Is Ritalin a cure or a mask

I found this article online today and it is so indicative of the problems that children have in 2004 with just being normal kids. Years ago kids were tagged as naughty - now they have ADHD. Years ago teachers spent time trying to keep children interested in classes, now they keep them drugged so that they can be controlled. Years ago children played outside with friends, now they are on the internet, or watching TV, a constant need for stimulationand entertainment, and when this is not forthcoming they act up. Is Ritalin a cure or does it just help mask the larger problem with modern society? Does "society" have the right to drug your child? Do you have the right to drug your child? What happens to these kids when they grow up and no longer take ritalin? We are already sitting with the first group of Ritalin raised kids. Its a disaster in the making. I smell class action. Does anyone else?

"June 7, 2004 � When Chad Taylor noticed his son was apparently experiencing serious side effects from Ritalin prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, he decided to take the boy off the medication. Now, he says he may be accused of child abuse. "

abcnews.go.com...

I work with a lot of kids on drugs, I see it everyday, I see how it is prescribed, I talk with counselors, I can only say the whole drugging your kids up is BS.

THE SOURCE ... parents, not all of them, but most of them suck. a lot of the kids i come across are single parent kids, and for most of the kids life he/she has gotten exactly what they wanted because they have learned to manipulate the single parent, the problem starts when they start school and they don't get things the way they want them so they act out. one thing leads to another and you have the school your child attends asking if you the single parent have considered putting your child on this drug or that drug to help them.

THE PROBLEM ... do you realize that a lot of these drugs were meant to be prescribed by a psychologist? the problem is doctors are not psychologist are they, yet they prescribe this junk like candy. i can give you a wonderful example of just how sad this situation is, a couple of weeks ago i took a kid to the DR, the DR asked if what he had prescribed was working and the child said no, the child stated I think I should start taking this and we need to increase what I'm taking now...the DR went along with it no questions asked. I was speaking with the child at a later time and he stated to me, you know I could have told that DR anything and he would have prescribed it.

THE SOLUTION ... maybe people should learn how to be parents before they have children, that could help. Did children in the 50's have adhd? hell no they didn't ...why? Maybe the answer starts with the home, unfortunately some homes today are ran by children and not the parents or parent.

THE TEST... I spoke with a psychologist about a four year old on adhd drugs, he stated that's kind of young, i said yes i know and i told him that i have never had any problems with the child. and his reply was that the child is not adhd, and that adhd kids show some adhd traits all the time, it's not just turned off. so i did some test when my child had friends stay the night, three of the children's parents had spoken to me in regards to having there child put on adhd drugs because they know i work with children. i stated well let's try an experiment. when the child would come to my home i would clearly expalin the rules, what was allowed and what was not allowed, i never had any problems out of any of the three children that came here on three different occasions. why is that? did i give them structure? did i make sure they knew what they could get away with? did i let them be kids and get a little wild from time to time (kids are hyper are they not?). the parents were shocked that i did not have any problems.

My kids doctor put him in ritalin. It was total BS. They will use any excuse possible to put a kid on drugs. I put and end to that crap in a hurry. At first I really didn't know what it was all about. After doing more research I realized that it was a doctor using that as an excuse for something he didn't understand. If the doctor can't figure out the kids problem then it MUST be adhd. lol

Seems to me that to many times drugs are an easy way out for teachers and for parents. Society is getting more and more advanced making the children smarter and smarter every day. Often times the students or younger generation are much smarter than the previous generation or the parents that raised them. The way this drug is often being used is only hurting the childrens creativity and learning by dropping them down to a level that the teacher "thinks" they should be at. Why not try letting them progress more quickly if they need more stimulation rather than limiting them? I know that in many cases this drug and others probably are necessary, but like I said earlier it is to often used as an easy fix for parents and teachers.

Kata.

Originally posted by Kata
The way this drug is often being used is only hurting the childrens creativity and learning by dropping them down to a level that the teacher "thinks" they should be at. Why not try letting them progress more quickly if they need more stimulation rather than limiting them?

Kata.

Exactly Kata, I have ADHD and it's severe at times. My mind thinks faster then I speak, read and I have a hard time paying attention to people because thier speech is too slow for me. Luckily my parents are against any type of drugs. I did get in trouble at school because I thought I knew more then my teachers and would say things that were obnoxious. (not that I did know more, I just thought I did) I had teachers who absolutely hated me and couldn't stand the fact that I'd score 98% + on all standardized tests and scored high on regular assignments even though I never did my work or payed attention. (or maybe it was that they just thought I was a brat )I couldn't control my impulses because the classes moved too slow for me.

