[HannibalLecter]

Kids who only want to be active in this laziness-endorsing socity are being given extremely powerful mind-altering drugs with extremely serious side effects (angina, hallucinations, bipolar disorder, high blood pressure, schizophrenia, and many, many more); in fact, the side-effects are far more alarming than the actual symptoms of 'ADHD' (if such a condition really exists)!!!

Let's start by looking at the symptoms of ADHD:

nattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. The symptoms of ADHD are especially difficult to define because it is hard to draw the line at where normal levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity end and clinically significant levels requiring intervention begin.[15] To be diagnosed with ADHD, symptoms must be observed in two different settings for six months or more and to a degree that is greater than other children of the same age.[33] The symptom categories of ADHD in children yield three potential classifications of ADHD—predominantly inattentive type, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type, or combined type if criteria for both subtypes are met:[15]:p.4
Predominantly inattentive type symptoms may include:[34]

• Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another
• Have difficulty focusing on one thing
• Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless doing something enjoyable
• Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new
• Have trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
• Not seem to listen when spoken to
• Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
• Have difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others
• Struggle to follow instructions.

Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type symptoms may include:[34]

• Fidget and squirm in their seats
• Talk nonstop
• Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
• Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story time
• Be constantly in motion
• Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.

and also these manifestations primarily of impulsivity:[34]

• Be very impatient
• Blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequences
• Have difficulty waiting for things they want or waiting their turns in games

Most people exhibit some of these behaviors, but not to the degree where such behaviors significantly interfere with a person's work, relationships, or studies. The core impairments are consistent even in different cultural contexts.[35]
Symptoms may persist into adulthood for up to half of children diagnosed with ADHD. Estimating this is difficult as there are no official diagnostic criteria for ADHD in adults.[15] ADHD in adults remains a clinical diagnosis. The signs and symptoms may differ from those during childhood and adolescence due to the adaptive processes and avoidance mechanisms learned during the process of socialisation.[36]
A 2009 study found that children with ADHD move around a lot because it helps them stay alert enough to complete challenging tasks.[37]


Now, let's look at the side effects of ritalin (one of the main drugs used for 'treatment' of ADHD')


Some adverse effects may emerge during chronic use of methylphenidate so a constant watch for adverse effects is recommended.[55] Some adverse effects of stimulant therapy may emerge during long-term therapy but there is very little research of the long-term effects of stimulants.[56][57] The most common side effects of methylphenidate are nervousness and insomnia. Other adverse reactions include:[58]

• Abdominal pain
• Alopecia
• Angina
• Appetite loss
• Blood pressure and pulse changes (both up and down)
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Diaphoresis (sweating)
• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Dyskinesia
• Headaches
• Hypersensitivity (including skin rash, urticaria, fever, arthralgia, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme, necrotizing vasculitis, and thrombocytopenic purpura)
• Nausea
• Palpitations
• Pupil dilation[59]
• Short-term weight loss
• Stunted growth
• Tachycardia
• Xerostomia (dry mouth)

[edit] Known or suspected risks to health

Researchers have also looked into the role of methylphenidate in affecting stature, with some studies finding slight decreases in height acceleration.[60] Other studies indicate height may normalize by adolescence.[61][62] In a 2005 study, only "minimal effects on growth in height and weight were observed" after 2 years of treatment. "No clinically significant effects on vital signs or laboratory test parameters were observed."[63]
A 2003 study tested the effects of dextromethylphenidate (Focalin), levomethylphenidate, and (racemic) dextro-, levomethylphenidate (Ritalin) on mice to search for any carcinogenic effects. The researchers found that all three preparations were non-genotoxic and non-clastogenic; d-MPH, d, l-MPH, and l-MPH did not cause mutations or chromosomal aberrations. They concluded that none of the compounds present a carcinogenic risk to humans.[64] Current scientific evidence supports that long-term methylphenidate treatment does not increase the risk of developing cancer in humans.[65]
It was documented in 2000, by Zito et al.[66][67]“that at least 1.5% of children between the ages of two and four are medicated with stimulants, anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs, despite the paucity of controlled scientific trials confirming safety and long-term effects with preschool children.”
On March 22, 2006 the FDA Pediatric Advisory Committee decided that medications using methylphenidate ingredients do not need black box warnings about their risks, noting that "for normal children, these drugs do not appear to pose an obvious cardiovascular risk."[68] Previously, 19 possible cases had been reported of Cardiac arrest linked to children taking methylphenidate[69] and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee to the FDA recommend a "black-box" warning in 2006 for stimulant drugs used to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.[70]
Doses prescribed of stimulants above the recommended dose level is associated with higher levels of psychosis, substance misuse and psychiatric admissions.[71]
[edit] Long-term effects

