Are your kids taking drugs?
...were punished for negative behavior, they tend become more upset then children who were not on Ritalin. It was noted in the study, the children on Ritalin showed "reduced sensitivity to reward" but a "greater emotional reactivity to punishment cues" (Arnett, Fischer, and Newby 55). This study demonstrates that Ritalin not only sedates the child, "dampening the intensity of behavioral responding in general rather than having a specific effect" it also makes the child emotionally volatile (Arnett, Fischer, and Newby 57). The process of diagnosing ADD and ADHD is difficult at best. There is no known chemical (or lack thereof) in the body that contributes to ADD or ADHD. ADD and ADHD are behaviors. These behaviors, when noticed in children, include "inability to maintain focus, staying on task, impulsion, inability to sit still, and talking out of turn" (Guffey 168). These behaviors are exhibited in all children from time to time, a typical part of childhood. ADHD affects mostly male children, a "4:1 ratio to female" (Vance, Larry, et al., 173). ADHD affects between "1.3 and 5% of grade-school children" (Sagvolden & Sergeant, 1). Proper diagnoses of ADD and ADHD are a key factor in the ability to treat these behaviors. Since there is no physical or chemical way to test for ADD and ADHD, "direct observation by a licensed psychiatrist" is the only proper way of ensuring proper diagnose of a child (Jacobs, Jonathan, et al., 696). Information about a child from the parent or the teacher, and observation of the child in a consultation room by a psychiatrist, are the usual grounds for the diagnosis of ADHD. In America today, the most common way a child receives a prescription for the stimulant Ritalin, is through a "teacher refereed rating scale" (Jacobs, Jonathan, et al., 696.) This is disturbing since "approximately 22% of children in a given classroom exhibit problem behavior such as hyperactivity, inattention, or aggression," however, they all do not suffer from ADD or ADHD (Jacobs, Jonathan, et al., 696). A study was conducted regarding the validity of the teacher observations when clinical observations were also obtained. The study included 232 children with ages ranging 4-6 years old. Each child had been described as "aggressive, disruptive, inattentive, and impulsive" by their teacher (Jacobs, Jonathan, et al., 702). The study demonstrated, when clinically observed, "only 46% of teacher observations correlated with clinical observations" (Jacobs, Jonathan, et al., 708). According to this study, when a teacher reefers a child, 54% of the time their observations are invalid. This is astounding! America's children are being given Ritalin by doctors based on the observations of teachers who have less then 50% accuracy level. Positive effects of ADD and ADHD children taking Ritalin include "working memory, task persistence, flexibility of problem-solving, and improved motor skills" (Vance, Larry, et al., 400). Negative side effects involved with the use of Ritalin include "insomnia, loss of appetite, stomach-aches, headaches, dizziness, daytime drowsiness (Vance, Larry, et al., 401). Other less known effects include "irritability, growth suppression, depression, suicidal thoughts, touretts, withdrawal, and male breast growth" (Vance, Larry, et al., 169). Behavioral effects associated with Ritalin use include the "good pill reaction," where the child blames his or her misbehavior on neglecting to take their Ritalin pill (Vance, Larry, et al., 168). Most negative aspects of Ritalin have resulted from cases in which the use of "stimulant medication was not appropriate," in other words, misdiagnosed children (Vance, Larry, et al., 169). However, long term side effects are a development of a tolerance to Ritalin and "psychological and physiological dependence" (Vance, Larry, et al., 401). The negative physical aspects of the long and short-term use of Ritalin far out-weigh the few positive aspects. Having did all...