OUT WITH THE BATH WATER

NewsWithViews.com ^ | July 27, 2003 | By Beverly Pelfrey, RN

[fight_truth_decay]

A True story:

As charge nurse on a locked adolescent psychiatric unit, my responsibilities included insuring unit safety as well as screening incoming calls. So I kept a vigilant eye on the hallway as I answered the incessantly ringing phone. A woman’s frantic voice shrieked into my ear, “What do I do? He’s choking the cat and I can’t get him to stop!”

After referring the mother to more appropriate treatment for her little darling, I couldn’t help but consider how my parents would have handled the situation.

I was reared by conservative parents who were reared by conservative parents who lived in a conservative part of the country at a conservative time in our nation’s history. So my father took his paternal duties very seriously, perhaps to a fault. However, thanks to his vigilance, I never had to take Ritalin. That’s right. Never had it as a child and don’t need it as an adult. And it wasn’t because I was an acquiescent youngster. To hear mom tell it, I was quite a challenge.

What is the secret to my exceptional growth and development? Good parenting. From my earliest recollections, I knew that certain behaviors were allowed and others were not. My parents presented a united front and I learned better than to push the limits too far.

Mom enforced most of the daily disciplining until, at age 9, I was taller than she was. I soon discovered the gravity of those words, “Just wait till your father gets home, young lady.” If my mother found me strangling the cat or dog or whatever, she would have lectured me in a manner that could make gospel evangelists green with envy. Then, I would have spent a fearful afternoon in contemplation of my father’s verdict for cruelty to animals.

Now, parents are too busy or too tired to give their children proper nurturing. Somehow, somewhere, modern and post-modern they abdicated their own good judgment to the tyranny of popular psychology. Beguiled moms and dads have thrown the baby of authoritative, loving discipline out with the bathwater of authoritarian, loveless punishment.

Rejecting the extremes of past generations, most post-modern parents believe that any form of chastisement is intolerable. They “reason” with young Jimmy (pseudonym) as he throttles the poor cat. Years later they wring their hands, weeping into the TV cameras, “But he didn’t mean to kill anybody. He’s really a good boy.”

We need more parents like those espoused by Mr. Warwick Dyer, a British behavioral expert, who claims parents need to accept more blame for their children's "disorders.” According to an article on Independent.Co.UK, Mr. Dyer stated, “What is certainly clear is that a lot of symptoms ascribed to such disorders are in fact easily confused with basic behavioral problems that don't need to be treated with a drug.”

Mr. Dyer is referring to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), that favorite diagnosis of child and adolescent physicians. ADHD is the reason children whirl like dervishes, curse like sailors (my apologies to sailors who don’t swear), come to blows with their peers and teachers, and smash their belongings to bits. ADHD explains why a grown woman cowers in fear as her marauding child terrorizes the family pet and she calls the closest psych ward for help.

The drug of choice for treating the “disorder” is methylphenidate, more commonly known as Ritalin. Ritalin is an amphetamine with potency similar to cocaine and the mechanism of its effects are unknown. In fact, the medical community knows more about cocaine than it does about Ritalin. Nora Volkow, a psychiatrist at Brookhaven National Laboratory, stated, "Instead of being a less potent transport inhibitor than cocaine, methylphenidate was even more potent.” Yet physicians have prescribed it for their pediatric patients for the past forty years. It is estimated that four to six million children take Ritalin daily.

There is a new weapon in the battle for children’s minds. The pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, now manufactures Strattera, approved by the FDA in 2002. Touted as a class of ADHD treatment that works differently than other ADHD medications, Strattera is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. They are beginning to saturate the media with advertisements for the product. Of course it is available by prescription only (those guffaws you hear are the medication moguls on their way to the bank). Stay tuned for new discoveries of adverse side effects.

Meanwhile, adults drug their children rather than discipline them. Consider this:

"The most obvious reason millions of Americans, most of them children, are now taking Ritalin can be summarized in a single word that crops up everywhere in the dry-bones literature on ADD and its drug of choice: compliance. One day at a time, the drug continues to make children do what their parents and teachers either will not or cannot get them to do without it: Sit down, shut up, keep still, pay attention." (Source: Mary Eberstadt, "Why Ritalin Rules," Policy Review, April & May 1999, No. 94.)

