Are we too quick to medicate kids for ‘ADHD’?
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Yes! lol I think healthier food and less sugar would help along with more exercise and also more discipline.
The Medicated Child is one documentary that's really good discussing this topic. They talk about doctors and ADHD but also them taking it a step further and diagnosing kids as bipolar and giving them super powerful drugs not really tested for child use. One of my specialties was medical sociology and the pharmaceutical industry is one topic that really gets a fire going with me. Drug makers care about making money and influence doctors to push drugs on patients even if the drugs aren't good for the patient. Giving young children ADHD drugs can screw their little bodies up. Some kids will have side effects so doctors will prescribe more drugs to deal with the side effects meaning a young child is taking several medications at once which can hurt them as they develop with age. Where I live we have a horrible problem with prescription drug abuse. Parents get their kids diagnosed as having ADHD then turn around and use the drugs themselves.
Thanks very much for the reply. I defer to your specialism, not one of mine, more of a sideline interest - and a good doc. I saw.
I'll check out that documentary you mentioned.
I know a mom who's son was "diagnosed" with this. The school MADE her get him tested at threats of calling CPS, etc. You fill out the form, and based on the score they are diagnosed. The DR immediately wants to put the kids on the meds and the mom is just pushing back going, "No. Wait. Explain this to me. Where can I get more information? Am I required by law to medicate my child? If not, I have every right to decide the best course of action for my child."
It was a total shit show.
Her child was six years old. Being a normal boy. She found online where some experimented with diet. She removed all high-fructose corn syrup, anything with food-dyes of any kind it. She also removed all fake sweetners like splenda and aspartame. She made sure he got more exercise BEFORE doing sitting down to do homework --and WAHLA -- it "worked."
No meds necessary. She explained this to the teachers and to her ex.
The ex eventually took her to court and got custody of him though. One of the things he put in his paperwork: Refusing to medicate her six year old for this "condition."
Now it is a condition -- OK. But if a child is going to be medicated, in most cases, I would say at least let the kid be old enough to make that decision on their own -- like a pre-teen or a teenager? Maybe?
Now that the kid is older, he does say that the medication helps him while he's in school. That's just because the dad doesn't want to take the time to change the household diet. The mom found that many of the Kirkland brand (Costco brand for those of you in the US) products met these qualifications and it wasn't very hard to swap out brands.
Kids shouldn't be forced to take meds. They need longer recesses.
Thanks for sharing... that's an absolutely appalling situation.
Doesn't that breach the constition in some way? (Let alone human rights).
No, it doesn't breach the constitution per say. It violates your God-given right to parent and make decisions for your kids. When the legal system supports this type of behavior (although no laws are broken)-- you aren't necessarily REQUIRED BY LAW, at least in the US, to medicate your kid if they have ADHD -- it adds to the wrong doing.
There's also all of those lovely prickly contracts of adhesion you enter into when you sign up your kid for public school -- you know all the terms and conditions you agree to as a parent but don't actually read -- because you know, in some jurisdictions, it's actually illegal to NOT put your kid in public school?
The chemical dependencies that carry into adulthood is another reason for concern. I've known a few individuals whom had been taking it since childhood and they where a mess in all the mentioned areas. Personality Disorders, Anxiety, Paranoia, Depression - you name it. This was only expounded when they considered or made attempts to stop taking it. Of course why wouldn't this be expected when taking "Legal Meth" for extended periods of time.
On a side note: Adhd Meds and other drugs are not the only source of a growing epidemic of health issues that will arise from elevated dopamine levels over extended periods of time. You are looking at the source of this antagonist right now. The digital reality, consciousness, blazing pathways and keeping our minds fueled with data. "Entertained to death." This will impact our physical, mental and I would even say spiritual health in ways we do not fully understand yet.... Give it time...
It's part of the same equation too - overstimulation and then being expected to sit still in class - its an adhd diagnosis just waiting to happen!
Personally I beleieve one has to limit one'•s use of these devices, use them rather than being used by them (so to speak).
I agree entirely - medicating kids is another thing entirely to adults. It's a really underexplored issue viz child rights too.
I can understand the parents perspective - that behaviour can be very demanding and parents can feel overwhelmed. However, as I mentioned in the previous post, parents are being undermined in their parenting, and there is much deference to perceived authority - teachers, doctors, social workers.
