Behaviour drugs given to four-year-olds prompt calls for inquiry

Submitted by Broadsword on Sat, 2011-03-19 15:43

Article here. Excerpt:

'Children as young as four are being given Ritalin-style medication for behavioural problems in breach of NHS guidelines, the Guardian has discovered, prompting the leading psychological society to call for a national review.
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There are no reliable figures for how many children under six have been given Ritalin. But Professor Tim Kendall, joint director of the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, who chaired the Nice guideline committee, confirmed that he had heard reliable reports of children in nursery and pre-school being prescribed medication unnecessarily, and that it was often parents who were putting pressure on GPs. He said: "There are two reasons why parents go shopping for a diagnosis. The first is to improve their child's performance at school, and the second is to get access to benefits. There are always GPs that will do it, but it's wrong to give a child a diagnosis without also consulting schools and teachers."

In one case seen by the Guardian, a five-year-old from the West Midlands was found to be receiving a double dose of methylphenidate, commonly known by the brand name Ritalin, the drug used to treat ADHD, despite his school insisting that he is "among the best-behaved children in his class".

In notes seen by the leading educational psychologist in the case, the boy's headteacher reports that the school does not believe he has ADHD, but that the medication is being prescribed "to help mum at home".'

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Comments

I have quite a few thoughts on ADD/ADHD and meds.

There are many thoughts on wether ADD/ADHD is caused by nature or nurture. Also controversy about wether ADD/ADHD is even "real" or just an easy label to place on high energy boys. There is also concern about medicating children.

ADD/ADHS diagnosis became popular about the same time breastfeeding declined and a great percentage of newborn babies were sent to daycares and basically spent more time in institutions where caregivers changed on a daily basis and babies are exposed to an over stimulating environment compared to a healthy home setting. (and if you ever watch "teen mom" you know many newborns are in chaotic homes)

My brother and I, (well, especially him) were often "diagnosed" by teachers as possibly having ADD/ADHD. My brother did have a behavior problem even though we had very good parenting at home. One thing that is worth mentioning is that my brother and I were adopted from a home that most likely was chaotic and I believe may have influenced our early emotional development.

At 11 years old, my mother followed the advice of teachers and took my brother in for a diagnosis. he was given meds that seemed to mellow him during the day, but as he "came down" from them every day around 4 PM- he went into an emotional frustration. These rages that seemed to be a side effect of the medicine were serious enough to call the police on two occasions. after that my mother refused to medicate him and she started researching boys, add, school system, etc. (My mom does alot of political work on behalf of boy crisis in schools - but it is an uphill battle)

Today, as an adult, my brother believes he has ADD and has sought treatment. He takes daily medication (different then what he was given as a child) and he swears it is making a positive difference.

My ex (and bio father to my two boys) also had been diagnosed with ADHD as a child. Although he never took meds, he also grew up in a chaotic environment. When I was with him, I did believe he had it. He also is seeking treatment for it as an adult.

So I do believe ADD and ADHD are real conditions (I didn't use to think so). However, I also believe it is often falsely diagnosed (especially for boys) and I have concerns about medicating young children even if they really do have it. I would rather change the environment and teaching methods.

I also believe many cases to be false and just high energy boys not fitting in with the school's behavior expectations and teaching methods. Recess time has also been diminishing at the same time ADD diagnosis has risen. Sixth grade has become part of middles school, when years ago it was still part of elementary school. This is significant because there is no recess in middle school and many children at that age still need recess. Schools have added 6th grade to middle school because it saves money.

Although the article suggests the mother is seeking out an ADD medication against the opinion of the school, I usually see this the other way around with teachers suggesting a child has ADD/ADHD and putting pressure on the parents to have children medicated.

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Submitted by Kris on Sun, 2011-03-20 18:43