The effects of long-term methylphenidate treatment on the developing brains of children with ADHD is the subject of study and debate.[72][73] Although the safety profile of short-term methylphenidate therapy in clinical trials has been well established, repeated use of psychostimulants such as methylphenidate is less clear. There are no well defined withdrawal schedules for discontinuing long-term use of stimulants.[74] There are limited data that suggest there are benefits to long-term treatment in correctly diagnosed children with ADHD, with overall modest risks.[75] Short-term clinical trials lasting a few weeks show an incidence of psychosis of about 0.1%.[76] A small study of just under 100 children that assessed long-term outcome of stimulant use found that 6% of children became psychotic after months or years of stimulant therapy. Typically psychosis would abate soon after stopping stimulant therapy. As the study size was small, larger studies have been recommended.[77] The long-term effects on mental health disorders in later life of chronic use of methylphenidate is unknown.[78] Concerns have been raised that long-term therapy might cause drug dependence, paranoia, schizophrenia and behavioral sensitisation, similar to other stimulants.[79] Psychotic symptoms from methylphenidate can include, hearing voices, visual hallucinations, urges to harm oneself, severe anxiety, euphoria, grandiosity, paranoid delusions, confusion, increased aggression and irritability. Methylphenidate psychosis is unpredictable in whom it will occur. Family history of mental illness does not predict the incidence of stimulant toxicosis in children with ADHD. High rates of childhood stimulant use is found in patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder independent of ADHD. Individuals with a diagnosis of bipolar or schizophrenia who were prescribed stimulants during childhood typically have a significantly earlier onset of the psychotic disorder and suffer a more severe clinical course of psychotic disorder.[80][81][82] Knowledge of the effects of chronic use of methylphenidate is poorly understood with regard to persisting behavioral and neuroadaptational effects.[83]
Tolerance and behavioural sensitisation may occur with long-term use of methylphenidate.[84] There is also cross tolerance with other stimulants such as amphetamines and cocaine.[85] Stimulant withdrawal or rebound reactions can occur and should be minimised in intensity, e.g. via a gradual tapering off of medication over a period of weeks or months.[86][87][88] A very small study of abrupt withdrawal of stimulants did suggest that withdrawal reactions are not typical. Nonetheless withdrawal reactions may still occur in susceptible individuals.[89] The withdrawal or rebound symptoms of methylphenidate can include psychosis, depression, irritability and a temporary worsening of the original ADHD symptoms. Methylphenidate due to its very short elimination half life may be more prone to rebound effects than d-amphetamine.[36][90][91] Up to a third of children with ADHD experience a rebound effect when methylphenidate dose wears off.[92]


Now, let's see what a professional has to say about it:


Priscilla Alderson is Professor of Childhood Studies at the Institute of Education, University of London.
"More than one in 20 schoolage children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and by 2007, some experts predict that one in seven schoolchildren will be on mood-altering pills - such as the infamous Ritalin - to control anti-social behaviour.
Yet not too long ago, ADHD was unheard of.
So have scientists identified an old disease - or invented a new one? The truth is that a disorder or a syndrome is not a medical diagnosis, but a collection of behaviours.
These are so broad and vague that almost everyone has them at some point. Getting agitated, losing your temper and being bored are classic symptoms of ADHD - but don't all children behave like that sometimes?
What has caused the rise in ADHD? I believe it has much to do with the destruction of real childhood - shutting children away in schools, crËches, homes and cars.
Recently, David Blunkett said he was 'reclaiming the streets' from young people. I believe we have already stolen the streets from them.
Once, they were the children's playground, where they could have freedom and fun, while their parents had some peace at home.
Now, it is a crime to 'hang about' with your friends. Local authorities have closed hundreds of parks, playgrounds, play groups and youth clubs.
Campaigns, such as 'say no to strangers', create fear. Adults are afraid to speak to a child in case they look like paedophiles. Children with problems at home may have no one to turn to.
Fear of accidents and of being sued leads adults to treat children like china dolls. Then, the safest place is on the sofa in front of the TV ads. Or playing computer games, or watching videos.
With all this enforced inactivity, children who try to be active are seen as abnormal or 'hyper'. Then doctors helpfully add drugs such as Ritalin to the stew of hyperinducing chemicals that children have already ingested from sweets and fizzy drinks.
So how could we help the children likely to be diagnosed with these 'syndromes', and their parents?
If we were serious, we would have to make major changes. Those who work the longest hours and on lower pay tend to be parents with young children.
After a day in top gear, it is hard to adjust to toddler pace, or enjoy an evening picnic. No wonder children have to react to get their share of attention.
Many British children are locked into frustrating, failing struggles with maths and literacy lessons that they could do quickly and easily when a couple of years older. Is this frustration manifesting itself as the classic anti-social behaviour exhibited by ADHD children?
I don't believe the statistics that condemn so many children to this label are fair. We need to look at the way society creates hyperactivity in so many children, and adults. And stop stigmatising - and drugging - the lively ones."

