An article from griffen

[conuly]

About drugging kids with ADD/ADHD.

Of course, it's always easier to throw a pill at a kid than to actually treat the problem, isn't it? Sometimes, the medications work. Often, they don't, or the side effects aren't worth it. That's what people don't always seem to get.

Comments

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

My nephew has ADHD. Medication works for him. Without it, he can't concentrate, can't do his schoolwork, can't pay attention in class.

Medication is not 'drugging a kid to make him behave', or, at least, shouldn't be. But in cases of true ADHD, and not a kid being hyper just because he's a kid, it's necessary.

[conuly]

I agree, it shouldn't be. And I definitely agree that there are many, many people who are helped with medication.

Unfortunately... *stares at the world around her*

Yeah.

[rainbow-goddess.livejournal.com]

I wonder if people just aren't prepared for what a normal, active child is like. Everytime my mother visits my sister, she tells my sister "give him (my nephew) his pill to calm him down" when he's just being a normal kid. He's still active and rambunctious, even when he's taken his pill. But my mother is all "give him his pill" everytime he gets a bit noisy.

I've heard that some schools tell parents that they'll kick the kid out of the school if the parent doesn't put the kid on medication.

[conuly]

*points back to the article*

[wakasplat.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

Seems like a lot of times "The drugs don't work for everyone" gets met with a rather frantic, "They work for me/someone I know/etc." "Not everyone" != "Nobody."

[conuly]

That said, for my money, working but with serious negative side effects = not working. If it's so bad you'd rather suffer through the disease than the cure? Not working.