Psychostimulants Children

What is the reason behind treatments of ADHD? Any patient who is affected by ADHD relies on some controversial treatments. Multiple effects of the disorder are surrounding. Stimulants are one of the widely known medications. Many factors play into the administering controversial treatments.

Treatments can relieve many of the symptoms, but there is no cure for the disorder. Hygiene and diet can be beneficial in reducing the symptoms of a child with ADHD. Parents who have children with this disorder try to reduce the child’s sugar intake and also their intake of processed foods. Nutritional supplements can be a treatment for ADHD based on the assumption that certain nutrients are crucial for normal brain functioning. Macronutrients (amino acids, lipids, and carbohydrates, and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) have propped as treatment for ADHD (Spetie 278). When a patient is under the care of a physician their weight and vital signs are monitored on a routinely bases in order to insure there are no drastic changes. The most common type of medication used for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a “Stimulant”. Stimulants have a calming effect on children with ADHD. Medication reduces children’s hyperactivity and impulsivity which can improve their ability to focus work, learn and live a normal life. Medications for ADHD can come in different forms, such as pills, liquid, skin patches, and capsules. Some of the medications that are widely used are Adderall (amphetamine) approved for children age 3 and older. Another common medication is Concerta (methylphenidate which is long acting. These medications can have different side effects on the patient, so it may take trial and error and close monitoring of the patient to determine what medication is best for the

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

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.”

The trend of over medicating children with ADHD is labeled well with the phrase anesthetization of our youth. “Anesthetize- deprive if feeling or awareness.” (Oxford Dictionary, 2014) Many children often express to their parents that they feel as if they are a walking zombie. A child may find that they are having memory issues, are not quite themselves, and feel overly drowsy. “ADHD medications often change a child’s personality creating what many kids with ADHD (and their parents) refer to as a zombie state or making them more aggressive.” (Barnett H., P. 1, 2013) Children with ADHD have other options for treatment but unfortunately medications are pushed on them at an alarming rate. The government paved the road for the pharmaceutical industry for ADHD medications in the 1990’s.

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.

With treatment of ADHD people, more than not, choose the medication instead of the therapy for the easy fix. "The combination of medication and behavioral intervention, known as multimodal treatment, is the best treatment strategy for ADHD, however, stimulant medication is the most efficacious, single treatment for reducing symptoms of ADHD" (Lesesne, 2007). Evidence of medication being a much more used source of treatment shows how people want the easiest and quickest fix for unwanted behaviors and also shows how people might be motivated to become diagnosed which ADHD to get the medication that will help their standing abilities to focus and function. "Using national survey data, we recently found that medication rates among boys and girls

The use of stimulant medications such as Ritalin or Adderall in children with the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continues to rise, albeit at a slower pace than in previous decades, a new study finds. The study authors tracked data on prescription in the US 1996 to 2008. They found that the use of drugs for ADHD was higher among children of 6-12 years and increased slightly from 4.2 percent in 1996 to 5.1 percent twelve years later. However, increase more pronounced occurred in older children, ages 13 and 18. In this group, the ADHD drugs increased more than double, from 2.3 percent in 1996 to 4.9 percent in 2008. The researchers said this reflects a greater understanding

In 2005, the CDC estimated the annual cost of ADHD to the United States to be between thirty-six to fifty-two billion dollars. This estimate takes into account not only medication costs, but those doctor’s visits and lost productivity. Cost of medication is the most significant factor, however, productivity lost by adults with the condition, or having to take off work to address a child’s behavioral incidences account for nearly four billion dollars (CDC 2015). The state of Indiana alone has more than eighty percent of youth diagnosed with the condition on pharmaceutical stimulants (CDC 2015). This provides evidence that a therapeutic approach that reduces the use of these costly stimulants and teaches individuals with the condition a viable, sustainable coping mechanism for their disorder is again a worthwhile pursuit.

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

Since the early 1990’s the use of stimulant medications had tripled for patients who have been diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD is a highly genetic, brain-based syndrome that has to do with the regulation of a particular set of brain functions and related behaviors (add.org, 2017). According to several sources on the World Wide Web, the increase in ADHD diagnoses has increased significantly. Identifying the trends with parents, teacher and providers is now more important than ever. There could be a possibility of over medicating children who may or may not have this disorder. It may not be beneficial to prescribe children this powerful stimulant as their brains are still in developing stages in

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.

Like most other developed countries, the majority of our U.S. culture is now accustomed and drawn to the idea of “quick-fixes.” In this busy society, one is typically most intrigued by the option that is the easiest to implement and can provide the fastest results, such as a pain pill for a headache. However, in the world of mental health and its’ disorders, a “quick-fix” is usually not the best approach. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among these mental health disorders that should not be resorting only to a “quick-fix”, such as a stimulant medication, to effectively manage the disorder. This is especially true for ADHD among the pediatric population, as this is a time of rapid behavior and personality growth, as well

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

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).