Essay on Ritalin, Helpful and Harmful

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

The cause of ADHD or ADD is a risk factor, in an effect to find better ways to relate and reduce the medication that is taken so that it will give the children a chance to correct the disorder from the medication. As a parent, one should not add any problem. When they know, what the problem is, and know that it is related to genetics and from the medication. But, genetics does play an important role. What the parents does not k, now, there are hidden side effect and dangers in the medication. Such as, too much sugar, environment exposure (lead) and etc. There are many things, which are in the

According to Dr. Rosemary Hutchinson, ADHD is one of the most difficult conditions to diagnose and at least three evaluations with the family should be done before making a diagnosis. It is important for a doctor to have knowledge of the child’s illnesses, developmental milestones, and family life. ADD/ADHD have the symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity are common to a number of other conditions that can be mistaken for ADD/ADHD. Children may show signs of these behaviors due to family and social problems. (Hutchinson)

In the symptoms and diagnosis section, parents are able to see how physicians effectively diagnosis children and adults by asking a series of questions to figure out if the child has Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation or Predominantly Inattentive Presentation or a combination of both versions of the disease (CDC, 2011). Besides treating just the patient, the CDC informs parents that not only does the child have treatment options, but there is also parenting school that teaches parents on how to handle children that have this illness. There is also information about facts of ADHD and the CDC provides statistics for parents to overview. The CDC’s motto is to “Treat all persons with dignity, honesty, and respect” which means that parents can count on the CDC for providing correct information (CDC, 2013).

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.

Today’s children in America have become a primary source of pharmaceutical financial gain. Up until the 1990’s children who were restless just needed physical activity, and children who were not paying attention in class were daydreaming. Presently, however, these same children are being diagnosed with ADD or Depression. They are being treated for these imagined ill-states of mental health with medicine that they do not need. More children today suffer from the side effects of the medication more so than the ‘condition’ itself. A few things to consider before allowing a child to be prescribed behavioral medication are ensuring a true diagnosis, exploring safe non-drug alternatives, and knowing the risks of behavioral medication for our children.

parents and teachers just want a "cookie cut-out kid". They want the child to always be on his best behavior. Children develop differently and some just need a little more time to mature. If ADD symptoms occur at home and school the child's temperament needs to be taken into account. The child may be younger therefore more immature than his classmates and this may cause the teacher to think he needs to be tested (Michigan State University, 2010). If the child's daily life is negatively affected it may be more than temperament, but it may not be ADD. Who has input in diagnosing children with ADD? Specialists must rely on parents and teachers to give information about the children's symptoms, but are the children just being unmanageable and unruly or do they truly have a problem? The specialist is given a list of the symptoms, but this is purely subjective. The parents have the most input since they are the ones mostly spending time with the kids, but teachers are also asked for input. Parents sometimes are manipulated by the

The medications doctors are now prescribing are harming our children greatly. The drug that affects our children the most is Ritalin. Doctors are providing these medications to children even before they are properly diagnosed with ADHD. Some critics suggest that some youth are simply immature and have a lack of discipline, which can lead to being mistakenly diagnosed. When ADHD is properly diagnosed doctors still gravitate toward medication, when alternative treatments are available to them.

Christopher Wanjek, author of Smart Pills: The Truth About Cognitive Enhancing Drugs, a columnist for Live Science and a health and science writer informs readers over the strict and malicious side effects of smart pills. Throughout the article the author illustrates the merit and ethics behind the use of a drug that can become a popular norm further in the future from advocates, such as college students. However, the author feels very appalled by this and continues to further elaborate on this by exclaiming that,“Ritalin is riddled with side effects, such as heart problems, and Adderall adds all the more to the mix, such as the risk of chemical dependency”( Christopher Wanjek, December 9, 2008, Para.2). In addition, to harmful affects the

When taken as prescribed, Ritalin is a valuable medicine. Research shows that people with ADHD do not become addicted to stimulant medications when taken at prescribed treatment dosages. However, because of Ritalin’s stimulant properties, in recent years high levels of abuse of Ritalin by people who are not prescribed, has been reported.

Not being able to keep still, talking out of turn, and not being able to resist temptation are many traits of a child under the age of twelve; also, the symptoms of a child diagnosed with ADHD. Though there isn’t a test to determine whether or not a child has ADHD many psychiatrists are quick to incline that the child may have this behavioral disorder even though they could just be acting like children. Not only are psychiatrists too quick to diagnose they’re also quick to prescribe medications that have high risks of causing behavioral changes and disruption of the chemical balance within the brain. Children under the age of twelve should never be diagnosed and/or prescribed medication for attention deficit hyperactivity

It is estimated that between 3 and 12 percent of the population has to deal with conditions known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). This equals approximately 3 million children in the United States alone. Both of these disorders (ADD and ADHD) exhibit the same traits leading them to be lumped together. Children affected by ADD or ADHD have behavior and emotional problems. Trouble concentrating on simple tasks, a short attention span, failing to give attention to details, and disruptive behavior are a few of the problems resulting from

What is attention deficit hyper disorder? ADHD is a “chronic condition that affects pre-school or very young school children (Zivkovic 3822). ADHD symptoms are difficulty sustaining attention, impulsive behavior and hyper activity (3822). There was a research conducted by Cordest hat ADHD prevails in 3 to 5% of preschoolers and is more common in boys than in girls (3822). Children as young as three and four years of age are being diagnosed with ADHD and are being given medications. Parents with children between the ages of two and six should not medicate their children that are diagnosed with ADHD.

Ritalin is currently prescribed to approximately six million people in the US. Of those six million, 75% of these are children, with boys receiving Ritalin about four times more often than girls. Ritalin is a drug that stimulates the central nervous system. It interacts with chemicals in the brain and nerves that give way to hyperactivity and impulse control. Not only is Ritalin used to treat ADD and ADHD, it is also used to treat a sleeping disorder called Narcolepsy, which is an uncontrollable desire to sleep, but there is another drug that given just as Ritalin, and it is called Adderall. Adderall is almost the exact same as Ritalin except it actually enters the cell and helps it produce more dopamine.

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