This is sad.
Again. remove any extra spaces and try again if the link doesn't work.
Pip
If the first link doesn't work at all.
Pip
My son was honestly not aloud in school with out his ritilin. Turns out years later he was bi polar and was misdiagnosed as a child. As the symtems are very simalar. Yikes, that is scary news for kids. I have worked with kids my entire life and we have 6 of our own. I have only seen 2 kids that truly fit the ADD diagnosis. One was a foster daughter and one was a young boy that I had in my daycare. They truly needed meds to function at a near normal level.My daughter is ADD and was on Adderal for years...not sure what she takes for it now I will have to ask her. She went through a "phase" where she refused to take any meds for her ADD, it was the roughest years of my life let me tell you! SHe had so much trouble in school, but once she began her meds again, she did quite well.
Both of my children are adopted. One is ADHD and I think may also be bi-polar, the other ADD. How's that for luck? My son was an excellant student but would not go on to college, only remained for part of 1 semester, he knew more than the profs, of course. My daughter... well "Miss Princess tra-la-la" will go when she feels she is ready........that's my daughter!
jode
The part that got me was -
Children in the U.S. are 10 times more likely to take a stimulant medication for ADHD than are kids in Europe. In fairness, children in Europe are also somewhat less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD because of a stricter set of criteria. But that doesn't nearly account for the difference in prescription rates. The U.S., the only nation to violate the U.N. treaty, consumes about 85% of the stimulants manufactured for ADHD.
Though the drugs do not appear to be habit-forming in children with ADHD, there's a rising black market for methylphenidate and similar drugs. A report last year by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that teenage abuse of prescription stimulants was rising.
Drug companies would argue that increased production and use of ADHD drugs are the result of better diagnosis and treatment. But the International Narcotics Control Board holds advertising responsible. In a report earlier this year, the board noted that from 2001 -- when the ads first appeared -- to 2005, medical consumption of methylphenidate increased by 64%.
This is why Pharma is so bad. Yes, some kids need these drugs, but to go against the LAW to advertise to them and have the government too whiped to even try a court fight. And since when is advertising protected under the 1st Amendment?
Pip
< =text/>_popupControl();I do not have much experience with kids with add/adhd. The same thing about the article struck me as it struck Pip. I just don't understand (because I don't have the experience to so I am asking these questions) why it is that the diagnosis of add/adhd can be made so easily and is so common versus when I was a kid? I mean there was always that one kid in class with the boundless energy etc. I know part of this answer is the meds that have come out and of course pharma wants their cash money...but that isn't the entire answer by far. Does monkey see...monkey do...have anything to do with increased diagnosis of add/adhd? Like...mom and dad are so busy in the rat race of life running here...there..everywhere...meetings...practices...social events...go go go go on the go...that this is what the kids see and feel in order to please mom and dad that they also need to be go go go go on the go? Then mom...dad...school...sees little Johnny doing this and then stick the add/adhd label on them when all little Johnny was trying to do was please his parents and act just like them?
I know there are truly add/adhd kids out there whose parents have had them thoroughly tested etc and are on meds and other therapies. But after reading this article...how many kids are out there that really do not need to be on these meds and we are just really shoving crud into them they don't need.
I have to agree, I think it has to do with diet because that in itself did help my daughter. I always said that the fast food diet was harder on my kids na dcaused a lot more probs.
However, I am a believer in the dx of each. My children were not on the edge of the diagnostic continuum, they were pretty bad. THe meds make the difference.
There was a problem with my son's friend and my son as well stealing my daughter's Adderall all the time when she was younger till I locked them up to where I could barely get to them myself to give to her!
jode