Research Papers

Jason Gill

Professor Rihner

Eng 102-1EG

04/23/2012

We Are Not Overmedicating Our Children for ADHD

The belief or myth that we are over diagnosing ADHD, which leads to overmedicating our children, is nothing more than rash judgments, hearsay, and spreading of rumors. To truly understand what is happening, one should look beyond the numbers and see the true picture. According to Judith Warner, "when you look at the dizzying array of damning numbers that have been making headlines over the past ten years" (69). She also states, it's not uncommon that some believe that kids today are all on medication, however, it is unrealistic to believe that the numbers tell a true story (69). Although most people think that there are a greater number of kids taking these drugs, the number is actually far smaller than believed. Warner states, "five percent of kids take psychotropic drugs, five to twenty percent have psychiatric issues" (70). This just doesn't add up to a pattern of overmedication, according to her math (Warner 69-70). While ADHD may be over diagnosed in some children, when not diagnosed it can lead to failure in school, struggles in day-to-day life, and even result in behavioral issues that involve the law. The large number of children diagnosed with ADHD has actually resulted in children being medicated less rather than more, as commonly believed.

It is important to understand ADHD before drawing any conclusions on possible treatments and the outcomes. According to Aliyah Baruchin, in The New York Times article, critics of ADHD have attempted for many years to characterize it as only being a way to pathologize normal childhood behavior. ADHD is a medical condition which is biological and genetically based, not a neurological disease (Baruchin). Judith Warner, in her article in Time magazine, "Getting Distracted from the Real Issues of ADHD," states that new treatment guidelines will enormously increase the number of young children being diagnosed with the disorder, but overmedicating will not occur in most cases. Doctors now have core symptoms for better diagnosis and more treatment options (55). ADHD is a legitimate disorder. The days of being brainwashed by the drug companies are coming to an end. There are many factors which attribute to the reduction in cases where a child is overmedicated for ADHD.

The first factor to notice is that continued drug case studies are leading to more and better medications. Amal Chakraburtty, M.D., states there are three types of drugs now available to treat this disorder, each serving a particular purpose. Paul Graves Hammerness, states that new medications address side effects, lessen addictions, and acknowledges that some patients did not respond to other medications (Hammerness 88-89). Medications work best when supplemented by other therapies, resulting in less medications needed.

Secondly, many behavior therapies, as well as lifestyle and environment changes, have shown great success. Chakraburtty, M.D., in his article "Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children," said many types of behavioral lifestyle therapies have evolved in recent years. They work best when combined with medication. Some behaviors can be treated by changing the environment in which the child is living. Since some behaviors require no medication to treat ADHD, the amount of needlessly prescribed drugs is greatly reduced. If any treatment needs to be maximized without overmedicating, another factor must be addressed.

Lastly, we do not overmedicate children because of better understanding by all parties involved due to better access to more reliable education. Diagnoses for ADHD is on the rise, however, the increase is in part due to a better understanding of ADHD. Hammerness has great enlightenment. He states that symptoms can occur at any moment and linger throughout one's life, appearing different over the course of one's life (Hammerness 3). Not only are the doctors gaining understanding, but the patient and family are becoming more educated. With the greater understanding comes better communication. The doctor, patient, parents, and others must communicate. It is the opinion of Hammerness, if any treatment is to be successful, it must be ongoing (Hammerness 48). There must be feedback from all parties involved. When this happens, changes can be made which prevent overmedicating. It is evident that when all three of these factors combined, the likelihood of overmedicating is almost nonexistent.

There is one concern when analyzing statistics on medicating children for ADHD. In a perfect world, everyone would have access to the best care for ADHD. There are some who do not have access because of the location where they live and financial needs. In today's society,

behavioral services are being cut out of state budgets. Insurance companies are dropping coverage for these services. When this population is subtracted from the numbers, it is still evident that the amount of medications prescribed for ADHD patients is declining. I will leave the debate over how best to meet the health need for another day. The issue at hand is that overmedicating children is not an epidemic.

Greater advances in medications, the advent of behavior therapies, and better communication and understanding, have had a positive effect on the children being treated for this disorder without being overmedicated. Not only are we not overmedicating children, but we are ignoring a segment of the population. For example, poor or minority children often go without help due in part to the lack of services in rural areas and the greater number of families without insurance (Warner 69). The belief that one medication and dose works for all has been replaced with more drug options. Behavioral therapies help reduce the outside influences which can have a negative impact on child's behavior. In most cases, when the environment is under control, less medication is needed. Not to be forgotten is communication and understanding. It is hopeful that as the level of knowledge increases, awareness will reach all in the community (Hammerness 102). Richard S. Kingsley M.D. stated that for a treatment plan to be successful, it must entail close follow-up and monitoring, allowing doctors to make adjustments throughout the treatment. It is a must for parents to be active in the treatment process by having an open communication chain with everyone involved in the child's treatment ("What is ADHD?"). As one can see we are moving towards a time where overmedicating children will be obsolete.

Works Cited

Baruchin, Aliyah. "What to Ask About A.D.H.D." The New York Times 13 Mar. 2008. Print.

Chakraburtty, M.D., Amal. "Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children." WebMD.com, Web. 1 Mar. 2010.

Hammerness, Paul Graves. Biographies of Disease: ADHD. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2009. Print.

Kingsley, M.D., Richard S. "What is ADHD?." KidsHealth.org, Web. January 2012.

Warner, Judith. "Getting Distracted from the Real Issues of ADHD." Time 21 Oct. 2010: 55. Print.

Warner, Judith. We've Got Issues: Children and Parents in the Age of Medication. New York: Penguin Group, 2010. Print.