Read more: Does ADHD really exist? | Mail Online

Unruly behaviour by children is falsely attributed to ADHD and autism, academic claims Professor Priscilla Alderson claims in the Times newspaper that behavioural 'syndromes' are normal childhood restlessness of a generation stuck at home.
But Barry Bourne, an educational psychologist, who has worked with children for 35 years, rejects the claims that his profession is exploiting labels to make money.
July 28, 2003 - Source: This article is taken from The Times newspaper

.......

Unruly behaviour by many children is being falsely attributed to medical complaints and syndromes when better parenting is needed, a leading academic has claimed.

Priscilla Alderson, Professor of Childhood Studies at London University, said that syndromes such as attention deficit disorder and mild autism were being exploited by psychologists keen to “make a quick buck”.
Her conclusion will provoke fury among psychologists and the parents of affected children, who have spent years fighting for recognition of a range of behavioural problems. The National Autistic Society said that questioning the diagnoses would add to the “stress and confusion” suffered by many families.
The number of children registered with special needs has almost doubled over the past decade to 1.4 million — an increase from 11.6 per cent to 19.2 per cent in primary schools and from 9.6 per cent to 16.5 per cent in secondary schools. The term encompasses learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, to various syndromes on the “autism spectrum”.
Professor Alderson was backed by Eamonn O’Kane, leader of the National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Woman Teachers, who said that members were cynical about an explosion in the number of special needs diagnoses and called for more support for teachers facing bad behaviour.
Professor Alderson said that it was often convenient for neglectful parents to claim that a child had a behavioural disorder. She believes that much of the increase can be put down to more flexible interpretations of normal childhood traits, such as restlessness and excitability. In our more gullible age, she says, this becomes attention deficit — which could be solved by engaging more with children and allowing them to let off steam in traditional fashion by playing in parks and climbing trees.
“I recently visited a special school which had 27 children diagnosed as autistic. Of those, only two that I met displayed the lack of eye contact and absence of empathy which denotes true autism,” she said. “Money is behind all this. Pyschologists want the work, and lower the diagnosis threshold accordingly. Special needs is an administrative device describing children who have extra needs from those provided for in the average classroom.
“Playgrounds and parks are empty, because of the scare stories about abductions. But children need the space and freedom to play, run and climb — without that, they are restless, and come to be seen as abnormally ‘hyperactive’.
“About eight children are murdered outside the home each year, compared with about 50 inside. Cooping up children inside homes is not going to do them any good.”
Professor Alderson, 57, who has three grown-up children and three grandchildren, admitted that her eldest daughter had been “difficult”, something she attributes to her naivity at the time about how to be a good parent. “By the time my other children came along I had realised that if you treat children as adults then they will behave accordingly.”
Teachers have complained about the growth in the syndromes, alleging that it gives pupils an excuse to avoid discipline. They are also suspicious about the number of children who are able to use a diagnosis to claim more time in their examinations. For a fee of £50, an educational psychologist or specialist teacher can attest that a child should claim at least 25 per cent extra time because they have behavioural or learning disorders.
Almost 37,000 11-year-olds were given extra time in their national test in English last year — up by 8,000, or more than 35 per cent, in two years. Similar increases were seen in maths and science tests.
Barry Bourne, an educational psychologist, who has worked with children for 35 years, rejected the claims that his profession was exploiting labels to make money. “In the past I think we had a very crude view of some of these disorders,” he said. “It is a very complicated issue. I think we have a much better understanding of what aspects make up a personality than we did when I first joined the profession. Personally I am convinced that family history plays a far more significant part than we believed in the past, and while surroundings and upbringing are also important alone they simply do not explain why certain people from the same family develop in very different ways.”
Mr O’Kane, general secretary of the second-largest teaching union, said: “A lot of teachers are very cynical about the reasons behind the boom in the numbers of these conditions. We need to do more to address the consequences for staff who have to deal with the bad behaviour.”
An internet chatroom used anonymously by teachers reveals the beliefs of many members of the profession. One posting, left this month by a teacher identified only as “re”, complained about students who “are whipped off to a psychologist and labelled if they show the slightest sign of misbehaviour”.
It goes on: “This ‘diagnosis’ then becomes an excuse for more misbehaviour — we have students with ‘mild tourettes’ and lots of ADHD — and yet they can behave well if threatened with punishment.”
Someone calling herself Miss Nomer responds: “Writing as a special-needs teacher, I am quite sure that a lot of it is complete b. I get sick of being trashed by some little s who then tells me I can’t punish him because his pill hasn’t kicked in yet. When you give a kid a syndrome, you give him an excuse.”
She blamed “uppity parents looking for compensation, extra funding, a stick to beat teacher and an excuse for their kid’s obnoxious behaviour and their inadequate parenting”.
Eileen Hopkins, a director of the National Autistic Society, said: “This can only add to the stress and confusion that many families face. The importance of receiving a correct diagnosis cannot be emphasised enough. Access to the most appropriate education and support depends on it. No reputable diagnostician is likely to make an on-the-spot diagnosis. Our experience is that diagnosis is still a battle for many families. Teachers believe the numbers of children with an autistic spectrum disorder is on the increase.”

