Reply #24: No worries, we are on the same page [View All]

[MADem]

It is unfortunate that so many people who are professionals are all too willing to medicate kids who do not need it, and as a result, those that actually DO need it are lumped in with the ones who don't. It dilutes the whole usefulness of the exercise, and makes it seem as though the issue of ADD/ADHD is not such a big deal, when for those who suffer, it clearly is more than just being a little scatterbrained, bratty or revved up.

I know that the appropriate drugs in the right situations can work wonders, and that is great for both the kid, who can be normal, and the parents, who can have a regular family life without all the drama and uncertainty. But all too often you see cases where the prescribing is done in cavalier fashion, and that helps no one.

I have a nephew who benefitted greatly from ADHD medication. When his younger sibling started acting up, the school was a little too quick to try to ascribe the same diagnosis, and it did not turn out to be the case at all, but there was a bit of drama involved before all was sorted out--sometimes a kid can just be a little shit, it happens!

ON EDIT--you know, my initial gripe, which I did not articulate very well, had as much to do with the lack of testing and warning labels as it did overmedication of kids without accurate diagnoses. They do rush drugs to market without full testing, it seems. It would be one thing if they made them available for people if they seemed to show benefit, but held off on all the TV advertising that always seems to suggest that life will be WONDERFUL with this or that pill. We've seen this happen over and over--new drug, glitzy ads, and then, oooops, by the way, it can kill ya...

But I guess there is money to be made...