In this week’s reading, one can see that the overwhelming prevalence of comorbidities in students that have been diagnosed with emotional and behavior disorders. The linkage of the two directly correlate to the student’s inability to make rational decisions. Throughout the chapter, the authors suggest that there is no clearly defined diagnosis or intervention process. As a result, the assumption can be made that children may be improperly diagnosed as early as three years of age. A further assumption can be made that the effects of common ADD/ADHD drugs have resulted in little to no effect by the time the child has reached adulthood and ultimately indirectly resulting in substance abuse (Visser, 2010). The result, according to studies, has led to the creation of biophysical drug rehab programs that are aimed at treating children who have become addicted to what can commonly be referred to as “street drugs” to recreate the effect of medication that is no longer providing one. As relating to ADD/ADHD, the classes of drugs that are often used are considered to be highly addictive by the…
"On March 24, 1998 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, eleven-year-old Andrew Golden and fourteen year old Mitchell Johnson shot fifteen people killing four students, one teacher, and wounding ten others. According to one report, the boys were believed to be on Ritalin." (Wiseman) This is just a few of the numerous events that the one common denominator was the use of Ritalin or other mind-altering drugs. These drugs drive some of the children who take them to acts of violence, murder, and suicide. Bruce Wiseman is one of the many who believes that Attention Deficit Disorder is widely fraudulent labeling and drugging of our nation's youth without proper identification and without trying other remedies or solutions. (Wiseman)…
The use of pharmacological treatment to manage behavioral problems, such as EBD and ADHD, is a frequently used, yet highly controversial topic. Medication seems to be the quick, convenient solution to behavioral problems. Research, for the most part, has shown positive results regarding medicating children with behavioral disorders, according to Rosenberg, Westling, and McLeskey (2007). However, many concerns, regarding the long-term health and social impact of this type of intervention, are being raised. Although medication may seem like the easiest solution, many wonder whether it is the most advantageous solution.…
Ritalin has become one of the most widely used stimulant prescriptions among ADHD patients in the United States. Over the past 40 years, the controlled drug has sparked heated debates over whether doctors overprescribe the drug. There are many critics that believe doctors should try alternate forms of treatment before administering the drug. On the controversy, there are also many supporters who swear by the medication, claiming it saved their relationship with their child or loved one. Throughout this research paper, the writer will expose both view points.…
According to studies there are more than an estimated 6 million kids aging in the range of 4 to 17 that’s been diagnosed with ADHD which is an increase of 15 or more percent since studies done in 2007 regarding ADHD and it is over a 40 percent increase from in the past ten years. Most of the children diagnosed with ADHD have received prescriptions to use stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall and Vyvanse, which are known to tremendously improve individuals’ lives that suffer with ADHD however these drugs can result to an individual to have anxiety, psychosis, and can lead to addiction. Many of people are floored at the astronomical numbers such as a professor of Yale that studies medicine where he states “Mild symptoms are being diagnosed so readily, which goes well beyond the disorder and the zone of ambiguity to pure enhancement of children who are otherwise healthy” (Dr. W. Graf, 2013). To make matters worse there will be a larger number of teenagers that are going to be prescribed Adderall, Vyvanse, or Ritalin in the foreseeable future because the APA (American Psychiatric Association) is considering changing the meaning and definitions of ADHD to allow room for more individuals to be diagnosed with the disorder which means more will be treated with stimulants. ADHD is normally described by many doctors as a result of chemical levels abnormity that is associated in the brain that impair an individual’s attention skills and impulses control (NIMH, 2013).…
Ellen, Bailey, and Carson-Dewitt Rosalyn. "Behavior Drugs & Children: An Overview." Point of View Reference Center. EBSCO, 2009. Web. Oct.-Nov. 2010.…
