Ritalin Gone Wrong

[Skip Miller]

That's the title of an interesting article in the 1/29 NY Times Sunday Review section. The article is authored by Alan Sroufe, a professor emeritus of psychology at the U of Minnesota's Institute of Child Development.

Sroufe has been tracking the long term effects of Ritalin and Adderall, etc. and he reports definite benefits in the short term - most likely what has fueled their wild popularity - but he has also found no long term benefits in school achievement or behavior problems. The drugs can also have serious side effects, like stunting growth.

Worth the read if you have kids with these problems.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/o...-term.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=sunday review&st=cse

-Skip

 

[dmccormack]

Shocker.

 

[Skip Miller]

You are right - it is not a shocker to those who are educated as to what is happening in our schools. But the fact that it was on the front page of the Review section means it will get a lot of eyeballs. I hope this is in some way the beginning of the end of the rampant tidal wave of Rx drugs forced on our kids by parents who ought to know better.

But maybe not.....

-Skip

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

You are right - it is not a shocker to those who are educated as to what is happening in our schools. But the fact that it was on the front page of the Review section means it will get a lot of eyeballs. I hope this is in some way the beginning of the end of the rampant tidal wave of Rx drugs forced on our kids by parents who ought to know better.

But maybe not.....

-Skip

He's not saying anything different than the "anti medication" and/or "there is no such thing as ADD" crowd has been saying for years.

 

[jnmeade]

This is an aviation forum and I'm willing to guess that not many pilots are on Ritalin, so I'm not going to offer my observations here but I have some family experience with the issue and have some definite opinions on the efficacy of Ritalin.

 

[bbchien]

I am appalled by the number of kids on it. They have become college students and take it competitively.

 

[steingar]

They tried to force that stuff down my throat when I was a wee tyke. Thank Odin my old man was a pharmacist and knew better. Then again who knows, maybe had I taken the stuff I'd have turned out better.

 

[fgcason]

They tried to force that stuff down my throat when I was a wee tyke. Thank Odin my old man was a pharmacist and knew better. Then again who knows, maybe had I taken the stuff I'd have turned out better.

I don't recall if it was ritalin or one of the other popular dope's that someone tried to give me in 2001.

I got hired for a job and they had the go pee in a cup and breathe for the doctor routine to get the job. I went. The GP doctor came in, made sure I was at at least partially alive then advised me I need something for ADD or stress or depression or something that I was suffering from. He said I seemed stressed when he saw me in the lobby and he had about 5 minutes in the room with me at that point. I told him that when I came in I had just got a big blast of adrenalin from a nutjob running a stop sign right out side of his office that damned near killed me in my jeep and if he didn't believe that, there are tire marks on the curb that match the marks on my tires that he can go look at for proof. I think I made him mad by self diagnosing myself.
He never asked about symptoms or long term behavioral stuff or what happened right outside his window or even what my birthday was. Just you need dope I'll write the prescription for you because you don't seem right at this instant even though I never saw you before 10 minutes ago.

Scary scary stuff when they're willing to make that kind of diagnosis and prescriptions...while at the same time reading Dr Bruce's regular comments about unqualified doctors issuing of that kind of stuff to kids constantly.