Medicating our children for problems such as; Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, bipolar disorder, or autism seems to be a new trend. Unfortunately, these medications have very dangerous side-effects especially in sensitive children like those in foster care. Healthy alternatives are often overlooked for a quick fix pill. Do parents even know what these medications do? Do they know what these medications were originally for? Most medications used for the disorders mentioned earlier were supposed to be used for adults with schizophrenia (source #2). Antipsychotics tend to be the most powerful and toxic drugs (source #2) and people give them to their children. These medications hardly seem fit for an adult, let alone the young people in America. It looks as though parents want to drug their children until they are who the parents want to see. There is a 53% increase in people ages 4 – 17 being diagnosed with ADHD (source #4) in the past decade alone. This makes it look like there is not a rise in children with ADHD, but a rise in people looking for any excuse to put kids on drugs in order to calm their child. There is no way it is possible that there is 1 in 5 high school boys who have ADHD, that number is unfathomable (source #4). Medicines used to solve these problems are often very addictive and can cause withdrawals, showing that this is simply not a normal cure but an addictive drug. When parents and doctors put children on dangerous medications like Adderall, Dexedrine, and Ritalin, they seem to overlook the dangers and consequences that come with taking antidepressants and stimulants. Children can often end up suffering from a more severe sickness than when they started when they began the treatments (source #8). The ... ... middle of paper ... ... sugar, it does not cause hyperactivity and eliminating it could have no effect. Another free alternative is exercise. It has been proven to reduce depression and anxiety. Simply walking 15 minutes per day can lead to noticeable changes in mental clarity (source #1). Also using musical therapy is helpful. Learning a musical instrument helps significantly (source #1). Also massage therapy helps calm a child (source #1), that seems a little obvious but often overlooked. At this point drugs should be a last resort because of all the problems that can arise. If there are other options out there why would a person choose to have problems in a child’s mental and physical health? Stop drugging your children and be a parent. If your 4 year old is being disruptive and loud, they don’t have a mental disorder, they are being kids. Grow up and deal with your children, America.
Psychotropic medications, also referred to as psychiatric or psychotherapeutic medications, are used to treat psychiatric disorders, such as: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They have been used for many years and oftentimes come with dangerous side effects. The side effects that often occur in children taking these medications can include: fainting, blurred vision, vomiting, extreme weight gain, and even death ("Seroquel information,” n.d.). The use of psychotropic medication to treat mental disorders in children and adolescents is highly controversial because of ethical viewpoints (i.e. parents “drugging” their children to calm them down) and potentially harmful side effects, but one has to take into consideration whether the risks outweigh the benefits when deciding whether or not to give this type of medication to children.
Few deny either that we’re a quick-fix culture, and if you give us a feel-good answer to a complicated problem, we’ll use it with little thought of long term consequences (Kluger). Ritalin and Concerta are just two of the drugs used to help children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). While Seroquel and Lithium are two drugs of many to help with Bipolar Disorder, and Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil are some of the drugs that can be prescribed for Depression. All these drugs can be useful as a temporary solution, but they will have many side-effects which could harm the child.
There has been an increase in the Misuse and Abuse of prescription drugs to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). the number of children on medication for ADHD has grown from 600,000 in 1990 to 3.5 million in 2013 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But although there is an over-medication of ADHD drugs, there is actually and under-medication since not all the right people are getting medicated. Many individuals lack insurance or are insured with health plans that do not cover the outpatient prescription drugs they need and cannot afford.10 Therefore, Individuals covered by various health plans and programs, and those who have no prescription drug coverage, pay significantly different prices for the same medications. As the demand for ADHD drugs grows, higher prescribing rates and increasing drug prices result, which creates problems for these number of Americans who cannot afford the treatment they require.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the most widely diagnosed “mental-illness” in children in the United States today, and approximately 99% of children diagnosed are prescribed daily doses of methylphenidate in order to control undesirable behaviors. (Stolzer)
Sadly, 75 out of 100 children who visit a psychiatrist's office for the very first time, leave with at least one prescription for ADD or ADHD. Kirk Martin, Founder of educational foundation Celebrate! ADHD, states “We must change everything else-our attitudes and expectations, diet and nutrition, the way we reach and teach kids-before we change our children through medication.” Parents of children whose behavior is regarded as difficult or out of control are encouraged to believe their child has a "disease". For many parents, it is more socially acceptable to give your child's behavior a diagnosis rather than simply admitting their child behaves badly and along with the diagnosis, comes the offer for treatment. Many children with this diagnosis are being medicated unnecessarily. Medication should not be the first choice of treatment for an unscientific disorder. There are no biological tests for these disorders nor is there a blood test which can confirm the diagnosis. With only the best intentions and the trust of their physicians, many parents comply with the medications in an effort to enhance their child's ability to learn and socialize appropriately with their peers. If parents were given the important information regarding medications such as Ritalin for the treatment, the quick decision to medicate a child would likely decrease significantly.