How about my scheduling a month of intensive treatment for your tiny terror with the two “therapists” who helped shape my destiny? Come to think of it, I wouldn’t do that to my mom and dad.

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Beverly Pelfrey uses her 42 years of experience as a female, 22 years of knowledge as a wife, 21 years of skill as a parent of three daughters, and 8 years of education, expertise and research as a registered nurse (specialty in psychiatric care) to hone her observations. Comments may be sent to rbsmc60@hotmail.com.

[fight_truth_decay]

Did you know that parents receiving welfare money from the government can get additional funds for every child that they have labeled and drugged?

Did you know that a child taking a psycho-tropic, psycho-stimulant drug after the age of 12 is ineligible for military service?

Did you know that schools receive additional money from state and federal government for every child labeled and drugged?
From:http://www.ritalindeath.com/main.htm

Report all Strattera side effects here, for the purpose of research, public awareness and safety.Strattera is being tested on thousands of children in the United States at this very moment.

ISSUE: Senator John Ensign (R-NV) has just introduced the “Child Medication Safety Act of 2003” in the Senate! (SB 1390).

[fight_truth_decay]

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003
BH272
STATE OF HAWAII

"An Army Times article dated December 8, 1997 reported that Air Force medical standards state that "any individual prescribed Ritalin after age 12 must be medically disqualified" from entering the service. The other military branches have similar prohibitions against admitting current or former patients who have taken Ritalin. "

[boris]

"There is a new weapon in the battle for children’s minds. The pharmaceutical company, Eli Lilly, now manufactures Strattera, approved by the FDA in 2002. Touted as a class of ADHD treatment that works differently than other ADHD medications, Strattera is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. They are beginning to saturate the media with advertisements for the product. Of course it is available by prescription only (those guffaws you hear are the medication moguls on their way to the bank)."

Regardless of the efficacy and safety of this particular medication, is it your position that pharmaceutical companies should spend millions of dollars to develop new drugs and then give them away for free? Or do you believe that government price controls will somehow make new drugs magically grow on trees? Or should the government pay for new drugs?

As for adverse side effects, aspirin has adverse side effects. Can you name one drug which has no known adverse side effect?

--Boris

[raybbr]

Somehow, somewhere, modern and post-modern they abdicated their own good judgment to the tyranny ofover-taxation, school administrations, state governments, et al. popular psychology.

[fight_truth_decay]

“ADHD is not caused by poor parenting, a difficult family environment, poor teaching or inadequate nutrition.”

In fact, a preponderance of the scientific evidence demonstrates that ADHD is significantly associated with poor parenting, difficult family environments and inhumane and oppressive school and community environments. Researchers have found an association between the behavioral characteristics of ADHD and the following characteristics of parenting and family environments. 11 psychologist/members of the American Psychological Association letter to directors of a ‘brochure project’ on ADHD in Division 29, the division of psychotherapy /2003

[The Great RJ]

My wife of 25 years is a former school nurse (including sevveral years in an alternative high school) and shares a similar viewpoint about the alphabet soup of behavioral conditions "diagnosed" in the schools.

She observed that many of these kids have learned to scam the system. They may not know their math or English, but they know exactly how much of this behavior they can get away with and how use school social workers and counselors as a means to get what they want--generaly out of the classroom. Their parents are often enablers for their kid's rotten behavior --little Jimmy isn't a kid with a behavioral problem he just has ADHD.

Once when teaching in a summer Bible School she confronted a parent whose kid was disrupting the classroom. When the parent said that little Jimmy couldn't help being disruptive because of his ADHD, my wife responded that even a dog can be taught the meaning of NO.

[Stopislamnow]

Nintendo and soda has also replaced any outdoor activities that were the norm for children. Sandlot baseball, riding bikes...normal things that sap energy, unlike soda and nintendo, where the kid sits for 5 hours downing soda while staring at a tv/computer screen.

ADD is a lie. Period.

[LibKill]

“What do I do? He’s choking the cat and I can’t get him to stop!”

