The Overmedication of American Children
We in America tend to take medications for almost any problem we have, from headaches to gastrointestinal pain, to more serious chronic disorders such as depression and attention deficit disorder. While many of the uses of such medications may be necessary and legitimate, many are not, and due to this fact, many people become dependent on medications, mentally, and or physically. This problem is not simply the fault of the individual; in fact, the blame can also be placed upon the medical community, and the pharmaceutical companies who produce the drugs. How often can one turn on the television to see advertisements for Claritin, Aspirin, Pepto-Bismol, or even Zoloft or Ritalin? The pharmaceutical industry is motivated by monetary gain, not purely by the well being of those using their drugs. These companies have aggressive advertising campaigns, and representatives who travel to medical practices to promote the company's products. Pharmaceutical representatives are rewarded generously for increases in the prescription of their drugs, causing them to be highly motivated to convince medical professionals of the worth of prescribing their products. The use of medications, prescription or not, should be based on one factor alone, necessity, and if necessity is not the reason for the drug's use, then in effect, the drug is being abused. One particularly troubling case of overmedication is that of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
During the first three quarters of the twentieth century, the average American had never heard of two troubling conditions: Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD and ADHD). Today these disorders are so common place that they have practically become household names. They are becoming more common by the year, and if the commonality of their diagnosis continues, promise to unleash an epidemic of massive proportions on The United States.
Symptoms, today classified as ADD and ADHD, were first
During the first three quarters of the twentieth century, the average American had never heard of two troubling conditions: Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD and ADHD). Today these disorders are so common place that they have practically become household names. They are becoming more common by the year, and if the commonality of their diagnosis continues, promise to unleash an epidemic of massive proportions on The United States.
Symptoms, today classified as ADD and ADHD, were first
Bibliography: 1. Duke Health Briefs: A Look Behind ADHD Statistics – Duke University – 9/16/2002 2. http://adhd-report.com – ADHD Statistics 3. NIH Publication No. 96-3572 "Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder" Printed 1994, Reprinted 1996. Booklet. 44p. Last updated July 01, 1999.