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Sorry but I have to completely disagree on this theory. Both my daughters, and I have ADHD. With my eldest it was painfully evident almost from birth, (don't laugh I am completely serious)and my younger one was DX’ed in 1st grade. Both are very bright with high I.Q testing scores, both are absolutely avid readers, having learned to read before even starting school. In fact, reading was the one thing that could hold their attention for longer then a few minutes at a time.

Having been on ADHD medications myself, (Adderall and/or Ritalin)for more then 15 years, I can tell you a few things about it categorically that may or may not be of interest to you.

First, While ADHD meds are commonly referred to as “speed” on the street by individuals who are not afflicted with ADHD, anyone suffering from it will attest to the fact that it has the opposite effect for us. It does not speed our thoughts or actions as it would for an individual without ADHD. It slows us down enough to be able to focus on a task long enough to see it through to completion. It enables us to resist impulsive bouts of word vomit at inappropriate times, often with irrelevant subject matter, and helps our brains slow down enough that we can respond intelligently to a post such as this one, without slipping into numerous side rants which have little to do with anything truly relevant to the topic.
For some, my daughters and myself included, it means the difference between a lifetime of fluttering from job to job never really understanding why nothing seems to really “fit” us, or being able to excel in positions befitting our often higher level of intelligence. None of which could, in even the most far reaching theories, be considered affects of a “top tier heavily psychotropic drug” by any stretch of imagination.

While I believe ADHD is often misdiagnosed, I believe your theory is profoundly off the mark. Your claim that medications like Ritalin and Adderall are “heavily psychotropic drugs” responsible for the growing illiteracy epidemic is, unfortunately typical of someone without first hand experience with either ADHD or the medications that treat it.

To those of us with ADHD, these medications are equally as essential, life saving, and relevant to our being productive members of society, as insulin is to a diabetic, or pain medications are to an individual suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, or fibromyalgia.

A more convincing argument to explain the lack of reading ability, and poor self esteem you describe might be the lack of parenting skills exhibited by many, the deliberate dumbing down of our children via academia, along with the fact that little, (if any) sense of personal responsibility, or accountability for ones own actions,(or lack there of) are currently being taught by many parents, or teachers.

We have become a society where, very often our kids are held to ridiculously low standards and expectations, and even with those lowered expectations, those same kids are provided any number of ready made excuses to fail. I.E “Janey can't be expected to turn her homework in on time because her mom makes her do chores at home, and watch her brothers and sisters.” Or “Jimmy's dad makes him mow the lawn, shovel snow, or sweep the garage, AND>>> GASP... clean his room too! On top of that, he had to spend three hours debating which is better, WII or Nintendo online last night, so he shouldn't be expected to turn in his homework on time, or at all for that matter!”

The fact is, children learn what they live. If they live with little or no expectations, they will deliver nothing, and probably expect others to spoon feed them all their lives.
If they live with reasonably high expectations of behavior, productivity, manners and morals, chances are pretty good they'll grow up to be productive, morally sound, capable members of society, who work, can read, add, subtract, multiply, divide, as well as speak and write in proper English.

Sorry, but the blame doesn't lie with the meds on this one.