ADHD Overmedication
on 2011-12-02 20/20 did an exclusive investigation on the over-prescribing of powerful mind altering medications.
I literally wanted to jump through the TV and strangle the FDA spokesperson.
This is a great piece of journalism, however…
They tried to keep the focus on only “foster” kids…
as if this is isolated to this small portion of our society.
The Truth is that ADHD Overmedication is a problem for our ENTIRE society.
So when you watch this piece, in your mind replace the words “foster kids” with simply “kids”.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
WOAH…..hold on here. There has always been the “great to medicate or not debate” regarding ADHD this is nothing new. HOWEVER, can we PLEASE focus on the kids who are PROPERLY and SUCCESSFULY treated by medication!? These types of stories leave those of us whose children are successfully treated by meds (in conjunction with counseling and other therapies) reeling in the wake of false accusations of bad parenting. Some even having to go so far as to defend the existence of ADHD and other mental disorders that affect social behavior and learning to the ignorant and narrow minded. This “invisible illness” is tough enough to deal with for the kids affected and their families without stories like this. I feel for these kids, I do and the people responsible need to be held accountable but how about reporting the success stories. It would go along way to foster a true understanding of the condition.
I have 3 kids with ADHD and one with Autism, and none of them are medicated. Medication isn’t always necessary, my kids are living proof. We have tried every medication out there and my kids dealt with such horrific side effects that I will never try and medicate them again. Instead, we’ve used therapies and worked with the schools and their pediatric neurologist to try and come up with ways to help them without medication and it’s been working. I don’t think these people need to be held accountable, I think they showed the story just as it is–truthfully!
ive had my 7 yr old son on stratera 18 mg for 3 weeks he seems much calmer and the only side affects was a dry mouth and loss of weight , but as he gets older and heavier i have to increase to dose,ive tried therapy didnt work,he had a personal teacher and still he was academically behind,ive decided to homeschool and as i have homeschooled him before this time around hes much more cooperative and less argumentive ,but his agression is still there,i know exactly bbmitchd what you mean noone knows until they have a child with this condition how much of a struggle it is every second of the day and leslie i dont know how your doing it good luck with that ,i was anti medication and i was in denial he had adhd i though he a typical boy well not a year later and his school results were still downhill not to mention he still had writing like a preschooler and he was really upset knowing he’s failed,if someone has a heart condition or diabeties do they not need medication to live???this is no different and by denying him meds i’m the one denying him to enjoy his life.some success stories and some none at the moment i’m a success and i hope it stays like that.
Parents who have children
with this disorder shouldn’t have to defend the existence of ADHD to
narrow minded people who clearly have minimal if any experience raising
an ADHD child. You don’t know how many specialists we’ve seen, how many
tests have been run, how many alternative forms of treatments we’ve
tried. Nor have you seen how many tears we have had to watch our
children cry in frustration over why their brains don’t seem to work the
same way as their peers, or why they don’t seem to catch on to
non-verbal social cues the same way as all the other kids. I understand
and agree that ADHD is over diagnosed in this country, and that is
unfortunate. But comments suggesting that ADHD does not exist or may be
a result of bad parenting makes me so angry, they need a new word for
angry!!!!
How about “livid”?
well I have a 8 year old son, he is ADHD,and he is medicated, he needed it, It is very hard to deal with him at home, but school thinks he is a model student and that is bunch of bull, Im struggling now with help getting help in school
Woah, i can’t believe this news. I have a ADHD with Autism student, i suggest to parents not to allow Dr to give medicine to her. This student undergone intensive therapy daily with me… She improve from none verbal to verbal with eye contact, none reader to reader, she is able to sing and read amazingly. Since she is only 5 this year… i slowly introduce writing skill to her..