Many young children feel unsafe in local parks as these are often dirty and dominated by gangs of older youths, a report says today. Lack of opportunities to play out safely was the top concern of 5- to 13-year-olds from deprived parts of England, according to research by the education watchdog Ofsted for the Government’s Children’s Fund.

[HannibalLecter]

Even this may be part of the conspiracy (i.e. keep kids from being active increases the prevalence of ADHD diagnoses (or, of course, it could be part of a 'keep children obese' conspiracy (or both)))



USA Today reports the trend toward banning simple playground games is expanding as more schools fear kids will get hurt.
This is an insane trend, probably driven by lawsuits much like the removal of high diving boards that I wrote about earlier this week.
When will the pendulum finally begin to swing back away from the rampant over protection and suffocating lawyering that is taking all the fun out of childhood?
Let me make it clear that I am in favor of sensible precautions. We made fun of kids for wearing bicycle helmets when I was a kid and I glad that trend has reversed, just to choose one example. And there are dangers out there, like pedophiles and fast-moving cars, for which kids need to learn some basics about how to protect themselves.
But how far should it go? Do four-year-olds really need self defense classes? Should kids be forbidden from even RUNNING at school?
How can reasonable people help return sensibility to places where fear has taken us over the edge?

Some traditional childhood games are disappearing from school playgrounds because educators say they're dangerous.
Elementary schools in Cheyenne, Wyo., and Spokane, Wash., banned tag at recess this year. Others, including a suburban Charleston, S.C., school, dumped contact sports such as soccer and touch football.
In other cities, including Wichita; San Jose, Calif.; Beaverton, Ore.; and Rancho Santa Fe., Calif., schools took similar actions earlier.
The bans were passed in the name of safety, but some children's health advocates say limiting exercise and free play can inhibit a child's development.
Groups such as the National School Boards Association don't keep statistics on school games.
But several experts, including Donna Thompson of the National Program for Playground Safety, verify the trend. Dodge ball has been out at some schools for years, but banning games such as tag and soccer is a newer development.
"It's happening more," Thompson says. Educators worry about "kids running into one another" and getting hurt, she says.
In January, Freedom Elementary School in Cheyenne prohibited tag at recess because it "progresses easily into slapping and hitting and pushing instead of just touching," Principal Cindy Farwell says.
Contact sports were banned from recess at Charles Pinckney Elementary early this year, says Charleston County schools spokeswoman Mary Girault, because children suffered broken arms and dislocated fingers playing touch football and soccer.
Some schools that ban games at recess allow children to play them in gym class under supervision.
Critics of the bans say playing freely helps kids learn to negotiate rules and resolve disputes.
"They learn to change and to problem-solve," says Rhonda Clements, an education professor at Manhattanville College.
Joe Frost, emeritus professor of early childhood education at the University of Texas-Austin, sees playground restrictions as harmful.
"You're taking away the physical development of the children," he says. "Having time for play is essential for children to keep their weight under control."

