Psychostimulants Children

In this day and age, drugs are being prescribed without hesitation. In fact, many of these drugs are being prescribed for children with various disorders. One of these disorders is called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). An estimated five to ten percent of children are diagnosed with this syndrome (Taylor 11). One of the methods to treat this disorder is to use stimulants, specifically Ritalin. This method is controversial because it has many side effects and its long-term effects are unknown. It can also lead to addiction. Approximately two to three percent of elementary school children are taking some kind of stimulant to treat ADHD (Taylor 64). Since so many children are taking this medication, new problems have arisen.

In today's fast-paced society, it seems that prescription drugs are a more reasonable and reliable solution for children and adults than diet and exercise for the "disease" known as ADHD. Rather than take the time to play with their children, or institute a proper diet, it seems that increasing numbers of parents would rather treat their children's unexplained zest for life with pills and doctors. While there are some explanations and reasons for the diagnosis of this popular disease, most children are improperly diagnosed, and are therefore taking unneeded medication. This medication is costly and it can be argued those who benefit from the sale of these drugs most are the

The most extensively studied childhood neurobehavioral disorder is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD is a chronic condition that occurs in about 8% of children and youth (Harstad & Levy, 2014). Stimulant medications (i.e. methylphenidate and amphetamine) are very effective in decreasing the core symptoms of ADHD (Harstad & Levy, 2014). Due to the increasing rates of stimulant prescriptions, there is now controversy on whether overdiagnosis of ADHD in youth and consequent overprescribing of stimulant medications truly exist.

This overabundance of coverage has led to a kind of public hysteria, parents and doctors now see ADHD around every corner. It has almost become a social norm for a child in school to have ADHD. One could argue that ADHD isn't necessarily a disorder but an unfortunate byproduct of a fast paced reward driven Society. Luckily there is hope. Recent studies have been done and new tests have been designed to help curb the tide of malingering in terms of ADHD. “The IVA CPT adequately distinguished adults with ADHD from non-ADHD” (Colleen A Quinn 2003) Many people will fake the symptoms of ADHD in order to get access to the prescriptions given to those who suffer from the disorder I say few that these medications will help give them in the edge in their work or home life. Students will sometimes take these drugs and hopes that will help them focus on the paper that there trying to write or give them that needed edge to focus on the test they are taking the next day. Either is are pursuing these drugs for recreational use they are hoping for a high off of the schedule

For instance, medications are not long-term solutions for hyperactivity. Medications for ADHD symptoms have side effects that take effect swiftly and does not perform well. Needed to be taken multiple times in one day for it to be somewhat effective. Fred A. Baughman writer of The ADHD Fraud: How Psychiatry Makes “Patients” of Normal Children, says “No ADHD drug has been shown to enhance performance over long term.” No medication for ADHD has been proven to work effectively over long periods of time. ADHD medication suppresses symptoms for only short term and will be needed to be retaken often. Hyperactivity should not be treated with medication as they are not long-term treatment.

Each day, more and more children, young adults, and even adults are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, more commonly known as ADHD. According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), 6.4 million Americans aged 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD since 2011, and this number is steadily growing. As one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children, ADHD is often diagnosed in childhood and is a non curable, yet manageable, disease. The most common treatment of ADHD is through stimulant medication, such as Ritalin.

Over the past couple of decades there has been a huge increase in the diagnosis and prescriptions given out for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. According to a news report done by USA Today over the past five years use of ADHD medications have risen 40% totaling 39.5 million individual prescriptions ("New findings," 2009). When statistics like this are seen it is only normal for someone to ask questions. People are becoming curious about the legitimacy of the disorder, and whether or not the treatments being given to individuals are appropriate. The argument seems to be strong on both sides of the fence, but the extensive research done on ADHD leaves it hard for one to believe that it is a made up disorder.