Either one of my parents could have put a swift stop to that nonsense. They would have knocked the perp to his knees, dad with what nature gave him, mom with the nearest blunt object.

That was then. Nowadays any parent who so much as looked crosseyed at their little monster would be arrested.

[Nick5]

A side effect of all this is a schoolyard black market in Ritalin and other drugs. Kids who aren't prescribed the drug buy it for a few bucks a pill for its effects as an upper. Kids end up being addicted to their friends' meds, which they take in heavier-than-prescribed doses. This is a serious problem at my son's school.

[BiffWondercat]

How is it that it has the EXACT same effects on 'non-ADHD' kids as it does to 'ADHD' kids? When they can start showing PET scans proving 'ADHD' then my BS meter will go down some...

I was on it as a kid. Funny how I only had to take it during the school year. It seemed to dissapear after school was out every year, then come right back a week before school started in the fall. Weird huh?

[Nebr FAL owner]

Boris do you realize that there is NO method of diagnosis for ADHD that follows the scientific method! In english no blood chemistry,brain chemistry,brain scan test or any other OBJECTIVE SCIENTIFIC TEST FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF ADHD ! The lady is telling you that if the school administrators start telling you that little Bobbie or Suzie needs Ritalin it is because the kids are being kids instead of little docile zombies that the educrats love cause they just sit there .That is the reason you are now seeing on the lobotomy box{T.V.} adds for meds for adult ADHD the drug companies realize they got a racket going & are milking it for all its worth.

[Libertina]

Don't forget the new one ODD - Oppositional Defiant Disorder _ children who actually ARGUE with thier parents... I kid you not, it's now an officially listed "disorder." When I exhibited that disorder my parents usually responded by spanking me ;0

[Old Professer]

Actually, I think most people should have a permission slip from their mechanic to buy a new car.

[fight_truth_decay]

"any individual prescribed Ritalin after age 12 must be medically disqualified" from entering the service. The other military branches have similar prohibitions against admitting current or former patients who have taken Ritalin. "

You don't think that some liberals might take this disqualification as a 'benefit side effect' for their future military service should a draft ever be reinstated? Sure they will.

[wildbill]

The child choking the cat is obviously crying out for attention. If the parent would only spend some quality time with the child and help choke the cat then the relationship would improve.

CAT! It's the new white meat.

[boris]

"Boris do you realize that there is NO method of diagnosis for ADHD that follows the scientific method! In english no blood chemistry,brain chemistry,brain scan test or any other OBJECTIVE SCIENTIFIC TEST FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF ADHD !"

I have diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) (very painful). I take neurontin (an anti-epileptic) and Elavil (an anti-depressant) to help mitigate the pain. Nobody knows how or why they work--but they have serious side effects.

Every disease has an association, and so does DPN. A year or so ago my M.D. changed me from Neurontin to Topamax because Topamax claimed relief from DPN and appetite control also.

I was in agony and changed back to Neurontin. A web search revealed two more recent studies (2001-02) which showed no effect for Topamax for DPN. The manufacturer withdrew claims of efficacy for Topamax.

I posted this information on the DPN website. Half of those trying Topamax came down on me, saying they got excellent relief. I tried to post pointers back to the studies I had found; they were gone. HOWEVER, I did find (a) the manufacturer's formal retraction of claims of efficacy and (b) a large 2003 study showing terrific results for Topamax in DPN. I posted both on the DPN website.

Eventually I suppose it will be known whether or not Topamax is valuable in DPN; right now all the doctors can do is shrug.

I have seen the results of Ritalin on ADHD kids twice. Both girls. In both cases their in-school behavior problems were improved and their grades went up. I saw NO adverse side effects. In both cases the girls had sisters who had NO ADHD symptoms. If bad parenting causes ADHD one would expect siblings raised the same way to have ADHD if one sibling had it.

In one of the two (admittedly anecdotal) cases, the parent--a degreed engineer--decided that she herself had adult ADHD and requested treatment (I don't know which drug). She reported significant improvement in her ability to concentrate and function in an extremely challenging engineering environment.

No claims from me, just observations.

--Boris