[Cthulhu]

Why do you feel the need to post your conspiracy theories in a subforum for "intelligent discussion"?

[HannibalLecter]

Why do you feel the need to post your conspiracy theories in a subforum for "intelligent discussion"?

Because both sides have intelligent arguments. I may have called it a 'conspiracy', but many who work with children believe that ADHD does not really exist.
(P.S. Knowing this crowd, you are most likely going to receive 'thanks' after 'thanks' for that politically-correct little remark.)

[Cthulhu]

Because both sides have intelligent arguments. I may have called it a 'conspiracy', but many who work with children believe that ADHD does not really exist.
(P.S. Knowing this crowd, you are most likely going to receive 'thanks' after 'thanks' for that idiotic little remark.)

I also never really said that the claims werent valid, and i kind of have to agree with you. Most of the things that are claimed to be caused by ADHD are just personality traits that arent really a problem at all. But to go so far as to say that the disorder was cooked up by the government/whoever is what really causes it to cross over from intelligent discussion to "ZOMFG teh gubment are out to git us!!1" You know precisely what i mean, as there is little to no evidence that the government is out to get us, via ritalin or anything else, besides the "coincidences" observed by crock pots such as yourself. As for getting thanks for my "idiotic" remark, im sure that its because they feel the same way about the sudden flow of conspiracy threads in the debate forum. It always comes down to:

me: there isnt any real proof that they are out to get us.

you: Youre brainwashed/thats what they WANT you to think/youre part of the conspiracy.

Its a bit silly, dont you think?

[HannibalLecter]

I also never really said that the claims werent valid, and i kind of have to agree with you. Most of the things that are claimed to be caused by ADHD are just personality traits that arent really a problem at all. But to go so far as to say that the disorder was cooked up by the government/whoever is what really causes it to cross over from intelligent discussion to "ZOMFG teh gubment are out to git us!!1" You know precisely what i mean, as there is little to no evidence that the government is out to get us, via ritalin or anything else, besides the "coincidences" observed by crock pots such as yourself. As for getting thanks for my "idiotic" remark, im sure that its because they feel the same way about the sudden flow of conspiracy threads in the debate forum. It always comes down to:

me: there isnt any real proof that they are out to get us.

you: Youre brainwashed/thats what they WANT you to think/youre part of the conspiracy.

Its a bit silly, dont you think?

Oh, but the government is involved!


http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pag...o.uk/1/hi/heal
th/ 3093087.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3093087.stm

Schools in row over Ritalin

Schools are threatening to expel hyperactive children who do not take
the controversial drug Ritalin, the BBC has learnt.

Some parents are even being told that their children may be taken into
care if they do not put their children on the drug.

The claims come as a survey in Scotland suggests some youngsters are
selling Ritalin to drug dealers or swapping it for CDs and phone cards.

Parents' charity Overload Network International said the situation was
so bad, some school secretaries and dinner ladies were having to hand
out extra doses to children.

The survey also revealed that some teenage girls had started taking the
drug as a diet pill.

Janice Hill of the charity has urged the government to step up controls
of the drug to ensure it is not being abused.

Hyperactive treatment

Ritalin is prescribed to children with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD).

The symptoms of ADHD range from poor concentration and extreme
hyperactivity to interrupting and intruding on other people and not
being able to wait in queues.

Studies have suggested the condition may affect one in 20 children. Boys
are three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls.
But Ritalin is also a mild stimulant - an amphetamine - that works on
the central nervous system to improve concentration.

As a result, it is sometimes used by drug dealers to mix with
amphetamine.

Nevertheless, studies have suggested the drug is an effective way of
treating ADHD.

However, its critics say it can cause serious side-effects in some
children, leaving them robotic, lethargic, depressed, or withdrawn.

As a result, many parents are refusing to allow their children to be
given the drug.

However, the BBC has learnt that they are being pressured into changing
their minds by schools.

