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Ritalin Nation: Are We Killing Our Children?
The Rutherford Institute | 6/14/04 | John W. Whitehead
Posted on 06/15/2004 6:05:13 PM PDT by wagglebee
Methylphenidate, a schedule 2 substance, has a high potential for abuse and
produces the same effects as cocaine or the amphetamines. Binge use,
psychotic episodes, cardiovascular complications and severe psychological
addiction have all been associated with methylphenidate. -U.S. Drug
Enforcement Administration Background Memo (2004)
This year, approximately six million children-roughly one out of every
eight-will take Ritalin for what is termed "attention-deficit/hyperactive
disorder" (ADHD), a condition that was once labeled hyperactivity. However,
the drugs that are prescribed for ADHD are cocaine-like stimulants. And
according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the human
nervous system cannot differentiate between cocaine, amphetamines and
methylphenidate (Ritalin).
Since ADHD hit the mainstream in the 1980s, prescriptions for Ritalin have
skyrocketed. And over the past three years, there has been a 23 percent
increase for all children, including those under 5 years of age. However, as
the DEA reports, not only is Ritalin a dangerous narcotic, it also has
numerous, troublesome side effects: difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite,
irritability, nervousness, stomach aches, headaches, blurry vision, nausea,
dizziness, drowsiness, ticks, hypersensitivity, anorexia, blood pressure and
pulse changes, cardiac arrhythmia, anemia, scalp hair loss and toxic
psychosis. Other rare side effects include abnormal liver function, cerebral
arteritis, leucopenia and sometimes death.
Recent evidence also ties Ritalin and other methylphenidate derivatives to
abnormally violent behavior in the young people who take such drugs. For
example, in 1998, 15-year-old Kip Kinkle of Oregon, after taking
methylphenidate and Prozac, killed four people, including his own parents,
and wounded 22 more. Eric Harris, one of the Columbine High School killers,
masterminded the killing of 12 students and a teacher while on similar
drugs. He and his partner then shot themselves.
These and other violent killings by young students have now been linked to
the burgeoning legalized prescription drug market that has invaded America's
public schools.
Rod Matthews, a 14-year-old Massachusetts youth who had no history of
violence but was placed on methylphenidate, soon developed extreme
psychological problems. In October of 1986, Rod wrote: "My problem is I like
to do crazy things. I've been lighting fires all over the place. Lately, I'
ve been wanting to kill people I hate, and I've been wanting to light houses
on fire. What should I do?" Shortly thereafter, Rod lured a fellow student
into a forested area and beat the young man to death with a baseball bat.
Tried as an adult and convicted of second-degree murder, Rod became the
youngest inmate in the Massachusetts prison system. After he was arrested
and taken off methylphenidate, however, his violent thoughts stopped.
If Ritalin is so bad, why is it being used on schoolchildren? The sad fact
is that our public schools and parents have been duped by the psychiatric
and drug industries. "A quintessential truth was unearthed about the
educational experience children encounter today," write Thomas G. Whittle
and Linda Amato in Freedom magazine (Spring 2004). "Psychotropic drug
makers, parasitic on the school system, have created a lucrative market for
their own enrichment by 'pathologizing' childhood behavior as mental
disorders, with pseudo medical labels obediently supplied by the very
psychiatrists who prosper from this corrupt arrangement."
It has been proven that Ritalin can cause especially severe reactions in
children under six years of age and should not be used for this age group.
Despite this fact, the number of stimulants for children aged two to four
has increased 200 to 300 percent between 1991 and 1995.
Another alarming fact has recently surfaced. Adolescents are increasingly
giving and selling their Ritalin medication to schoolmates and friends who
are taking it orally, crushing the tablets and snorting Ritalin powder like
cocaine. It is no wonder, then, that Ritalin is often referred to as "Kiddie
Cocaine."
Ritalin is also closely related to the illegal street drugs
methamphetamine-street name "crystal meth." Ironically, our society
imprisons people for manufacturing drugs similar to the drugs physicians
commonly prescribe to millions of our school children.
But does Ritalin really help settle down hyperactive children? A
comprehensive follow-up study at Montreal Children's Hospital reveals that
the behavior of hyperactive children did not differ significantly from the
behavior of non-hyperactive children after taking Ritalin for five years.
"Although it appeared that hyperactive kids treated with Ritalin were
initially more manageable, the degree of improvement and emotional
adjustment was essentially identical at the end of five years to that seen
in a group of kids who had received no medication at all," the report
stated.
And does taking Ritalin help our children academically? According to Dr.
Mary Ann Block: "It may surprise many to know that studies have found that
children who take amphetamine-type or other mind-altering drugs do not
perform better academically. No studies indicate enhanced academic
performance from these drugs." In fact, academically, the schools are
worsening.
Despite ever-increasing sums spent on education and drugs for children, the
U.S. literary rate plummeted from fifth in the world among nations in the
1960s to 49th by 1999, its lowest rating ever.
What can we do? First, our government should immediately step in and place a
moratorium on Ritalin and similar drugs. No child should be subjected to
such medical and psychological abuse. This means our President and Congress
should make Ritalin and related drugs the top priority in the so-called war
on drugs.
This will mean investigating those who advocate and profit from such
drug-related activities. And, if need be, instead of the current policy of
protecting the drug industry, some of these companies should be put out of
business.
Second, with very few exceptions, no one should force their child to take
psychotropic drugs. In fact, it has been established that environmental
toxins, mercury poisoning and allergies often affect behavior and academic
performance and create the symptoms that are now called ADHD. Consult a
physician before even considering such dangerous drugs.
Third, do not allow your child to be threatened with a psychiatric label
such as ADHD. He or she may merely be a normal hyperactive child or may be
suffering from a learning problem or other non-drug-related problem.
Finally, we as a nation must move away from the concept of drugs of any kind
as an answer. By doing so, we have opened the door to manipulation by
unscrupulous drug marketers who would dope us up or drug us for a profit. If
we as a society really mean that we are anti-drug, then let it start at home
and at school.
If Ritalin is so bad, why is it being used on schoolchildren? The sad fact
is that our public schools and parents have been duped by the psychiatric
and drug industries. "A quintessential truth was unearthed about the
educational experience children encounter today," write Thomas G. Whittle
and Linda Amato in Freedom magazine (Spring 2004). "Psychotropic drug
makers, parasitic on the school system, have created a lucrative market for
their own enrichment by 'pathologizing' childhood behavior as mental
disorders, with pseudo medical labels obediently supplied by the very
psychiatrists who prosper from this corrupt arrangement."
Teachers (many not all) today would rather sedate their students and the
drug companies are making a fortune as a result. The problem is that ADHD is
really just kids not being disciplined properly, so they are given drugs
that can really screw them up or even kill them.
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