Ritalin

["Devine, James" <jdevine@xxxxxxx>]

Title: Ritalin

Ken C. writes:
> Ritalin as a slap-dash (Cuckoo's Nest) way to deal with child behavior
> outside the accepted norms.

it can be such. In fact, it is exactly that much too often. A school principal finds a pliable pediatrician to prescribe the drug to deal with "extra-normal" behaviors in a bureaucratic/Brave New World way. This is the "magic bullet" treatment I referred to when discussing the over-prescription of Ritalin.

But the application of psychological meds. doesn't have to be that way. When done right, a pill such as Ritalin doesn't allow anyone to sweep the problem kid under the rug. The kid needs to be watched -- and talked to -- more, to make sure that the med is working and doesn't have bad side-effects. A psychiatrist (not a pediatrician) has to be very alert to make sure that the dosage is right (and the dose changes as the kid grows).

Of course, for the (vast?) majority of Ritalin-eaters, this isn't done. But it is done for some. The working class & minority kids of course get the Cuckoo's Nest treatment, while the kids of parents who have the money, time, education, and energy to monitor the process like hawks will get the best-practice treatment.

I'm not against psychopharmacology. I just think we need to fix the social system so that it's applied in the best possible way for all kids.

BTW, my son takes Dexadrine, a Ritalin-type drug. He doesn't take it because he's rambunctious but because he's got very poor impulse control. He will push every button he sees, among other things. I'm not very happy that he's "on drugs," but (given my experience with him) it seems better than the alternative.

For myself, I stick with coffee and wine.

Jim