Ritalin is another example of a prescription ADHD stimulant that is misused frequently with a high mortality rate from overdose. Ritalin, which is more prevalent with high school age students, is primarily misused for weight loss and a feeling being high. The majority of children misusing prescription drugs such a Ritalin are under the impression that it is safer then illegal street drugs (CCHR, 2013). Ritalin is the most common stimulant drug prescribed to children with ADHD, but is also prescribed for other disorders, such as cancer, brain injury and pain management (Morton & Stockton, 2000). According to Morton & Stockton (2000) the effects of Ritalin are similar to the feeling of using cocaine, which may be one of the reasons that the ADHD drug is misused. According to research done by Musser et al. (1998) most school aged children using Ritalin did not think that Ritalin or any other prescription medication for ADHD could be abused. This ignorance may be part of the overwhelming reason that drugs such as Ritalin are becoming more widely

Adults can also be diagnosed with ADHD[, as the] National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) estimates that the twelve-month prevalence of adult ADHD in the United States is 4.1 percent.”(Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)).These results make it clear that this is an issue on at least a national scale and that there is a majority of people that need proper treatment. When it comes to different types of therapy, most are simple and cheap- treatments involving nutritional diet “can help reduce [behavioral difficulties] and eliminate the need for a medical consultation that might lead to [labelling children] with ADHD.”(Romm and Romm 45). Meanwhile, herbal medicine “is not a replacement for psychoactive medications[ nor will control or stimulate them, but can be used] to calm or sedate a child”(59-60). However, while these can be effective for a small minority of patients, from the book mentioned before, Perspectives on Diseases and Disorders- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, states that “Psychosocial therapy, usually combined with medications, is the treatment approach of choice to alleviate ADHD symptoms[; whereas] psychostimulants, such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), pemoline (Cylert), and methylphenidate (Ritalin) are commonly prescribed to control hyperactive and impulsive behavior and increase attention span.” From this, it is crucial that for the sake of people with untreated ADHD, that these prescription medications should increase in numbers and in availability, as other forms of therapy are already common and

Medications for ADHD patients do not improve nor cure the disorder they just control it for about eight hours. The largest treatment research conducted was done for a group of 165 children still in pre-school between the ages of three and five year olds (Costa-Dias S45).The study showed most common side effects were that some of

Psychostimulants are a mood enhancing drug. Stimulant drugs are not just used for ADHD they can also be prescribed to people with depression and they are also widely used illicitly. “75% of children that are diagnosed with ADHD are prescribed psychostimulant drugs.” (Prosser, Brenton, and Reid, Robert. 340 - 347.) There needs to be other options besides going straight to stimulant drugs. Unfortunately, it seems that the research has slowed down on ADHD do to the lack of awareness. Psychostimulants have many effects on children and adults, they can cause side effects that have negative and positive effects, ADHD is commonly overdiagnosed and overtreated by doctors , and there are also many other types of treatment options that can be looked

To add to that, the research that has been conducted on the disorder has led to a variety of effective treatments. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2014) the most widely used medication is a stimulant. There is a wide variety of stimulants available for ADHD subjects. Although, with these stimulants come side effects including sleep problems, decreased appetite, anxiety and other diverse uncommon side effects (NIMH, 2014). Stimulants tend to calm children with ADHD. However, these medications can be detrimental to the patient in many ways. Certain medications have been subject to abuse, including Adderall and Ritalin. These medications are in some cases abused by patients who are over diagnosed. Since these patients do not have the disorder they can feel the side effects and use the drug to achieve a certain kind of high. When using these drugs for non-medical purposes they can seem to replicate the effects of cocaine

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be described as a disorder that affects the central nervous system (CNS). At the current time, the cause of ADHD is still unknown (Mohammadi & Akhondzadeh, 2007). It is considered one of the greatest prevalent chronic health disorders that affect children (ages less than or equal to 17) and rates continue to rise (Mohammadi & Akhondzadeh, 2007). Presently, ADHD has been medically managed by two categories of medications which can be classified as stimulants or nonstimulants. According to the Texas Children’s Medication Algorithm Project (CMAP) (2007) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2015), stimulants continue to be first line choice in treating ADHD and show a

An older study conducted by Dr. Brian Reichow, adjunct professor at Yale University School of Medicine, and his colleagues discovered similar findings, “Methylphenidate, [a psychostimulant medication, was] effective for treating ADHD symptoms in children.”

Those children that are diagnosed with ADHD are usually prescribed psycho-stimulant medications, such as ‘methylphenidate’, otherwise known as ‘Ritalin’, as the primary method of treatment. (Chandler, 2010).