© Karsten Moran for The New York Times
"This is a concoction to justify the giving out of medication at unprecedented and unjustifiable levels,” Keith Conners, a psychologist and early advocate for recognition of A.D.H.D., said of the rising rates of diagnosis of the disorder.
After more than 50 years leading the fight to legitimize attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Keith Conners could be celebrating.
Severely hyperactive and impulsive children, once shunned as bad seeds, are now recognized as having a real neurological problem. Doctors and parents have largely accepted drugs like Adderall and Concerta to temper the traits of classic A.D.H.D., helping youngsters succeed in school and beyond.
But Dr. Conners did not feel triumphant this fall as he addressed a group of fellow A.D.H.D. specialists in Washington. He noted that recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the diagnosis had been made in 15 percent of high school-age children, and that the number of children on medication for the disorder had soared to 3.5 million from
600,000 in 1990. He questioned the rising rates of diagnosis and called them "
a national disaster of dangerous proportions."
"The numbers make it look like an epidemic. Well, it's not. It's preposterous," Dr. Conners, a psychologist and professor emeritus at Duke University, said in a subsequent interview. "This is a concoction to justify the giving out of medication at unprecedented and unjustifiable levels."
Comment: Talk about another stellular example of Ritalin Gone Wrong! Could our world get anymore bizarre?! Aside from the fact that Big Pharma and the FDA gladly engage in the Wholesale Sedation of America's Youth, even after a Psychiatrist admitted on his death bed that ADHD was a fictitious disease, the fact that the FDA released a safety announcement regarding this particular side effect of Ritalin is kinda surprising. The FDA seems to have missed the other safety concerns of Ritalin listed below:
Ritalin Linked With Sudden Death of Children
ADHD Drugs: Hallucinations Not Uncommon
Pediatric Ritalin Use May Affect Developing Brain, New Study Suggests
ADHD Drugs Proven Absolutely Useless for Children - Plus, They Stunt Growth
Mainstream Media and Medical Journals Pushing ADHD Drugs for Six-year-olds
"I think in 10 years time we will ask ourselves what we were thinking giving these children amphetamines."
Ritalin for children is "quick fix" and should be reviewed, demand educational psychologists
Ritalin May Cause Changes In Brain's Reward Areas; Effects May Overlap With Those Of Cocaine