The parents of teenager Ashley Aslett were told they would have to
remove their son from his school in Lincoln if he didn't take Ritalin.

"They said Ashley was a danger to the school and other children and
staff and if he wasn't to be medicated than he wouldn't be allowed in
school," his father Simon told the BBC.

Ashley hadn't even been diagnosed with ADHD.

The school has since lifted its threat to exclude Ashley. However,
Ashley decided against staying

Similar cases

Barry Turner, a law lecturer at the University of Lincoln, said the
Asletts were not alone.

He told the BBC he had heard of similar cases and even of parents being
told that their children would be put into care if they didn't take
Ritalin.

"We haven't yet reached the stage it is at in some of the states of the
United States, where parents have actually been prosecuted for child
abuse because they haven't treated their children but we are becoming
dangerously close to that state of affairs," he said.

The Department for Education said schools should not threaten to expel
hyperactive children who did not take Ritalin.

"The prescription of Ritalin for a child is a decision to be discussed
between parents and their family doctor or clinic," said a spokeswoman.

"It is not a matter on which schools should pass judgement."

[OctoberSkye]

tl;dr but my brother has ADHD. It is real. (Although, I am certain kids get misdiagnosed all the time.) My brother has never been put on medication, though, thank goodness. I find drugging children really sad, especially when it's so often unnecessary.

[HannibalLecter]

tl;dr but my brother has ADHD. It is real. (Although, I am certain kids get misdiagnosed all the time.) My brother has never been put on medication, though, thank goodness. I find drugging children really sad, especially when it's so often unnecessary.

So that's what 'tl;dr' means!
I really don't expect many people - if anybody - to read that rather long OP.

[Cthulhu]

Schools in row over Ritalin

Schools are threatening to expel hyperactive children who do not take
the controversial drug Ritalin, the BBC has learnt.

Some parents are even being told that their children may be taken into
care if they do not put their children on the drug.

This is a result of a school's policy, not government policy.

The claims come as a survey in Scotland suggests some youngsters are
selling Ritalin to drug dealers or swapping it for CDs and phone cards.

Same thing happens when a kid who gets some leniency with control over pain pills after an operation. Its common place with most medications, not just ritalin.

Parents' charity Overload Network International said the situation was
so bad, some school secretaries and dinner ladies were having to hand
out extra doses to children.

This is ridiculous. These employees do not have the medical license to dole out ritalin. The only person in this situation that would even be remotely qualified to do such would be the school nurse, and thats a stretch whenever the qualification for school nurse is usually to be just an LPN, and they dont have the medical credentials to handle medication (in the US, anyways).

The survey also revealed that some teenage girls had started taking the
drug as a diet pill.

This one you can blame the media for. The media had developed a stereotype that most fragile teen girls think they have to fit into, and to stay skinny, anything that can keep them thin and is able for them to obtain is going to be used. However, if it wasnt ritalin on the chopping block, it would be a different medication where one of the side effects were diet suppression.

Studies have suggested the condition may affect one in 20 children. Boys
are three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls.
But Ritalin is also a mild stimulant - an amphetamine - that works on
the central nervous system to improve concentration.

As a result, it is sometimes used by drug dealers to mix with
amphetamine.

This is the also the case with many other drugs. Sudafed is also a favorite for meth cooks.

However, the BBC has learnt that they are being pressured into changing
their minds by schools.

The parents of teenager Ashley Aslett were told they would have to
remove their son from his school in Lincoln if he didn't take Ritalin.

"They said Ashley was a danger to the school and other children and
staff and if he wasn't to be medicated than he wouldn't be allowed in
school," his father Simon told the BBC.

Ashley hadn't even been diagnosed with ADHD.

The school has since lifted its threat to exclude Ashley. However,
Ashley decided against staying

Similar cases

Barry Turner, a law lecturer at the University of Lincoln, said the
Asletts were not alone.

He told the BBC he had heard of similar cases and even of parents being
told that their children would be put into care if they didn't take
Ritalin.

Once again, im going to have to say that its a problem in the policies and the administration involved.

"We haven't yet reached the stage it is at in some of the states of the
United States, where parents have actually been prosecuted for child
abuse because they haven't treated their children but we are becoming
dangerously close to that state of affairs," he said.

It truly is a shame that child abuse is being thrown at parents who are using their judgement to discern what is best for their children, especially when the initial disorder isnt such a problem in the first place and the side effects of the medication seem to be worse than the disorder that the medication is treating.