U.S. Heath News reported (2013) that 6.4 million children ages 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Since 2007, the utilization of stimulant medication to treat ADHD has jumped 11% nationally as a whole. It was also reported that the U.S. spends more on prescription drugs to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder than it does for all but six other medical conditions (U.S. News Health, 2013). The number of ADHD diagnosed teens prescribed stimulants, such as Ritalin and Adderall, will be increasing over time as the new guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics now recognizes physicians prescribing ADHD stimulant medications to childre...
When "20/20" and "Oprah" did segments about ADD on television, many parents felt that they finally knew what was "wrong" with their kids. They rushed to the doctor's office to find out how they could "fix" the problem. Most soon discovered a drug called Ritalin. It sounded simple. All they had to do was give their rambunctious or hyperactive child a pill three or four times a day, and magically he or she would be a perfect little angel. Most were so happy to find a cure that they did not stop to contemplate other methods of treatment, possible side effects, or get a second opinion. Dr. Sharon Collins believes this is because, "It takes time for parents and teachers to talk to kids. It takes less time to get a child a pill" (Hancock 52). Parents get stuck in the mind set that Ritalin is a cure all for hyperactive children. Many psychiatrists say that "about half of the children who show up in their offices as ADHD referrals are actually suffering from a variety of other ailments" (Hancock 52). Some doctors claim that "parents of normal children have actually asked for Ritalin just to improve their child's grades" (Hancock 53). When parents cannot get Ritalin from one doctor, they keep searching until they eventually find one who will prescribe the drug (Hancock 53). It is not hard to find a doctor to prescribe Ritalin, because many "think that by giving a child Ritalin, the likelihood of helping him is high and the downside is low" (Hancock 53).
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder that causes children to have problems with paying attention, trouble with following instructions, have impulsive behaviors and become easily distracted. Medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin, are used to treat the symptoms of this disorder by helping the patient to focus and pay attention while also curbing their impulsive behavior and hyperactivity. Side effects of these medications are, but not limited to, anxiety, addiction and in some cases psychosis. Proponents of giving ADHD medication to children argue that ADHD is a real disorder in children and the medication does improve the symptoms of the disorder by a large margin as well as being cost effective. Also, not only are the parents happy with the outcome of their children taking the prescribed medication but so are the children themselves. Proponents also argue that by not letting parents of the children, young adults and adults choose to take these prescriptions when diagnosed with ADHD that the medical and psychiatric communities would be in violation of the principle of autonomy. Justice as well would be violated since most of the burden of dealing with all the symptoms caused by this disorder would fall onto those with ADHD and partly on their families. Opponents of giving ADHD medication to children point out that it is not only going to children with ADHD but also being prescribed to those not diagnosed with the disorder as well as the pills being given or sold to other children and young adults. They also claim that the full side effects of ADHD medication are still not known and could have harmful long- lasting side effects on the children taking the medications. In this case, the princip...
The documentary “The Medicated Child” gave me a lot of insight into the lives of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder. When we hear and learn about bipolar disorder, we do not normally think of children. However, there are many children diagnosed with bipolar disorder ranging from all ages. As we saw in the documentary, bipolar disorder can be very hard on both the child and the family, so finding a cure that is effective and safe is important. The video also highlighted how little research there has been on the effectiveness of antidepressants on children.
ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a psychological disorder prone to ethical issues within its treatments through the use of Methylphenidate otherwise known as Ritalin, Ritalin is the current leading form of pharmacological treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and there has seen a dramatic increase in prescription rate over the past ten years, which have raised some ethical issues with its prescription. There are no present biological basis for ADHD diagnosis results in physicians making their diagnoses based on behavioural symptoms such as hyperactivity and inability to focus. Considering that these symptoms are behaviours that anyone may express at one point in their life, the risk of over-diagnosis of the disease increases. This may subsequently lead to over-prescription of Ritalin. Diagnosing ADHD is particularly difficult in young children as its symptoms are based on judgements of behaviour relative to other children who portray ‘normal behaviour’, however the symptoms of ADHD can be seen as normal behaviour for children as it normal for some children to be hyperactive. A review of prescription data for 300,000 children ages 19 and younger showed that, for the first time in history, spending for medications for childhood behaviour problems was more than the expenditure on any other child drug category, including drug like antibiotics. This evidence raises concerns over the possibility of Ritalin and its over-prescription for ADHD, especially in children as the disorder is mainly seen in childhood. Defining ADHD is still subjected to debate, and it has been observed that diagnosis of the disease is increasing as the diagnostic criteria changes, thereby leading to an over-diagnosis ...
Unknowingly, children have been the number one abusers of psychotropic medications. Children in the United States are on drugs for longer and more often than kids in any other country. Most children who are overmedicated come from foster homes and children of low-income parents. Most children who come from foster homes have experienced some type of trauma, for example, being taken away from their families. These children are at higher risk for having emotional disorders and mental health disorders. They often receive medications
The truth is within the past two generations a phenomenon has taken place in connection to children across this country. Today one and a half million children take medication to focus attention and control hyperactive behavior (Freed 216). Most of these children have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. There are three types of ADHD the first consists of inattention only or the inability to focus attention. The second consists of hyperactivity and impulsivity. The third form of ADHD is a combined type where the child or adult has difficulty dealing with attention and hyperactivity and impulsivity. Children with ADHD are typically prescribed a drug called Ritalin (or one similar to it), which is a methylphenidate (recently amphetamines have been used also) making it easier to control behavior.
When someone is diagnose with ADHD, they could be under the pressure there is a lot of support given to his or her way. Special classes are given with the disorder and the programs are taught in a particular way where it slows the material down for the individual. The offer of drugs are also given like Adderall or Ritalin. Adderall interacts with the brain to “increase executive functions, such as ability to focus, memory and response control” (Fenton). Adderall is a high dosage drug with a variety of side effects which is unpleasant to hear when children consume it without an actual test to prove they have the disorder, to find out they end up abusing or selling the drug.
ADHD is diagnosed more often than it needs to be, meaning that a many of the children who are currently on Ritalin and other stimulant medications really do not need to be. This happens because there is a lot of pressure for boys to conform and because schools expect kids to sit for hours on end. Little kids are meant to move around and to play. When they have a hard time sitting down the schools think there is something wrong with them. Teachers get frustrated with their students' behavior and because their classrooms are overcrowded they pressure parents into getting medications for their children. Sometimes even it is the parents who are frustrated with their kids, maybe for many of the same reasons. We live in a society that expects kids to be like little adults and to be quiet and calm. Kids are not wired the same way as adults, and it does not mean that there is something wrong with them. Even though it's doctors who are prescribing the medications, if the children do not really have the condition isn't this just another form of drug
Depending on the child, medication has different levels of dexterity. But when the side effects of medication outweigh the influence of ADHD symptoms, then medication should be avoided. Parents need to decide the severity of symptoms, and whether medication, and its side effects, would be worth reducing ADHD symptoms. If the benefits do not outweigh the consequences, or parents feel that medication would not be a good fit for their child, there are other options. Although proven to be less effective than medication, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an alternative treatment method. CBT will help children in addressing their patterns of thinking caused in part by their ADHD, such as unhealthy self-beliefs or cognitive distortions. Moreover, parents can look into nonstimulant medication or a different brand of stimulant medication for their child to reduce side