One of the things I learned when I was studying psychology (4 years man, 4 years, so yes I do know what I’m talking about) was the utter contempt for the over-prescription of legal drugs. That is, professional pill pushers have my scorn (doctors and other health professionals who have made contracts with major pharmaceutical companies and gain commissions based on the amount they fucking sell hence, ‘pill pushers’). However, my major hate (yes, I say hate) is the over prescription of Methylphenidate, it is usually branded by the commercial name of Ritalin.
Methylphenidate is a stimulant that targets the central nervous system. It keeps people calm and allows them to focus (focus my fucking arse). It is mostly used on children suffering from ADHD, when I say children I’m talking about kids between the age of 6-14, fucking 6 to 14-yr-olds. This is beyond stupidity, first off; all symptoms of ADHD described in the DSM-IV are BEHVIOURAL problems, at no point does it state the illness as a fucking bio-chemical or physical. So why the fuck is health professionals prescribing a CHEMICAL altering drug to target a behavioral problem? Why are parents accepting this? Because the world is populated by greedy-soul-sucking dickheads and people who should’ve never been allowed to reproduce.
Children are loud, they move when they are bored, intelligent children will become disruptive in class if they are not being stimulated, children will throw tantrums because they are not happy, they will get angry when something doesn’t go their way. Yes, this can all be very irritating for parents and teachers, but this does NOT give them the fucking right to dope children into submission, to make them into the equivalent of fucking robots. You provide disciplinary actions, you act like a parent and not a fucking stranger who can’t be bothered to go to the effort of caring.
Any drug used in the field of psychology and psychiatry produces bio-chemical disruptions in the normal functioning of the brain. Yes, even the drugs prescribed to people who suffers from manic depression and schizophrenia (while drugs are needed for schizophrenia, as it is an issue of bio-chemistry, the side effects for such drugs are damn horrifying. There’s always a trade-off.) There are millions of children out there doped up to the gills because their fucking parents can’t deal with the reality of children. These children’s brain functions are effectively being disrupted by the use of Ritalin. They are fucking up their children so they don’t have to deal with the reality of children.
I have no problems with the prescription of the drug itself to people who do need it, i.e. people who has suffered from brain trauma. However, to let it be prescribed to parents who can’t handle their hyperactive children makes me go into a blind rage
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chasethestars
chasethestars
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My mom's been terrified that they'd try to drug her up. (she's got a lot of stuff up on her LJ now and then:
I'm a bit confused, the sentence makes it sound as if you don't have a choice in the matter. Does it mean the schools in the US have a bit more control on the health of children?
If the school wanted to get a kid on the drugs, the parents would either have a fight, possibly legal, or have to find a private school or some alternative.
(Thus, affluent parents who can afford a private school or lawyers... are not as likely to be featured in horror stories of "single mother on welfare whose child was taken away because she refused, the monster, to give the child Ritalin.")
If the very attempt at a diagnosis of "ADD" or "ADHD" doesn't come up... then that whole tension is bypassed. (They're probably right, in that the "problem" the kid has is basically that she's young; her attention span is that of a normal-range almost-7 year old, and she's in class with 7 and 8 year olds. Her handwriting is age-norm, near as I can tell. Her spelling ranges from norm to high. The rest of her scores? Oiy. Anyway, they figure if we can all cope till she's a few years older, everything will even out.)
I- I honestly have nothing to say to this except I think I'm going to be sick. You know, I always want to think the best of people but there are times when I think humanity, at large, is screwed. I don't know what can make people threaten and hurt others just because it will be easier. I - yeah, still stunned here.
(This makes me sad and scared, and all the more for the making of as much money as possible in my future so that I have the option to choose. Financial freedom is something I need. I also hate the media for being on the side of the pharmaceutical companies.)
Thank the gods for that small blessing. (She could just be bored, I mean kids do only pay attention to things they like. But good to know that the school doesn't go straight to the pill bottle.)
There's a reason I went to private schools my entire life till college. "Bible Belt" public schools (or at least Texas ones) seem to be very... unable to cope with unique snowflakes.
And yeah, my minx is totally the sort to get bored -- or frustrated -- at the drop of a hat if something isn't exactly in the sweet spot of her interest range. Not so easy it's boring, not so hard that it's frustrating (and since so much stuff is easy for her, she doesn't do well with frustration).
She's doing better this year, it looks like. Getting more of her math "mad minute" (30 questions, one minute, Go!) equations finished, for one. (And her placement scores were... through the roof. Muwhahahaha!)
Anyway, I'm very happy that I don't have to look into homeschooling at this time! I'd go INSANE.
It just makes me angry.
My maternal grandmother was a teacher for forty years before she retired. She had several children in the classes over the year who were on Ritalin and she always worked with the parents and found other ways of teaching the children to get them off the drug.
I think I adore your grandmother, that takes guts and efforts. I know my entry comes across as harsh, but I can empathise with a teacher dealing with so many students and just not being able to cope with problem child- but it still make me angry to think it is happening to a child.
Now when it comes to prescriptions for adults with problems -- well. I don't know enough. I know my girlfriend and two close friends have Anxiety disorders that they medicate; for which I am grateful, because it enables them to function in ways they weren't able to before. My girlfriend hopes to get off of the meds in the future, but for now they mean she can live her life.
I'm a firm believer that prescribed drugs is not the evil of the world, it is the fact that it get prescribed when it shouldn't. Ouch, higher anxiety disorders can be crippling; it effect every aspect of your life. If properly diagnosed certain anxiety disorders will require the aid of prescribed drugs, but only in conjunction with cognitive behavioural therapy. The drugs in the case of anxiety disorders is a short-term fix (the longer she's on the drugs the more reliance/higher tolerance and more dosage she'll need to take). It's probably a good idea to start easing back on the dosage while getting therapy. I know clinical psychologist (at least in Australia) provide the type of therapy she'll need.
I think that's the nicest thing anyone ever said to me. The phrasing of it makes me glow with warmth.
Luckily, most of the doctors and pediatricians in my area seem to be on the side of the child, as in, refusing to prescribe Ritalin or diagnose ADD/ADHD solely on the complaints of a teacher. There's been a marked consesus among medical professionals here that it's being overdiagnosed, and most of the 'behaviours' can be easily corrected with a bit more exercise and an examination of a child's diet.
marked consesus among medical professionals here that it's being overdiagnosed
This makes me very happy; during my last year of psych all my lecturers told us in very clear terms that we do not refer a client to a specialist who can prescribe drugs unless we are 100% sure that the client is suffering from an illness that can only be treated by drugs and not just therapy alone. My whole class was very anti-drug by the time we graduated, and there was an underlying belief that even the illness that does require drugs can be aided by simulatenarous cognitive behavioural sessions.
I'm personally a big believer in the 'retrain the brain' process--When I worked with severe autistic adults, one resident went from what could only be described as a plastic state to one of activity and interaction when guided to.
It's all a matter of motivation--My son has started getting 'good notes' in his agenda book from his teacher and surprise surprise--He's a star pupil! I kept telling them they would get more bees with honey with him, he has the personality that won't work for you unless he knows what the reason why he should and what he's going to get out of it.
Ritalin is far too much of a quick fix to be taken seriously, IMO, and I wholeheartedly agree that it's scary there are no real long term studies on the effects of this drug on developing brains. Kids have enough crap to contend with: caffiene, pesticides, food dyes, overabundance of a single enzyme (ie: corn, peanut), 'engineered' foods, processed foods, trans fats--why add yet another chemical to the already deadly mix?