Stimulant Medication to Children in America - Research Paper Example

?ARE PHYSICIANS IN AMERICA OVER PRESCRIBING STIMULANT MEDIACATION TO CHILDREN? NUMBER DEPARTMENT GRADE December 10, 2011 ARE PHYSICIANS IN AMERICA OVER PRESCRIBING STIMULANT MEDIACATION TO CHILDREN? Introduction The administration of psychoactive drugs to young children in the recent, contemporary America has become common and grown at an alarming rate. Though many prescriptions done with positive intentions, the resultant effects become opposite of the intended and eventually condemn children to a life of misery and eventual death. This paper seeks to evaluate over prescription of the stimulant drugs by the American Physicians to children. Why use stimulants? Stimulants are substances that enhance the activity of the brain. In medication, they can be termed as a class of psychoactive drug that enhances the activity of the brain. According to Nicolino and Ricker (1), the prescription of these drugs aims at treating imbalances associated with body chemicals said to cause ADHD. However, the ineffective use of the drugs results into different chemical imbalances in the body causing biological mishap and eventual mental disorder. Stimulants; mainly used to temporary elevate alertness, mood and level of awareness, good examples of such substances being caffeine, amphetamines, nicotine and prescription drugs. The use of stimulants produces feelings of tremendous joy, increased wakefulness and reduced appetite. According to Gary (1), The American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that more the 3.8 million school going children, with a higher proportion of boys are of late being diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). On the same note, more than a million children are on Ritalin; a drug having a more powerful outcome on the brain than cocaine (Gary 1). The efficacy and safety of these drugs is not clearly known. The increased number of prescriptions in the recent years calls for massive cause of alarm and must be of concern to the whole society. The effects of the drugs can clearly be associated by psychiatric grave actions by the youths that result to death and injury like, shootings happening in schools (National Institute on Drug Abuse 1). The massacres shooting that have occurred in America, like the Columbine massacre; can be attributed to the perpetrators being users of psychotropic drugs like Ritalin and Prozac. Gary gives two examples of a 1998 case, and 1999 where a 14 year old killed his parents plus other two; while injuring 22 in his High School in Oregon. The second one involved a 15 year old who wounded six classmates in Georgia. The first one was on Prozac and Ritalin drugs and the latter on Ritalin (Gary 1). Stimulants cause various disorders apart from their association with treating chemical imbalances. The use of them results to short term effects, as well as long term ones. Repeated use of stimulants lead to addiction this leads to repeated seeking of the drug amid the harmful effects (National Institute on Drug Abuse 1). This leads to brain distortion eventually contributing to dependency on drugs. Some drugs like Methamphetamine may increase the sex drive of an individual leading to risky sexual behavior causing sexually transmitted diseases. On the same note, the drug associated with decreased sexual function particularly with men; a condition perceived badly by many and causes mental disorder due to depression (National Institute on Drug Abuse 1). More research on the use of stimulant medication towards ADHD should be enhanced to ensure clearance of the controversy about the drugs. Further, researches suggest that persons with ADHD do not grow to be addicted to their stimulant medication in the treatment of ADHD, if taken as prescribed by the doctor. The overwhelming majority of psychotropic prescriptions for children are given to attention deficit disorder (ADD) or ADHD. To some extent, taking medication is a requirement for attending school, failure to which can grant grounds for dismissal. This perception of using stimulants to make children more alert in schools has been attributed to medical and psychological communities being better informed, and able to assess and diagnose ADHD and ADD in the recent years. On the contrary, the tendency to categorize children in particular, as psychologically anomalous is disturbing; this affects the children throughout their school going period and results in to lowered self esteem (National Institute on Drug Abuse 1). Exposure to the medication may result into long term effects which may in turn cause lore harm than the original biological problem. The extent of categorizing the two as diseases brings out extensive debates; no medical tests can ascertain their presence. Thus, reasons to query the status of ADHD and ADD as genuine diseases exist in the methods of diagnosis or lack of it (Nicolino and Ronald 1). For one to term a patient of any disease, doctors have to conduct extensive testing. The psychosocial problems discussed here are ascertained by observation which brings out subjective conclusions. Parentage has also contributed a key role in the escalation of stimulant usage. With working couples relegating the work of bringing up the child to baby sitters and day care centers and eventually when they get to analyze their child and observe erratic behavior, they pay for psychological services, which results in recommendation of treatment against the disorders mentioned above. Parents have a considerable responsibility of shaping their children’s behavior and thus, taking the time to bring up and guide their children could be vital in the sense that many behavior issues would be resolved. There is a greater need for increased surveillance on the rate of ADHD and ADD identification and treatment. On the same note, outcomes associated with varying lengths of treatments should be looked at, to enhance critical evaluation of the effects of the over prescription of stimulants (Nicolino and Ronald 1). Further, strategies to prevent the emergence of disruptive behavior disorders should be implemented. Profound importance should be enhanced to provide positive strengthening for suitable conduct while dealing with oppositional behavior rather than resulting top stimulant medication. Drugs use in the treatment for ADHD and ADD generate adverse psychological effects on children and thus, need to scale down on their prescription by medical practitioners (Nicolino and Ronald 1). Adolescent and teenage stages, associated with increased erratic behaviors calls for increased awareness and enhancement to ensure that no inducement of disorders is done without proper diagnosis. Legal basis associated with stimulants. The above brings out a critical issue, calling for courts’ intervention and rulings made on the use of stimulants. Increase in awareness of stimulant drugs has resulted to class suit actions filled in various states across America. For instance, families in New Jersey sued Novartis alongside American Psychiatry Association and CHADD of conspiring to over diagnose ADD so as to increase the sales of Ritalin.1 The claim was that Novartis convinced the psychiatric association to describe ADHD as a sickness thus, increases in sales via higher demands for their drugs. Further, they claimed the company paid CHADD in convincing parents of the importance of medication of the disorder per se. In this regard, a number of stimulants regarded as illegal drugs include, Ritalin, Amphetamines and Methamphetamines, and as discussed in this context and classified as controlled substances. Conclusion In conclusion, it is clear that the rise of stimulant drugs among American children can be attributed to the prescription by doctors. On the same note, parents and school administrators claiming to enhance children’s ability to perceive knowledge better by inducing alertness, forms a basis for increased use of drugs. This calls for heightened effort by researchers to come up with findings defining the stimulants clearly and their eventual effects on humans. Many in the field of health care are advocating for the increase in research related to stimulant usage, and their effects. This will necessitate proper rulings of cases in courts to enhance or inhibit the use of these drugs. REFERENCES Gary, Null. The Drugging of our Children. Archives. Web 1 Retrieved December 10, 2011. Layton, Mary Jo and Lindy Washburn, “’Hyperactive’ Kids: Victims of Plot? - Lawsuit Alleges Scheme to sell Ritalin,” The Record. New Jersey. Oct 1, 2000, p. A-1. National Institute on Drug Abuse. NIDA InfoFacts: Stimulant ADHD Medications- Methylphnidate and Amphetamines. Bethsda, MD. NIDA, NIH, DHHS. Web 1 December 2004 Nicolino, Venus and Ricker, Ronald. The Over-Prescribing of Psychoactive Drugs to Children: A Scourge of Our Times. The Huffington Post. Web 1 September 1, 2010. Read More