over-medicating the nation

“If you look closely here, you will see Oscar is the only one standing up. He’s the only one moving! We can’t get him to sit still. He’s in the bathroom every ten seconds, he drinks water like a fish! We just want the best for him, we love him, we really do and he’s a sweet kid…. We are positive your son has attention deficit disorder, and may benefit from some additional help to stay on task. We are happy we were able to spot this so early on.”

- my Mother recollecting a parent teacher conference with my 2nd grade teacher.

Caught on Camera

My second grade teacher was fully convinced I was too hyperactive compared to the other kids. She gave me hell for the most simple acts. I must admit, I was not perfect. But the efforts performed by my former schools administrators to have me misdiagnosed with ADHD, treads lightly on the line of ethical misconduct. One day, my 2nd grade teacher brought a camera into class and filmed me the entire day. No, she was never given consent by anyone. She along with the administration simply decided to do it. In an attempt to have me diagnosed and prescribed medication to curve my unruly “behavior”. And she succeeded, temporarily. This did not last for long as my Mother soon decided that she knew what was best for me and discontinued it after a few days. But imagine all of the children who may be taking these drugs? Simply because their family was misguided by ignorant staff and faculty, regarding their child’s behavior. The phenomena of young children being misdiagnosed and given potentially harmful drugs is severely under discussed and misrepresented in today's media.

Stimulated Youth

Adderall remains one of the most popular prescription drugs among pediatricians and college students alike. Desperate college students looking to turn their semester around from a 1.8 GPA to a solid 3.0 before Winter break, will find themselves up all night with laser sharp focus. It is important to note, there are two different groups of ADHD medicine. The first group are methylphenidate-based medications, such as Metadate, Ritalin, Methylin, Daytrana Patch, and Concerta. The second group is known as dextroamphetamine-based medications, including Vyvanse, Adderall and Dexedrine. Both groups have proven to be convenient and beneficial for children ages 4-17. The “high” of this drug consists of motivation, energy and focus, which explains the high risk for children to develop dependency or addiction. As the high begins to wane, the terrifying reality of over-medication among the youth in America becomes clearer.

The most commonly diagnosed disorder in the United States, is attention deficit hyperactive disorder. According to the CDC, 9.4% of children in America ages 2-17 years old are diagnosed with ADHD as of June this year. Followed by behavioral issues (7.4%), anxiety (7.1%) and depression (3.2%). Kids that often exhibit disruptive behavior in class are typically diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed stimulants such as amphetamine, dexmethylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine and methylphenidate.

Dopamine and norepinephrine are the two brain chemicals that are released when triggered by a stimulant. Depending upon which dosage your child is prescribed, will determine if they are receiving a short release dosage or an extended release dosage. These medications differ due to their time releases. Short release dosages will stimulate the brain for a total of four hours, while extended release dosages can stimulate the brain for up to fourteen hours at a time.

The media, along with doctors and school counselors are some of the biggest endorsers of Adderall usage concerning children. College campuses nationwide often term the stimulant as a “study drug” in reference to it’s powerful enhancement boost. However the neurological development of a young adult in college, ages ranging 17-22, compared to that of a 2-16 year old are significantly different. Some of the potential side effects include sleep deprivation, delayed growth, withdrawal, tics and headaches. Which leads me to the question, are we jeopardizing our children’s neurological development with prescription drugs such as adderall?

Previous Research

In a study conducted by Powell, Frydenberg, and Thomsen (2015), research was performed to examine the impact of central stimulants such as adderall, on children's growth and development. It was found that taking the stimulant did not negatively impact children’s development, in terms of height or weight. However, it was noted that the drug often acted as an appetite suppressant for kids, which appears to be an unintended side effect among all of the positive attributes. As far as neurological development, it was found that the stimulants mainly boosted children's cognitive performance and helped children absorb information more efficiently. A small percentage of children featured in the study also reported having headaches occasionally, that may have been attributed to the stimulants stresson the brain. Their study conclusively found that although few harmful correlations were found between adderall and physical development, the risk for addiction only continues to grow, along with accessibility.

To The Reader

It took me until my adulthood to fully understand just how common it is for children to be misdiagnosed with disorders such as ADD and ADHD. It broke my heart over the last few years as I met so many people with the same story as myself. Far too often, children are misdiagnosed for committing acts that all young children do. Somewhere you have to draw the line and assess if your child is seriously in need of medical intervention, or if the child is simply being themselves. Although much more research is needed to fully understand the impact on children’s neurologic development, it is imperative that parents take the time to understand the dangers and risks associated with medicating their children at a young age.