By T.Berry Brazelton, M.D., Clinical Professor of PediatricsEmeritus at Harvard
In 1990, 900,000 American kids were on Ritalin.
Today some estimate the total number of children on Ritalin has increased to 4 - 5 million or more per year .
America now uses 90% of the world's Ritalin - more than five times the rest of the world combined.
Emergency room visits by children ages 10-14 involving Ritalin intoxication have now reached the same level as those for cocaine which indicates escalating abuse of this highly addictive drug. 80% of children on Ritalin are boys.
Children are being put on three & four medications to deal with complicated family patterns and stress.A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that alarming numbers of preschoolers were put on medications not approved for very young children with three quarters of them not having concurrent psychological or family therapy to teach them new copying capacities.
More and more children are not being helped enough to deal psychologically with the stresses of their lives. There is little exploration of FEELINGS and attempts to work with the families to alter maladaptive patterns.
When children are in STRESSFUL relationships and family CIRCUMSTANCES, even attempts at using appropriate medications rarely work because the STRESS is ongoing.
While, medication may work temporarily, it rarely works for a long period of time.
This leads to second and third medication or higher doses of the original medication.
Recently, I saw a youngster who had been on four different medications, the third one of which provided such severe agitation that he had to be hospitalized.
It was rationalized that his hospitalization was due to his impulsive and agitative behavior. He had started off with mild symptoms of anxiety and inattentiveness and ended up being hospitalized twice for aggression and agitation.
After a full evaluation and the realization that his behavior had changed for the worse with each subsequent addition of medication, he was gradually taken taken off the medications and helped to get into intensive psychotherapy with the family involved.
There were indications of a number of conflictual and anxious patterns that could be helped with this approach. The child was a very bright and verbal little boy who could participate to his advantage in a combination of individual and family-oriented therapeutic approaches.
Within eight months, he was functioning well in school and verbalizing his feelings.
The family was learning supportive and constructive approaches rather than undermining and anxiety-causing ones.
NOW he continues to function well, both in school and with his peers.
While he is not on any medication, other children sometimes do require some medication along with psychotherapeutic works.Note: These books are not endorsed by Dr.Brazelton or are they to be read as a cure-all for children, who have been diagnosed with ADHD.
With this said, “Please help us prevent our children from being over-medicated by reading our series of therapeutic children’s books and learn more about our cartoon character BOBBEE BEE “THE HATER” by author/cartoonist Eric Graham.Go to www.authorhouse.com, www.bn.com, www.walmart.com, www.amazon.com, www.target.com, and get your copy of "IN THE MIND of BOBEE BEE" and "Larry Long Legs"
Other books coming soon include: A Diary of a MAD Child, The Gossip Girls, and HOPE IS STRONGER THAN A HURRICANE,