I agree that kids with ADHD should have alternative ways of learning instead of getting reprimanded and/or stuck on drugs. In hindsight I should have been bumped up a grade or put in a creative environment that was challenging instead of repressive. ADHD in adulthood has actually been extremely beneficial and gets me far in whatever I choose to do because it gives me the skill of multitasking. The thing about ADHD is that if there are multiple things to do at one time, instead of only one task, it is easier to focus. Socially however, I have to warn people so that if I drift off or jump around talking about different topics, people don't think I am crazy.

With that personal story, I must say that kids with ADHD should be encouraged and not discouraged and/or sedated. Sedation will only prevent the child from reaching thier full potential. It is a gift and one that can be of great use if nurtured and steered positively.





[edit on 9-6-2004 by Narnia]

Narnia,

I am just curious if you know of any studies that were or are in fact now being done to find an alternative ways to teach children with ADHD. This may be a good topic for discussion in a different thread. The reason I ask is because my nephew has ADHD and unfortunately he is another child that has been forced into taking drugs to correct it. It really is a bad situation. His mother is a nurse who works in a childrens correctional facility. She sees kids in trouble every day so if he does something that gets him in trouble (as children often do) she finds some drug to put him on that will "correct" him. It's terrible. Doctors, nurses, and the general public have gotten to immune to the fact that these drugs along with most others do not actually correct anything. They cover up the symptoms to trick your mind into thinking that the problem is not there. Put it this way. I actually am paraphrasing a doctor that turned to herbal remedies, but I forget her name. " If you have a truck and the engine light goes on and you take the car to a mechanic and they cut the wire to the engine light, this does not really fix the problem at all. You think the problem is gone, but you have just masked over the problem temporarily." My point is that there has got to be a better answer in most cases than pumping some drugs down your throat. I am happy for you that you see this as a gift and not a hinderance. I will speak with my nephew and tell him your view and let him take it from there.

Thanks,
Kata.

My son was on Ritalin for 2 years he lost a lot of weigh and became more depressive, I kind of like him better when he was hipper, I became worry so I took him to a psychologist for evaluation and he told me that he did not need any Ritalin. He was perfectly normal.

Now, how did he got into Ritalin? I got a call form the school that he was to disruptive in the classroom and that he needed something to keep him still. I took him to his pediatrician and with not test of any kind he got Ritalin.

After the I took him of the drug I went to the school board and gave them hell.

Theachers don't want to deal with childrens that have a mind of their own so they prefer students to act like sombies.

www.waff.com...

"June 4 - At Chelsea School in Silver Spring, 10 students with ADHD are trying transcendental meditation. The school is part of a 3-month study to see if meditation can help the children overcome the stresses of their disorder.

Project director Sarina Grosswald, Ph.D. said, "TM is a mental technique that allows the mind to settle down - when the mind settles down the body settles down."

Settling down is one of the problems of kids who suffer from ADHD, they often have difficulty focussing and paying attention.

"It's frustrating when these children become behavioral problems but it's not something they do intentionally, it's something they really can't control."

At Chelsea, students in the pilot program gather twice a day to meditate, and they say it's helping.

Taylor David, student said, "It's helping me do my homework and helping me with my relationship with my friends."

"It's helped me in not getting as frustrated with my work, not being disrespectful with my teachers and basically just being a normal teenager," said Scott Schwartzman.

The academic head of Chelsea Academy says the meditation program benefits the entire school.

Principal Dr. Linda Handy said, "I see this as having tremendous impact for all our students. I'm excited about being able to take it to all of them."

I was on ritalin when i was younger, for several years, i also truly had ADD and ADHD (diagnosed by multiple psychologists and psychiatrists, not by regular MD's) Even so, I feel that i would have done much better if i hadn't been on it, if i hadn't been forced to conform to what they wanted me to do. I also believe there needs to be something done to see if you can let the kids learn differently.

Also, i've talked to many people that were on ritalin and they've all agreed with me that is has a rather major side effect. When you are on ritalin you absolutely have no interesting in eating. I would be on ritalin and i couldn't force myself to eat, but on days i wasn't on it, i would eat voraciously (which is my norm). I fully believe that due to my years of being on ritalin and not eating while on it i was slightly malnourished and it may have had effects on my growth.

It appears this drug has been given to children without any real research into its long term effectiveness.

[qoute]Do these drugs make a difference in the long-term outcome of the minimal brain dysfunction? A comprehensive examination of this subject carried out at the Montreal Children's Hospital discovered a startling fact. At the end of five years, hyperkinetic children who received drugs (either Ritalin or Chloropromazine) did not differ significantly from children who had not received.

The information I have read says it should not be given to children under 6.

There are many possible side effects of ritalin, including loss of appetite, weight loss and insomnia.

Children taking ritalin need to be closely monitored, not only whilst they are taking it, but during withdrawal and as a follow-up. This doesn't appear to be happening in many cases.

This article gives clear reasons why ritalin should not be taken.

www.healthysource.com...

Are we putting children at risk of developing medical problems in the future just for some peace in the classroom today?