MEDICATING OUR CHILDREN

April 2000
		Are we overmedicating our children? When should doctors prescribe psychiatric drugs for kids? Should there be restrictions imposed for younger children? Experts answer your questions.

Forum introduction Ritalin for children under 5. Diagnosing ADHD Diet and ADHD Is our definition of 'normal' accurate? Adults and medication Additional Comments     Health Spotlight: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder March 24, 2000: Treating ADHD The NewsHour's Health Spotlight. More NewsHour health coverage.	Phyllis Meyer of Scottsdale, AZ asks: I think that medication is an important option for children that are having severe social, emotional, and academic problems. My fear comes from the way that they are so readily prescribed and used. If the behavior/social/psyc problems are so very common, then shouldn't we be changing what we consider normal? Dr. Jensen responds: Yes, medication is an important option. But despite anecdotal claims to the contrary, we DO NOT KNOW that parents or physicians are "rushing to Ritalin." In my experience and that of many pediatrician colleagues, parents use such interventions with a great deal of concern, even guilt, wondering what else they could or should do. Yet frequently, all other options have been tried and found insufficient. But if and when medications are used as the first or sole option, that is indeed a problem. To the extent that such happens (and it certainly must happen sometimes), better training of physicians is needed. In addition, the insurance and managed care industry need to provide more ready support for the use of other appropriate interventions. So again, the real issue here is not that such medications are used, but that we need more evidence to determine when and for whom they should be used. Dr. Diller responds: I agree with Phyllis. I greatly question our inconsistent use of stimulants in our country today (by the way we use 80% of the world's Ritalin). Nevertheless, after I've tried to address issues of family and school as best I can I will prescribe medication often to help a round peg personality child fit into a square educational hole. I believe many of these children's problems, rather than reflecting a "chemical imbalance", are the result of a "living imbalance" where demands on children, families and teachers have increased while social supports have decreased. We currently have an intolerance of temperamental diversity in our country where some variations of boyhood are becoming potential disorders.