As science and medicine become more advanced, more and more human behaviors are becoming medically defined. Humans are becoming dependent on drugs in order to live a normal life. Possibly the most severe occurrence of this idea is in the diagnosis of ADHD in American children. ADHD did not exist in the 1950’s, but by 2006, about eight to ten million children in America were diagnosed (Stolzer 109). This dramatic increase has caused many to question the ethics behind the diagnosis, and treatment, of ADHD in our children. Why is this issue so prevalent in 21st century America, and are these stimulants used to treat ADHD even safe? There is no question that symptoms matching those of ADHD are becoming more common in America’s children, however, the disorder is still being over-diagnosed.…
Changes need to be made to regulations for mental health drugs for minors. Parents need to get a second and third opinion before putting their children on mental illness drugs. There are safe, alternative methods of treatment for children and teens suffering with behavioral problems and mental disorders. This is an ongoing topic of serious debate due to antipsychotic drugs becoming part of a trend in child psychiatry. In the U.S. alone, 8.4 million children in the United States have been diagnosed with ADHD(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), and more than half of them take prescription drugs.…
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…
diagnoses, and in turn an unprecedented increase in Adderall prescriptions followed. In the past decade, the number e .H.D. diagnoses (Pierson 1). This has led to an increase in the supply of Adderall sold to those without a prescription (Pierson 1). If there weren’t as many prescriptions, the number of people using Adderall dangerously would decrease greatly. The worst part is how the doctors prescribe these people, especially children, with such a dangerous drug. In the documentary The Medicated Child, Dr. Patrick Bacon, a psychiatrist in Denver, Colorado with a degree from The University of Michigan, says he thinks of these prescriptions as “experiments”, due to the inexact nature of prescribing the right amount of Adderall to each person (The Medicated Child). This presents another problem entirely, due to the danger of taking too much of a drug at one time. This isn’t an easily fixable problem either, because there is no way to tell how what dosage a person should receive other than trial and error, and this trial and error of a “non-addictive drug” can lead to huge amounts of addiction and substance…
Sadly there isn’t a simple test that can diagnose ADHD, but children normally show signs of having ADHD before the age of 7. In order to be diagnosed with ADHD properly, a person must show signs of at least 6 of 9 of the major symptoms for a specific type of ADHD. These behaviours must be present and a burden on everyday life for at least 6 months. Besides showing behaviours of hyperactivity-impulsivity, inattention, or both in order for a person to be diagnosed a person's symptoms must be displayed before the age of 12. They must be present in more than a single setting, such as showing signs of ADHD at home and school. The symptoms must also cause issues in everyday life, and cannot be explained by any other mental disorder.…
In the film “The Medicated Child”, the film shows children in society who are put on multiple medication due to their behaviors. Children from ages as young as three are put on medications by trained psychologists. The Film also gives an example of a psychologist who is experimenting with these drugs on young children. These were given to children who were having trouble at home and whose parents got too overwhelmed with their children. Majority of these children were diagnosed with ADHD, bipolar, and hyperactivity by their psychologists.…
Children are being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) too easily and without being properly tested for ADHD. Many children are being misdiagnosed because parents, teachers, and doctors are not taking into consideration that many other factors can lead to behavioral problems. If used properly ADHD medications such as Ritalin can be very helpful to children who have this disorder, but far too many parents and doctors are too quick to prescribe medications to control behavior. We owe it to children to try to find another way first before a prescription is written up.…
Although many believe that medication should not be indispensable part of managing ADHD in children, some believe that medicating children is necessary. In most cases, the public would think only about medication when asked about the treatment of children with ADHD because it is the most common method of management. Dr. Mina Tadrous, a research associate at the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network at St. Michael’s Hospital, believes that it may be a good thing that more children are receiving treatments and may also provide evidence to the fact that doctors are catching mental health faster (Kirkey, 2016). This shows that doctors who have seen positive results from the use of medication alone see that they have been able to put down symptoms of this disorder by the most efficient…
Bloom, R. (2011). Being Poor Is Not a Crime. American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved March…