Is Ritalin Over Prescribed?

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is not a drug that is typically sold on the street like cocaine or marijuana. It is a drug that doctors prescribe to help children and adults with hyperactivity and attention problems. But are these trained professionals over prescribing it? The road a child has to take to get on Ritalin is very long and often very hard. A child has to be observed by a teacher or parent, get a medical exam, and be observed by many specialists. What are all these doctors looking for? Well, first the medical doctor rules out attention problems due to a hearing loss or mental retardation. Then the specialists make sure the attention problem isn't due to severe anxiety or depression. The speech pathologist also looks for more subtle problems. Once all of these professionals agree, the child may go on Ritalin. That is the process children are supposed to go through. The problem comes in when the process isn't followed and doctors prescribe Ritalin to every child that walks through the door (Silver ...

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other drug therapies. If the child stays on Ritalin until his or her adult years they may also find out that the Military Personal Procurement Manual lists the prescription of Ritalin as a permanent disqualifier for joining the military. Because Ritalin is heard of so frequently parents often think it has to be safe and don't even bother looking into a drug that their child will potentially take every day. (Fachin 239) Although critics dismiss the drug as just a behavioral "quick fix" for children forced to live in an impatient culture that feeds on dead lines, due dates, sound bites and megabytes, many parents beg to differ. Jane Leavey is one of those parents. She says that Ritalin ...

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