused drugs, people tend to like it a little too much. It’s a pretty harmless intoxicant and industrial hemp is a marvelous and environmentally friendly product that could revolutionize third world economies. I’m sure this has all been thrashed around in other threads. How can the US apply draconian penalties for marijuana offenses when children are being legally over-medicated with “good” mind altering drugs? It’s an oxymoron. Rather than taking a pro-legalization position it might be wiser to take a more subtle long term position of electing more intelligent rational legislators who will make the penalty fit the crime. If little Johnny’s been fed Prozac and Ritalin by authority figures through his school years to alter his mood he’s going to be a little confused at age 18 when he gets 20 years without parole and his family’s home is seized because he grew a few pot plants in the garden.
DoctorJ, please let me ammend what I said by agreeing with you - Ritalin is successful in treating ADD and ADHD. However, my concern lies with cases like agisofia - which has less to do with any one medication and more to do with irresponsible practices.
Al, the only reason marijuana legalization is so unlikely is because intelligent, informed citizens like yourself refuse to speak out on the subject, or possibly even consider it. I don’t know a single pro-legalization advocate who wants teenagers stoned to the gills. On the contrary, the vast majority of us see legalization and regulation as ways to prevent teen drug use. Please, give it a little thought. If more and more voices are heard on the subject, the politicians will listen. Five states, at my last count, have legalized medical marijuana. It’s not all that we want, but it’s a start.