dagblog - Comments for "A disease called ‘childhood’"

I thought of your post when I

EmmaZahn — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:34:56 +0000

In reply to A disease called ‘childhood’

I thought of your post when I read this: Diagnosis - Human - NYTimes.com

The news that 11 percent of school-age children now receive a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — some 6.4 million — gave me a chill. My son David was one of those who received that diagnosis.

In his case, he was in the first grade. Indeed, there were psychiatrists who prescribed medication for him even before they met him. One psychiatrist said he would not even see him until he was medicated. For a year I refused to fill the prescription at the pharmacy. Finally, I relented. And so David went on Ritalin, then Adderall, and other drugs that were said to be helpful in combating the condition.

In another age, David might have been called “rambunctious.” His battery was a little too large for his body. And so he would leap over the couch, spring to reach the ceiling and show an exuberance for life that came in brilliant microbursts.

As a 21-year-old college senior, he was found on the floor of his room, dead from a fatal mix of alcohol and drugs. The date was Oct. 18, 2011.

No one made him take the heroin and alcohol, and yet I cannot help but hold myself and others to account. I had unknowingly colluded with a system that devalues talking therapy and rushes to medicate, inadvertently sending a message that self-medication, too, is perfectly acceptable.

Great find, artappraiser! I

Orion — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:53:08 +0000

In reply to The same theme is at the top

Great find, artappraiser!

I don't think all these diagnoses would happen unless the parents/teachers/schools/drug companies involved found it useful. Drug companies want to make the money - it's much darker to think about why parents and teachers would want to believe their children are permanently messed up in the head.

BTW I have noticed alot that you seem to be on board with posts like this and then really argumentative with me in others where I think I'm saying the same thing. What in particular do you differ with? I respect your opinion and would like to adjust to be more reasonable and sound.

The same theme is at the top

artappraiser — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:49:50 +0000

In reply to A disease called ‘childhood’

The same theme is at the top of New York Times' home page right now & note the number of comments (as well as the inclusion of a video report):

A.D.H.D. Seen in 11% of U.S. Children as Diagnoses Rise

By ALAN SCHWARZ and SARAH COHEN 9:44 AM ET

A marked rise over the last decade in diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder could fuel growing concern that the diagnosis and its medication are overused in American children.

Necessary Medication?

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Excerpt:

“Those are astronomical numbers. I’m floored,” said Dr. William Graf, a pediatric neurologist in New Haven and a professor at the Yale School of Medicine. He added, “Mild symptoms are being diagnosed so readily, which goes well beyond the disorder and beyond the zone of ambiguity to pure enhancement of children who are otherwise healthy.”

And even more teenagers are likely to be prescribed medication in the near future because the American Psychiatric Association plans to change the definition of A.D.H.D. to allow more people to receive the diagnosis and treatment. A.D.H.D. is described by most experts as resulting from abnormal chemical levels in the brain that impair a person’s impulse control and attention skills.

While some doctors and patient advocates have welcomed rising diagnosis rates as evidence that the disorder is being better recognized and accepted, others said the new rates suggest that millions of children may be taking medication merely to calm behavior or to do better in school. Pills that are shared with or sold to classmates — diversion long tolerated in college settings and gaining traction in high-achieving high schools — are particularly dangerous, doctors say, because of their health risks when abused.