Medicating Kids
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder which is also known as Attention Deficit Disorder has become prevalent in children and adolescents alike in an increasing manner as the years are passing. Reports have shown that school-aged children who are more than a million are diagnosed with this disorder that of neurobehavioral in nature, and which may transit with them into their lives in adulthood. Apart from causing impairment in socialization habits, ADHD is important to public health because it can cause impairment to school health. While many different ways to treat ADHD are available, which include therapy, counseling, and prescription of medication, which has seemed to be effective in helping young children to improve their concentration, there is still a question of whether young children who are known to be naturally hyper should be subjected to medication for this condition (Public Health).
The health of the children is the driving force against medicating young children with ADHD. The effects coming with the use of stimulant drugs in young children has not been tested, yet it is understood that an estimated 2.5 million young children have been prescribed ADHD drugs (Ginsberg, 2007). Some group of parents who are understood to be against drugging children feel those parents should choose alternatives to medical prescriptions which include therapy (Koch, 2005). A neurologist by the name of Sydney Walker III recommends that children should not be prescribed with ADHD drugs such as Ritalin because numerous things can cause identical symptoms of ADHD. Heart problems, lead poisons, and even infections can cause children to behave in a way that stimulant drugs cannot fix (Koch, 2005). For effective drugging in such a case, it is prudent that that the right diagnosis is done.
ADHD medications have been discovered to have numerous and negative side effects such as the onset of Tourettes syndrome and even damaging of the liver. These stimulant ADHD drugs are also said to cause mania of depression, and in the worst case death, prompting doctors to prescribe more drugs such as antidepressants (Koch, 2005). Some critics have also said that giving children very high doses of drugs lead to stunted growth. The human is also understood to shrink due to exposure to very high doses of amphetamines. Other side effects that have been witnessed as a result of children taking stimulant ADHD drugs include disturbed sleep, loss of appetite, stunted growth, weight loss, and even sudden cardiac death. This shows that there are a number of negative side effects that come with medication on young children associated with ADHD (Koch, 2005). These problems of medication can be avoided given the right prescription. Medication works well in cases or correct prescriptions.
References
ADHD, (15 Sep.2007). A Public Health Perspective. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website.
Ginsberg, T. (2006). ADHD Drugs Don’t Need ‘Black Box. The Philadelphia inquirer. Scarborough-Phillips.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/watch/
Koch, K. (2005). Re-thinking Retalin. Wiley and sons.
