RITALIN DEPENDENCE AMONG BOYS

The author of this article believes that schools are being over whelmed with the amount of Ritalin being given to cheldren in the United States. They also state that “US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) considers Ritalin a Class II drug… Other drugs in that category are cocaine, metamphetamine and methadone” (One in four US schoolkids doped on Ritalin, 2000, para. 3). With this statement the author is trying to scare the reader away from using Ritalin. Also they go on to say “DEA deputy director Terrance Woodworth recently confirmed to a congressional sub-committee that 40 percent of the Ritalin prescribed in the United States is for children between the ages of three and nine, 80 percent of whom were boys” (One in four US schoolkids doped on Ritalin, 2000, para. 9). However, with the behavioral needs of the children in our schools, it is hard to tell witch child is or isn’t taking this medicine. Since Ritalin was introduced in 1990, it has quickly become the main stream drug and every day treatment for hyperactivity and attention deficit disorders in children but mainly young boys (One in four US schoolkids doped on Ritalin, 2000, para. 5). They go on to say "On average, about one child in every classroom in the United States needs help for this disorder" (One in four US schoolkids doped on Ritalin, 2000, para. 7). The author is using scare tactics saying that if you take your child off the medication without doctor consent you can face criminal charges. In a case in Albany, New York a parent took their child off the medication, when the child’s school found out they told the authorities and then the parents were forced to place their child back on the medication (One in four US schoolkids doped on Ritalin, 2000, para. 11-12). The author makes a good point in that our children are showing more and more signs of ADD and ADHD. Also that most of these diagnoses are of boys age’s three to nine (One in four US schoolkids doped on Ritalin, 2000, para. 9). However