Ritalin Is It A Miracle Drug Or

Ritalin: Is It A Miracle Drug Or Are We Creating A Essay, Research Paper

Ritalin: Is it a miracle drug or are we creating a society of child junkies. Methylphenidate, more commonly known as Ritalin, is a stimulant drug used in the treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD) in children. This disorder seems to be becoming more and more common, as is using Ritalin for its treatment. However, ADD/ADHD does not seem to be a biological disorder, so why is it being treated with a biological drug. Ritalin is being used to stunt activities that are considered disruptive and inappropriate, but are they due to an actual disorder or perhaps to high levels of creativity or to a lack of discipline. Ritalin is being overprescribed and helping to raise a generation of children that are dependent on drugs in order to function in society, while also lessening normal behaviors and creativity levels. According to the DSM-IV some of the symptoms of ADD/ADHD include fidgeting, difficulty playing quietly, trouble remaining seated, difficulty holding attention and following instructions, etc. Meeting any six out of the nine items on the list usually leads to a diagnoses of ADD/ADHD (Breggin, 57). Ritalin is commonly described to subdue these activities. However, do these activities really constitute a disorder. Many of these symptoms seem to represent normal childlike behaviors that can be curbed with either more adult attention or discipline. One study conducted by Alan Zametkin showed increased brain metabolism in PET Scans in adults that had had ADHD during childhood. However, when the studies were later separated it was shown that his results had been lumped together in a way to form these conclusions that were not completely accurate. After conducting other tests and experiments there does not seem to be a biological cause for ADD/ADHD. The neuroanatomy of the brains of children diagnosed with this disorder is normal (Breggin, 61). According to more recent studies, Ritalin effects all children the same, whether they exhibit the disorder or not. Any child that takes a dose of Ritalin will be able to focus more clearly, be more obedient, and be able to perform more mundane tasks. They become less focused on their own true feelings, which allows them to focus more on outside stimulants (Breggin, 62). If this is true, that a single dose of Ritalin can cause extreme concentration, then why the continuously high medication levels of Ritalin for children. They can actually cause more problems – hyperactivity, aggression, physical tics. Sometimes it can effect growth and also appetite and sleep schedules. There is also a risk of permanent brain damage due to long-term use of Ritalin (Breggin, 65). However, an experiment was conducted by Mark A. Stein et al. to evaluate the effectiveness and side effects of taking the general prescription of Ritalin – twice daily (b.i.d.) as compared to three times daily (t.i.d.). Placebo and titration samples were also used in the experiment. Twenty-five boys with ADHD, ages 6-12, participated in the experiment for five weeks. It was a triple blind study and results were based on weekly recordings by parents and teachers descriptions of the behavior and attention levels of the children, a child’s report of themselves, sleep logs and actigraphic recordings of sleep activity, as well as lab measures of attention (Stein, et al). The most common prescription of Ritalin is twice daily at 8:00 AM and noon. This type of prescription, however, does not help with after-school and nighttime activity. The experimenters wanted to test the side effects of higher doses of Ritalin. Each child was given three pills daily, whether or not they were a placebo depended on the dosing schedule per week. Different tests and rating scales were used to determine the following: ADHD symptoms and behavioral measures, stimulant side effects and sleep, cognitive and affective measures, and physical measures (Stein, et al). The results of this experiment revealed an improved level of behavior for children taking three doses daily, as observed by parents and teachers. The side effects for t.i.b. versus b.i.d. were not very different except for increased appetite suppression during t.i.b. and also increased time to fall asleep. When followed up, many of the children from the experiment were taking t.i.b. dosages of Ritalin with no apparent adverse effects (Stein, et al). However, these effects have not really become long-term yet. Yes, maybe higher dosages of Ritalin don’t have any outward harmful side effects while taking it, but will prolonged exposure cause irreversible brain damage. Is it worth the risk just to produce more docility in children for longer periods of time. Another risk in using Ritalin to create more docile children is that it is stunting creative activity which is something that our society usually tries to cultivate. In her article, “Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Creativity-What is the connection.”, Bonnie Cramond discusses how signs of high creativity levels may often be mistaken as signs of ADHD because their characteristics are very similar. Just as there are behavioral characteristics that must be met to diagnose ADHD, there are also behavioral characteristics that determine high levels of creativity in children. Strangely though, the characteristics of two very seemingly different conditions, are extremely similar. For example, often failing to f