When I first considered fostering, I volunteered in a (lovely) local primary school with years 3 and 4 (about seven and eight years old). All the teachers were lovely, this is not a criticism of any of them as individuals; but about fifty per cent of the time in school was about compliance (get in a straight line, don't run, sit down, be quiet, don't talk when I'm talking etc etc) and even more time at the beginning of term. They were definitely being "schooled".
I have a friend with adult ADHD (and now an alcoholic, one theory being that he self-medicated with alcohol to cope). We've always got on well, I seemed to become ultra-calm when he was around (never checked my blood pressure, but I'm sure it went down), and I've subsequently learned some other things that help. For example, just saying, "you're swearing, J.". I'm not sure how much we understand about ADHD (or, as you say, have constructed it), if it is a thing, it seems to me, it's societal, and needs a societal, rather than a medical, response.
Sorry - long comment, covering lots of different things!
Thanks for the reply.
I'm sure there is some underlying 'objective' basis for the condition, but I agree that it's society that largely determines what degree of 'anti-social behavior' is unacceptable - with schooling, kids are 'schooled' from such a young age you're right, it can't help, and to medicate that young does seem to have serious consequences, as you say, undermining parenting too.
As to the adult ADHD - self medicating with alcohol is an interesting one, hardly sounds like a long term solution though, even disregarding the physical health effects, doesn't alcohol also addle the brain, surely it'll make the condition worse?
Self-medicating with alcohol - generally disastrous and in this case. It isn't intentional, it happens because the person living with ADHD (and other conditions) feels better when they've had a drink. Self-medicating is the medicalisation of the behaviour.
I believe we are absolutely too quick. A few doctors appointments and you can get any kid labeled ADHD. Doctors are salesmen and repeat business is always a good thing.
It does seem we're moving that way - but I'm not quite that cynical - I just think Doctors don't have time to check all the research and are under pressure to provide a quick fix - maybe more caught in the middle than active salesmen?
Yeah. That has a lot to do with it as well. They are deffinately salesmen withe certain drugs such as antidepressants. The drug companys give them samples and they get kickbacks for prescribing large amounts of certain medications. I know a doctor who goes on cruises every year paid for by phizer. There could be a medication that would help her patients more but I think most doctors would prescribe phizer drugs to try to get those bigger rewards.
Thank you for sharing, patience is the first medication that parents are able to accept before using it in children, and then perseverance in these therapies.
Well said- although patience would much easier in a more relaxed society!
I'm with @miklkent: More recess. On a more personal note, I taught at a school where virtually every child was medicated. I was not a fan, but had to admit that in some cases this was essential. My kids were mostly high school age, so growth stunting wasn't as much of an issue. Medications for ADHD were those I looked at with greatest consternation. Other psychotropic medications, for schizophrenia, for example, were necessary. As for ADHD, I was surprised with one girl, actually a young woman. She was about 17 when she started the medication. Before that, she was unfocused, unpredictable, and as they say, "acting out". I was astonished to see a transformation after she began her regimen. She was calmer, happier, more peaceful. Her performance in school improved dramatically. I thought it was a pity she had lost so much time. I don't know if she continued on the medication, because she graduated.
Anyway, psychotropic medication--a mixed bag. Often a quick fix for problems that might be fixed environmentally. Or, maybe, we should just wait a while and let a kid be whatever nature designed that kid to be.
i think the family as a institution is failing as a result of rapid social changes, if not why would 5 out of six parents choose to continue a medication that might have a very bad long term effects on their kids, instead of applying a proper therapy and be more involved with their kids, not creating probably because they feel they don't have it, but they don't think of the fact that they could be creating another social problem on the long run when the child grows up. the society we live in now is always looking for a quick fix to everything, the easy way, that's what pushes us to provide some kind of solutions that in turn births other social problems, and we continue in the circle from problem to solution to problem and over and over.
YES!
So, like, being a child?
arghhh, bloody pharma's, ba$tards!
Some of the side effects of those drugs read out in that documentary, honestly!
And that's after the 'biased' trials!
It's not a major interest of mine Big Pharma, but the whole labelling and medication of ADHD interests me.
An analogy I use to put it into perspective is this: imagine how all of those ADHD boys would've been treated in a native american society... they'd be the 'lead warriors' wouldn't they (not that all native american cultures were warrior oriented, of course). The only thing which makes it a problem is the expectation that children should sit still and learn letters and numbers for so many hours a day in a classroom.
The fearless ones getting shit done, or at least dying trying to.
Creating disorders and illnesses for money :(
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