The ADHD scam and the mass drugging of schoolchildren (transcript)

Its a complete scam. Some people really have awful ADHD, but not many. Most of the people I know who "have ADHD" are fine without meds.

My mom made me get tested for it (for awful reasons, one being that it would help me get better grades so I could go to a better college-- my grades are fine).

When I went to get tested, the reasoning why the doctor said I had ADHD were things like "You shifted in your seat twice" (I was sitting in a chair for 5 hours and did not take a break like the average kid does) and "You asked to re-do something" (because I wanted to do a good job and prove myslef) etc. It was ridiculous.

Now my mom forces my to take adderall. It doesn't do anything whatsoever. One time I didn't take it and she said "I can really tell this adderall is working." The one day I didn't take it! It doesn't help me study or anything. I don't feel any different. So lame.

A ton of my friends get tested and none have gotten the diagnosis that they DON'T have it. I go to a really high stress school so alot of kids just get tested, knowing they don't have ADHD but knowing they'll get diagnosed, just so they have access to the drug so they can cram and what not. So many people abuse it and its terrible for you. I've had heart issues when I was first on ritalin.

It's pretty ridiculous and the moment I turn 18 I 'll never take a pill again.

Literally one in four of my friends is diagnosed, and I highly highly doubt they all have it. I know that I don't. I am not hyperactive and I don't have an attention defecit.

Ritalin is horrible. I personally had it prescribed for my "ADD" for about 3 years starting when I was in like 3rd grade. Thankfully my mother was observant enough (not saying you are not, and not trying to rag on you at all, just saying that she made the decision) to notice changes in my behavior and I got off the stuff before any real damage occurred. I have several friends who were prescribed Ritalin and Addoral, and they definitely got messed up from it. ADD and ADHD are ridiculous concepts anyway because people diagnosed with it just have a different way of thinking. So our government decided to call them diseased people because they went about things differently and learned differently. Our wonderful government trying to prescribe everything and make us all drones, unindividualistic (is that really a word???) drones. Just a side note, cannabis has been shown to help lessen the severity of ADD behavior for young teens and children. Not saying they should get really baked and go to school, but in mild doses it has been shown to lengthen their attention span and "solve" a few other ADD-related problems, that is how I personally overcame my ADD related class problems my senior year of high school. I dont think anyone should try to "cure" ADD as it is just a different way of thinking, just adjust your "social" lifestyle so that you can learn things your own way etc., sorry if Im rambling, Ill stop now......but seriously the most famous creative people had "ADD" symptoms, imagine if Salvador Dali and Albert Einstein were told they were stupid and annoying and had a disease and to quit all their creative activities...where would we be?

Big pharma corporations are destroying this great nation. We need to come together as a nation and stand for what is right.
We need to stop listening to corporate media and assist independent media.

The People wil Prevail!

Actually, I think this is a very irresponsible thing to post. Prescription medications for ADHD are without a doubt over prescribed in this country, however, many people (both children and adults) do benefit from them. There are side effects, but one must weigh the pros vs. cons for themselves. This "article" is not from a credible journalism source, but rather a "non-profit" (without 501c3 status) with a clear agenda. There are many terrible things to say about big pharm companies and they do push these pills, but to call it a scam isn't accurate and belittles everyone who has improved their lives by taking some of these medications. I think this would be a great story for Current to do, but it shouldn't be a blatantly biased diatribe ike this one.

Is there a petition on this or anything?

Sorry about your son X_Man. I'm responding to this because I had a big debate/argument/bloviate with my classmates in med school regarding the fact that drugs have become socially acceptable and moral obligation cast out the window.
The fact is that side affects/effects of medicine on children is profound especially when used consistently for years on.
It is sad that some children's hospitals are now trial zones for drugs by pharms. companies in the name of giving false hope to families. Medicine CANNOT be the only way out of disorders. There must be a hollistic approach when dealing especially with children.
My friends thought I was nuts when I suggested that a "change in environment can be a perfect cure for ADD", e.g. going to a developing world.
Sometimes it takes unorthodox measures to find cures.

go to http://www.askapatient.com to see if these drugs are listed.

http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=10187&am...
Here's Ritalin and one of the hundreds of comments from the site.

"Lets give a 10 year old kid who can't concentrate amphetamines. Great idea. I was on this drug from the ages of 9 to 14. Probably the worst years of my life. When I complanied to the perscribing md, he put me on the extended release version. Thanks doc. Please do not give this drug to your children because they are not doing well in school. I was so nervous I started smoking when I was 14 and quit immediatly after I stopped eating this crap. My life and performance improved 100% after I refused to take this garbage any longer. I credit this drug for my current anxiety disorder, and manic episodes. On the positve it made me never want to take speed ever again"

A large amount of the people I knew on that stuff ended up trying many other things to get high. I would say it's more of a gateway drug than weed.

