The use of the drug Ritalin is over-prescribed and abused in our society. Physicians prescribe Ritalin to young children in order to calm their hyperactivity in school and at home. It is prescribed to children who have a behavioral problem known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The drug Ritalin is extremely controversial. There are several severe side effects to the drug and its use has become so out of hand that Ritalin is being used as a speed for teenagers who sell the pills to each other. Our country is known as the Ritalin capitol of the entire world. The condition ADHD was never heard about 30 years ago. Now ADHD is the most common mental condition that is diagnosed within American children. According to the director of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology, Peter Breggin, “The drugging of children has gotten so out of hand that America is waking up to this. This is a national catastrophe. I’m seeing children who are normal who are on five psychiatric drugs” (Woodworth, n.d.).
Ritalin is thought of as a drug that covers up the real problem that exists. Ritalin is over-prescribed to so many children because ADHD is over-diagnosed. Doctors find it difficult to diagnose ADHD because it is hard to distinguish the signs of ADHD compared to standard behavior and normal variations of childhood temperament. It is estimated that ADHD affects about 3% of children, but almost 10% of children are on Ritalin (Shaw, 2002).
The side effects of Ritalin are quite severe as well. Such effects include anorexia, toxic psychosis, hallucinations, and heart palpitations. Ritalin also can cause children to develop a permanent condition called Tourette’s syndrome based upon the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Carlisle, 2000). The effects of Ritalin are so severe that between the years of 1990 and 2000, there were approximately 186 deaths because of Ritalin that were reported to the Federal Drug Administration’s Medwatch Program which is only about 15% of the actual amount of deaths (Smith, 2002). The Drug Enforcement Administration also blames Ritalin for numerous deaths. In the year 1994, more than 1,200 people had been admitted into a hospital due to strange reactions from Ritalin (Carlisle, 2000).
Another problem with Ritalin is that in today’s society, Ritalin is not only used to treat ADHD, but is also illegally used among teenagers and young adults. The Federal Law states that Ritalin’s classification is that of a schedule II controlled drug. This is the same classification given to opium, morphine, and cocaine. In fact, Ritalin has a more powerful effect than cocaine does on the brain. Ritalin has withdrawal symptoms which include paranoia, depression, bed-wetting, and suicide. Overdosing on Ritalin can result in coma, brain damage, and death. In a report from USA Today, it was indicated that many teenagers crush Ritalin pills into powder and snort it. Others cook Ritalin and administer it intravenously (Ritalin Controversy, n.d.). Considering Ritalin is a member of the same group as cocaine, many people believe that Ritalin could lead children into substance abuse and should be considered a gateway drug. The Washington Post states that teenage students sell Ritalin for as much as five dollars per pill (Carlisle, 2000). If Ritalin is a close match to cocaine, why are we continually allowing our children to take this drug?
The use of Ritalin is so serious that the U.S. Military has put a ban on Ritalin by prohibiting the intake of individuals who have ever taken Ritalin into the military. Master Sergeant Mike Torres stated, “Ritalin is considered a mind altering drug. One out of every 50 men is turned away every month because of past or current Ritalin use” (Carlisle, 2000). Melvin Nash, a criminal defense attorney, indicated that about 60% of all of the people he has defended ranging from drunk driving to robberies have, at some point within their life, been on Ritalin (Ritalin Controversy, n.d.). Clearly Ritalin affects the way people behave in destructive ways.
There are several people who should be blamed for the unnecessary usage of Ritalin in our society. Teachers and school administrators are partially to blame (West, 2001). Teachers often suggest that parents should consider putting their child on Ritalin to calm them down in class. Parents feel pressured by teaches to put their child on Ritalin which also puts pressure on doctors who are unsure if Ritalin should be prescribed. Parents are also to blame for not fully researching side effects and other facts about Ritalin. Lastly, doctors also hold part of the blame for prescribing Ritalin to children who do not need it. In some state, 30% of children are currently on Ritalin, even though according to the national average, only 3% of the country’s children truly have ADHD. In the year 2000, 350 million doses of the drug Ritalin were taken by Americans, which is a rise of 50% from 1994. People are too quick to put their children on Ritalin. It is prescribed even before trying alternative methods such as behavioral therapies (Kornblum & Julian, 2004). Doctors haven’t even been able to develop a proper test that is valid for ADHD and there is no proof that ADHD is caused by a malfunction in the brain (Smith, 2002). If psychiatrists cannot come to an agreement as to how ADHD should be diagnosed, then why do doctors continue to prescribe Ritalin?
Several things could be done to stop the overabundance of Ritalin use in society. First, society needs to realize that children should be thought of as children. Children should be not be expected to sit still and be robots. Society needs to stop assuming that it is abnormal to be active and hyper in class and at home. The use of Ritalin should come to a complete stop until a proper test is conducted for ADHD. Once a proper test is developed, every child who had been on Ritalin should be re-tested. Schools need to stop pressuring parents and doctors to ‘fix’ their children. The proper physical and psychological tests need to be done for proof that a child had ADHD. Also, doctors and parents should work together with schools in order to observe the reactions to Ritalin and regulate its use as much as possible. Parents also need to make sure that their children do not have access to their own Ritalin. That would make it less likely for teenagers to sell pills to others. There have not been any other useful suggestions to solve this problem, but this proposal would surely lower the amount of Ritalin taken in our society.
One of the drawbacks for this proposed solution is that some parents and teachers would be angry because they would have to learn to cope with the child’s behavior instead of having drugs do it for them. This drawback also explains who would object to this proposition. Many parents and teachers would object to this idea because they believe that Ritalin is safe and effective. They approve of Ritalin because it controls their child’s behavior which makes their job as a parent or teacher easier.
The use of Ritalin has become unrestrained. Not only is it being over-prescribed but it is also becoming a street drug. Society needs to halt Ritalin use until doctors’ figure out who really needs it. To what extent will we as a society go in order to conform and control children into someone else’s version of normal? The use of Ritalin could be turning potential geniuses and world leaders into that of pure drug addicts. What are we doing to the future of American society, besides destroying it?
References:
Carlisle, C. (2000). Ritalin: the smart drug?
Kornblum, W. & Julian, J. (2004). Social Problems. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall.
Ritalin Controversy, (n.d.). http://www.chirotips.com/ritalin_controversy.htm
Shaw, G. (2002). The Ritalin controversy-experts debate use of drug to curb hyperactivity in children. The Washington Diplomat.
Smith, L. & K. (2002). Death from Ritalin-the truth behind adhd.
West, K. (2001). Look who’s taking Ritalin.
Woodworth, C. (n.d.). Drugging out children: Parents look for alternative to Ritalin.
