Are we over medicating children?

I am reading a lot of articles lately regarding the amount of medication our children are placed on in today’s educational world. Reports are showing an extensive amount of ADHD type drugs being prescribed. I have to wonder if this is not creating more problems than curing.

We have depressed children on severe forms of anti-depressants who become more despondent and suicidal. We have children on the latest wonder drugs for ADHD and other disorders and often they are medicated without extensive testing. I agree that teachers have a responsibility to point out problem areas within a child’s learning abilities, but unless they have majored and practiced in pediatric psychology I do not feel they have the medical knowledge to demand anything and articles show this is exactly what is taking place.

I have a relative who is a prime example of the system on overload. Here is what happened.

Seven or more years ago a cousin of mine was medicated for a little over four months. According to the school at the time without the medication he was the epitome of the hyperactive child.

For a few months my Aunt had fought the schools constant requests for her son to be medicated. She was simply against it and reported that at home he was well behaved, did his homework, chores, never created problems and it was a pleasure parenting him.

The problem only tended to manifest during school. His teachers complained loudly about his actions within the classroom. A metamorphosis would occur. In the classroom environment his attention span was ten minutes or less. He created constant outbursts. He did whatever he pleased. If the class were assigned something that bored him, he drew pictures. The teachers complained he was unable to grasp the studies in the mental state he was in. They were upset and demanded he see a Physician.

My Aunt gave up and off to the Pediatrician they went. Ritalin was prescribed. Back to school and he was a changed boy. He appeared to be paying attention in class. He never created an outburst and best of all; he did not bother the teachers and they were happy. The school was ecstatic and my cousin was a member of the children of the corn lost in a state between awareness and the netherworld.

A few months later my Aunt, tired of picking her son up from school and seeing him in a drugged stupor. She takes him to a different Physician who specialized in children and their various syndromes. After an extensive weeklong series of tests they returned for the results. He was not a problem child at all simply bored out of his mind. The school was teaching about two years under his mental abilities. At the age of twelve he was referred to as gifted. We used to call them a genius. He is moved to a different school and taken off medication. He attended this one without the use of any drugs and the teachers reported he was a pleasure to have in class. He graduated from High School with honors and presently attends college.

Of course this case does not apply to all children. There are those with severe problems and others with physical limitations interfering with their mental growth. But the point I wanted to make is perhaps they should look deeper into the case of every child they haphazardly place on medication. Instead of thinking medication is the answer to everything.