Over Medication
Ritalin, Are We Overmedicating Our Children?
Today, many children are diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children that are not able to concentrate, act impulsively, or have an abundance of energy are likely candidates of having ADHD. Many children have these characteristics and are being prescribed Ritalin, a drug that stimulates the brain to help children gain focus. Having said that, more and more children are taking Ritalin, but are too many taking it for the wrong reasons? Today we see children act out in class, call it a behavioral problem, and immediately put them on medication. Medicating children with Ritalin should be a last resort; doctors, parents, and teachers seemed to be using it as a first response.
ADHD is a common behavioral disorder found more in boys and is characterized by poor concentration, distractibility, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Children with ADHD are easily distracted by their environment and find it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time. They also find it hard to control their behaviors and commonly
Davis 2 disrupt their peers, their family members and teachers in the classroom setting. The child's school performance is usually affected negatively due to this. This condition is normally noticed in the child's early school years and the child's teachers often bring it to the attention of parents. For ADHD there is no cure, in some children the symptoms seem to lessen once the child enters adolescents. It is estimated that almost ten million children have been diagnosed with having ADHD. Glasser in his book claims "ADHD is nothing but a collection of behaviors that have been lumped together and called a disorder by the psychiatric community" (Glasser 76). The most common drug prescribed to children with ADHD is Ritalin. The 1990's witnessed a startling increase in the number of children diagnosed with ADHD and a corresponding increase in the use of
Today, many children are diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Children that are not able to concentrate, act impulsively, or have an abundance of energy are likely candidates of having ADHD. Many children have these characteristics and are being prescribed Ritalin, a drug that stimulates the brain to help children gain focus. Having said that, more and more children are taking Ritalin, but are too many taking it for the wrong reasons? Today we see children act out in class, call it a behavioral problem, and immediately put them on medication. Medicating children with Ritalin should be a last resort; doctors, parents, and teachers seemed to be using it as a first response.
ADHD is a common behavioral disorder found more in boys and is characterized by poor concentration, distractibility, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Children with ADHD are easily distracted by their environment and find it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time. They also find it hard to control their behaviors and commonly
Davis 2 disrupt their peers, their family members and teachers in the classroom setting. The child's school performance is usually affected negatively due to this. This condition is normally noticed in the child's early school years and the child's teachers often bring it to the attention of parents. For ADHD there is no cure, in some children the symptoms seem to lessen once the child enters adolescents. It is estimated that almost ten million children have been diagnosed with having ADHD. Glasser in his book claims "ADHD is nothing but a collection of behaviors that have been lumped together and called a disorder by the psychiatric community" (Glasser 76). The most common drug prescribed to children with ADHD is Ritalin. The 1990's witnessed a startling increase in the number of children diagnosed with ADHD and a corresponding increase in the use of