Overprescribing Ritalin

Some people say that ADD and ADHD are a result from an abnormality or chemi

Advocates of Ritalin, however, still claim that Ritalin is affective and necessary. Koch indicates that doctors and parents say, "Ritalin and other stimulants affect areas of the brain controlling attention and organization. They can rescue afflicted children and adults from lives of frustration and isolation, enabling them to successfully cope with simple, everyday tasks" (par. 15). However, a bottle of alcohol can also help a person who is in pain or not feeling very happy, but drinking alcohol is not right. These drugs just suppress a persons emotions and are not fixing anything.

As in most evils, money, too, has its part in this topic. Through research, Kathy Koch found out that, "[s]chools receive extra funds for each child classified with ADD. Likewise, parents on government assistance receive extra money if their child has ADD" (par. 55). Parents are now more willing to label their child with ADD even if the childs behavior is not very bad, simply because of the benefits. Koch writes, "In its annual report last February, the United Nations-sponsored International narcotics Control Board (INCB) issued its second warning in recent years that the American doctors may be over prescribing stimulants, noting that 90 percent of the worlds Ritalin is consumed in the United States" (par. 12). It is clear that Ritalin use and the number of ADD/ADHD patients have skyrocketed, not for medical reasons, but rather for the monetary benefits.

Ritalin can also be an addicting drug. Many users believe that they cannot cope with their behaviors once off the drug. A student who was speaking about her male, ADD friend once said to me, "He came off the drug and started chewing on a pencil until he chewed all the way threw it." What her friend didnt realize was that the doctors, his parents, his teachers, and others around him had trained him to believe that he needed the drug. The doctors told him he had something wrong with him, so he took the drug to help it. When he came off the drug, he still thought he had the diagnosed disease and his mind reacted to it. It told him he still needed Ritalin to cope with his behavior. He became dependent on it. His dependency is not very unusual as Dr. Breggin explains, "the Drug Enforcement Administration, and all other drug enforcement agencies worldwide, classify methylphenidate (Ritalin) and amphetamine (Dexedrine and Adderall) in the same Schedule II category as methamphetamines, cocaine, and the most potent opiates and barbiturates. Schedule II includes only these drugs with the very highest potential for drug addiction and abuse" (par. 10). It addiction is clearly shown in this individual.

ADD/ADHD patients have always had the ability to be attentive and calm, but it just depends on what they are doing or where they are doing it. While these kids may have trouble paying attention in class, they are able to concentrate on video games or to talk on the phone for hours at a time because they are interested in and understand what they are doing (Citizen 11). "By diagnosing the child with ADHD, blame for the conflict is placed on the child," Dr Breggin suggests, "Instead of examining the context of the childs life- why the child is restless or disobedient in the classroom or home- the problem is attributed to the childs faulty brain" (par. 25). In reality, the students just have a problem with school or the matter being focused on. It is either boring to them or they would simply rather be somewhere else, so they arent interested in learning the information. The main cause of misbehavior in class is due to a failure to understand the material. Once a student comes across a word or concept that he or she does not understand, does not find the meaning to, and continues with his work, he or she starts to gets

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