I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 8 and I have been put on so many different medications for it. All they ever did to me was either make me a zombie or become suicidal and the experiences are not much different for other kids in the same situation as me that I have talked to. I agree that many kids are being labeled as ADD or ADHD just because the parents or teachers can not deal with them like they should be able to. We need to find better methods for figuring out which kids really need help and those that just have parents who can't deal.

Maybe for long term use its a bit dangerous. But I have never been tested and probably do not have ADHD. It think if you dont want to concentrate, you wont. With that said, I have taken Adderall...twice. and I learned more in that 18hrs I spent studying for Organic finals than I did all semester. Maybe it was a psychological thing, I dont care. I aced the test.

The other day, I said to friends that I believe drugs stunt maturation. We all agreed.
However, I was talking about the illegal kind.
Another way for the "Pfizers" of the world to push medications to numb all life's bumps away while continuing to make a fortune in the process.

look at the name of the "disorder", attention deficit disorder. The name itself implies that it's based on nothing but opinion. pharmaceutical companies run this country. It's so frustrating because even if you educate people, they're still going to be whores to the corporations that control them.

i have ADHD and its real but it dosnt need drugs i taught myself self control, but only after going agents my parents wishes when i stopped taking my medication, it mellowed me out to the point of sitting on the couch and doing absolutely nothing, i see the energy it gives me as a gift and we should teach kids how to use it in a creative positive way instead of just drugging them up

My boyfriend was diagnosed with ADD at a young age, and the medication he was put on completely changed his persona. He became like a zombie with very little reaction to interactive stimulus. For as long as I've known him he has not been on medication, and while he is easily distracted and does forget things discussed only a moment before, he is no less intelligent or capable of functioning than anyone else i know.

Perhaps his disorder has mellowed over the years, since I was told he used to be quite hyperactive. That is no longer the case, and I can't imagine him being anything else than what he is. If a medication would alter his behavior so that he become like a different person, I would certainly not support that. I accept him the way he is, even if it is a bit of a struggle at times.

If drugs are created to benefit us, then they should enhance us but not eliminate our individuality. Perhaps it is helpful to some... but in my boyfriend's case, what kind of life would it be to go through everyday motions as a zombie? To me that seems much worse.

i personally dont take prescription meds and never will. the drug companies use americans as lab rats while they fatten their wallets.

This is such a difficult thing to go through. I am an elementary school teacher and also my nephews have been diagnosed with ADD. They are on low doses of the medicine and it does change their demeanor but they are able to focus in the classroom and they are still very active kids in and out of school.
Now speaking as a teacher I have had to deal with the kids who are very ADHD and they are constantly misbehaving. Although I would love to compliment their "adventurous" behavior it is very difficult when the child has no self control. (ie: hitting, running out of line, yelling out in the middle of class) I could go on! This particular child is now getting the meds and it is like night and day. He is focused and trying very hard and getting most of his work done. And his classmates are much friendlier to him as well. (He was blamed for everything and no one wanted to sit near him)
There are pro's and con's to this medication. Yes, I do believe it is a quick fix for some. The quick fix is like placing your baby in front of a Baby Einstien video and thinking your benefiting them. (Sorry its still the TV!) Many want to label the problem when at times there are other outside factors (socio-economics, their home life, their diet, etc.). Parents have to be their child's advocate but they have to read up and study these issues before throwing the idea down the toilet.
Just do your homework on any medical issue. All drugs have their side effects, even the most common ones like the pill. You are your own best advocate!

I was diagnosed with ADD in the fourth grade and have been on and off Ritalin and Adderal throughout my life. Anyone interested in some very interesting analysis of ADD as an anthropological phenomena should really read Thom Hartmann's books on the topic. Very empowering stuff.

If it weren't so late I'd elaborate more, but I must go to bed.

That's American pharmaceuticals for you right there.

Did anyone besides redflyer actually read the article? I agree that the topic is well worth discussing and was hoping for a substantiated expose on ADHD. Instead I found a paranoid rant that attacks (with sweeping generalizations) the ENTIRE medical field, ALL media, not to mention the education field. Even more agonizingly, the author continually refers to a vague and all-encompassing "they" who are conspiring to destroy your life. There are many experts out there who doubt the validity of the whole "ADHD" phenomenon. This author isn't one of them. Perhaps we can collectively look for some more useful fodder on this topic, as it clearly garners a response.

I was on Ritalin when I was in elementary school. By high school I was selling it- 3 pills for $5.00!! I've been off of Ritalin for over ten years now and I totally feel the effects of my A.d.d. in my adult life. I have struggled with school ever since. I wish I saved a few of those pills for myself... maybe I wouldn't be struggling so bad in my college courses, now.

HAHA

i love my adderall, when i need it, which is like once a month, but it does help.

hey, WE'RE ALL ON DRUGS. hormones, caffeine, pharmies, corn syrup, antibiotics, preservatives, tobacco, alcohol, sugar, coffee, energy drinks, milk...must i go on?

Our food is unfit to eat, and our medicine is making us sicker. My poor Americans.

