Quote:
Originally Posted by PiKA2001
Generally speaking I think it's ridiculous how people are so eager to take a pill to supposedly solve their (non) problems. Aren't they saying that 60% of kids have ADD now?
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I don't know who "they" might be, but I've never seen or heard a figure -- at least from a reputable source -- higher than 10%.
Our son is on two different medications for ADHD. We tried everything we could think of before going the medicine route. We didn't consider medication until we had a diagnosis from a psychologists based on two days' worth of testing and extensive reports from us and teachers. After a horrible reaction to the first medicine we tried (depression) our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric neurologist, whom we see every 3 months to check on things. We consider the use of these medicines to be an aid while he develops other skills and coping mechanisms, not a permanent solution.
I'm in no way denying that overmedication happens or that some parents are sure their kids need drugs and shop around until they find a doctor willing to prescribe them. But I'm a bit bothered when the reaction to that is to slam the use of these medications or doubt the need for AD(H)D medications in children altogether. That's an overreaction that can foster an environment of shaming the kid who truly do need these medicines or dismissing what they deal with as not really real.