The Department for Education said schools should not threaten to expel
hyperactive children who did not take Ritalin.

"The prescription of Ritalin for a child is a decision to be discussed
between parents and their family doctor or clinic," said a spokeswoman.

"It is not a matter on which schools should pass judgement."

I agree that this is something that schools shouldnt be dabbling with. But is this a case where the government is forming a conspiracy to control the future generations by causing them to be lethargic? Hardly.

[HannibalLecter]

Peter Breggin, psychiatrist and author - founder of the nonprofit Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology.

How do you respond to the parents who give glowing testimonies about how that drug has helped their child? In America today, it's easy to go out and get glowing testimony from parents about how wonderfully their children have been doing on Ritalin. There was a caged animal, a polar bear, in the zoo in Toronto, who was pacing up and down and looking uncomfortable, and looking like he'd really like to go back to the Arctic or the Antarctic. And they put him on Prozac, and he stopped pacing. His name was Snowball. He sat quietly and looked happy. And animal rights people gathered to the zoo and protested the drugging of a polar bear to make him into a good caged animal, and he was taken off the drug.
We have lost track of what childhood is about, of what parenthood and teaching is about. We now think it's about having good quiet children who make it easy for us to go to work. It's about having submissive children who will sit in a boring classroom of 30, often with teachers who don't know how to use visual aids and all the other exciting technologies that kids are used to. Or there are teachers who are forced to pressure their children to get grades on standardized tests, and don't have the time to pay individual attention to them. We're in a situation in America in which the personal growth and development and happiness of our children is not the priority; it's rather the smooth functioning of overstressed families and schools. . . .
There are no miracle drugs. Speed--these drugs are forms of speed--don't improve human life. They reduce human life. And if you want less of a child, these drugs are very effective. These parents have also been lied to: flat-out lied to. They've been told that children have a neurobiological disorder. They've been told their children have biochemical imbalances and genetic defects. On what basis? That they fit into a checklist of attention deficit disorder, which is just a list of behaviors that teachers would like to see stopped in a classroom? That's all it is. . . .
One of the really obscene things that has happened is that psychiatry has sold the idea that if you criticize drugs, you're making parents feel guilty. What an obscenity that is. We are supposed to be responsible for our children. . . . If we're not responsible for raising our children, what are we responsible for? If children aren't entrusted to us for the specific purpose of our turning ourselves inside-out to be good parents, what is life about? It is a disgrace that my profession has pandered to the guilt of parents by saying, "We'll relieve you of guilt. We'll tell you your child has a brain disease, and that the problem can be treated by a drug."
That's pandering to the worst desires that we have as parents--all of us--which is to say, "I'm not guilty of this problem." . . . I'd rather be guilty as a parent, and say, "I did wrong," than say, "Son, you have a brain disease." Sure, we're all tempted. We're all tempted, when we're in conflict with our children, to hold them responsible. And how much easier it is if we don't even have to hold them responsible. . . .
Let's talk about the lawsuits that have been filed against the Novartis, the manufacturer of Ritalin.
On Tuesday, May 2, a class action suit was brought against the manufacturers of Ritalin and Novartis, against [CHADD], a parents' group that has been heavily funded by the drug companies, and the American Psychiatric Association--for the fraudulent overemphasis on the ADHD diagnosis and treatment with Ritalin. The American Psychiatric Association, CHADD, and the drug manufacturer are accused of conspiracy. The case has been brought in Texas by the law firm of Waters & Krause, and is now actually in the courts. . . . Probably there's going to be a series of related cases, or at least a number of attorneys coming together, around this issue of fraud and conspiracy in the promotion of the diagnosis and the promotion of the drug.
So that will hinge on showing what? Damage to the children?
No damage is required to be shown to the children in this case, because it's not that kind of product liability case. All that the parents have to show is that they spent money on Ritalin, when they were in fact fraudulently induced to think that it would be worth something. . . .
There's actually a great deal of evidence for a conspiratorial relationship. According to international law, you cannot directly promote a highly addictive Schedule II drug to the public. Ritalin is in Schedule II along with amphetamine, methamphetamine, cocaine and morphine. And you're not allowed to put ads in the newspaper for that. You're not allowed, according to international conventions, to directly promote to the public. ...
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/medicating/interviews/breggin.html