Wow, this is probably one of the best discussions I have read so far on current and it is really great to get so many first hand accounts of experience with the ADD drugs....

Shows us all once again how every individual is different and should be treated as such and how important diversity and differences are to our world.

Whoa, you were threatened with prison if you didn't give him medication? The only reason that would be anything besides judicial abuse would be if he was a violent criminal. Please elaborate.

my family was told i was in need of drugging as a youth and thankfully she never made me go through it. i figured a little teen age angst was called for and knew it would pass when i moved out on my own. i see a lot of these diagnosis's as bull to make money or shut parent's up about their kids hyperactivity or drowning complaint's of how life suck's. i dont date people on mental meds and i hope there will never be a time that i belive meds can out preform a little love.

I think I have at least a touch of this "disease" if I were going through school now.
One way I live with it is I put on a pair of headphones with some good classical music or a book on cd and it is corrected..this gives me the focus somehow to get through all my boring chores.

not being able to concentrate for hours on end about things you don't particularly care about in school, etc....is not a disorder!

i get very emotional when i even think about pills that affect the brains of people. especially my friends.

i have never had to take them or been forced to take any sort of pills myself, but I have suffered the effects of "brain meds" that my friends take...

it take who they are away from them in little ways...which can manifest into big ways...

i think there should be outlets for ADHD or ADD kids to have. maybe they need to have recess a little longer to burn off some energy in order to be able to relax and do homework...

...don't change the kids, change the way we're trying to teach them.

lazy parents love meds!!! lasy docs too! fix it w a pill
i remember friends being diagnosed "chemically imbalanced! funny no actual chemical tests done. don't blame the pharmacies, accept our own messy bed.
drugs for sex.anxiety.hypertention,all these things r lifestyle,give your kid coping skills,tention is natural...
we r human.yoga,excersize, art,meditation, they would have called einstien add too. dont listen.listen 2 ur heart
big strong ancient & wise. shhhhhhhh listen to ur children
yr spouse...

I heard eating cannibis is good for ADD.

ADHD is just an excuse. When my grades were bad, my parents wanted me tested for ADHD or being possibly retarded...I tested negative for both, and they continued to claim it because they simply couldn't face the facts that I simply found high school boring and that I wasn't learning a thing. This is the way our society works now -- forcing children to take drugs so we don't have to deal with them having new ideas.

wow...well im going into the field to hopefully change things, don't know if that will ever help though. Everytime i hear a story like this i lose my mind. How can there be laws pushed for such things? its dispicable. Ayn Rand once said that the government has no right to infringe on our lives, its only job is to work the economics...thats it. Look how much power they have now. I completely agree with you, they want us demoralized and dumb. I hope all of us, able-minded enough, can put an end to this.

You people make me sick. You let your child be put on that stuff for 10 years????And NOW you're bitchin' about it?Tell me ...what SRRI are YOU currently taking? It's too late for Americans to wake up.

ritalin is a scam and there is no such thing as ADD. its a huge crock of shit. another way to keep pumping our society full of chemicals until we are all zombie who look and act exactly the same.

children with "ADD" or "ADHD" would be better served if they had parenting to fix the problem. most of the kids i knew that needed pills could have fixed the problem if they just stopped drinking 18 pepsi's and red bulls all day and eating candy bars. diet and exercise is a much better method of fixing this problem than laboratory chemicals

Most of the comments thus far seem to be coming from people who don't personally suffer from ADHD. If you are dealing with a truly "rambunctious" child but are being pushed towards a pharmacy... i get the frustration. If you actually have it, ADHD is extremely real.It can be almost paralytic at times. I understand the frustration on the part of those who've been miss-diagnosed by Ill equipped school systems or lazy doctors or the parents of children who are being pushed to accept an easy chemical solution as though its the only option available. I refused to take any medication until i was in my mid twenties, so i spent plenty of time finding my own methods of mitigating the affects of ADHD. Some work but unfortunately many don't even come close.Seeking states of mental "normality" many untreated sufferers self medicate with drugs and alcohol. For myself and many others these drugs are a life changing necessity. I wish I had taken them while I was in school.

pills pills pills = bills bills bills . I think there is way too much sugar and junk in the food marketed to children. This ADHD can be "cured" through a proper diet (as the article suggests" and proper behavior. It takes discipline. Children do not raise themselves by watching television. Parents must be involved in their children's life.

You are completely right. This is generation Rx! I think everything is thrown at kids these days. Not only the ADD and ADHD pills, but bipolar medication as well. I don't think people understand the damage that is done to their children's brain with this medicine. Children are not meant to be on mood altering medication because their brains are still forming. Most of these problems are a phase. My niece is crazy hyper but she is also very intelligent. Some people think she has ADHD, but it is just because she needs constant stimulation! I think you are right about just getting our children on a heathly exercise plan. Why can't kinds just be kids anymore? This stuff makes you never want to go to the doctor so you are not forced to over medicate your children. What kind of world has this turned into?!!!