Study Shows Ritalin Use Doubles in Children of Divorce: But the Question Remains ‘Why?’
When a new study comes out showing that Ritalin use doubles in children of divorce, it is easy to assume the very public perception that divorce is always bad for kids. But is it really that simple?
Below, Professor Lisa Strohschein asks the following question: ‘Is it possible that divorce acts as a stressful life event that creates adjustment problems for children, which might increase acting out behavior, leading to a prescription for Ritalin?’
Or as this blogger puts it so well:
People often use psychiatric diagnoses as if they’re explanations when really they’re nothing more than descriptions. The idea is that science will ‘fill in the gaps’ and explain how these differences occur.
The trouble is, the behaviour described by an ADHD diagnosis could occur because of genetic influences on brain development, because divorce is causing emotional distress, because the child is being bullied, or for any number of other reasons.
Ritalin is likely to help regardless of what is causing the child to be disturbed, because it helps the child focus by boosting attention.
The question is, should children be prescribed drugs because they are distressed by a divorce? There’s no definite answer in every case as each child and each situation is different.
But perhaps we should be concerned that children are likely being prescribed psychiatric drugs as a ‘quick fix’ for emotional distress and behaviour problems when research shows that parent training programmes are safe and effective.
Ritalin use doubles after divorce, study finds
By Scott Anderson Tue Jun 5, 9:47 AM ET
TORONTO (Reuters) - Children from broken marriages are twice as likely to be prescribed attention-deficit drugs as children whose parents stay together, a Canadian researcher said on Monday, and she said the reasons should be investigated.More than 6 percent of 633 children from divorced families were prescribed Ritalin, compared with 3.3 percent of children whose parents stayed together, University of Alberta professor Lisa Strohschein reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
The study of more than 4,700 children started in 1994, while all the families were intact, Strohschein said. They followed the children’s progress to see what happened to their families and to see what drugs were prescribed.
“It shows clearly that divorce is a risk factor for kids to be prescribed Ritalin,” Strohschein said.
Other studies have shown that children of single parents are more likely to get prescribed drugs such as Ritalin. But is the problem caused by being born to a never-married mother, or some other factor?
“So the question was, ‘is it possible that divorce acts a stressful life event that creates adjustment problems for children, which might increase acting out behavior, leading to a prescription for Ritalin?”‘ Strohschein said in a statement.
“On the other hand, there is also the very public perception that divorce is always bad for kids and so when children of divorce come to the attention of the health-care system — possibly because parents anticipate their child must be going through adjustment problems — doctors may be more likely to diagnose a problem and prescribe Ritalin.”
Ritalin, known generically as methylphenidate, is a psychostimulant drug most commonly prescribed for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.
There is a big debate in much of the developed world over whether it may be over-prescribed — given to children who do not really need it. In March, a University of California, Berkeley study found that the use of drugs to treat ADHD has more than tripled worldwide since 1993.
Strohschein said it is possible that some mental health problems pre-date the divorce, so “it is possible that these kids had these problems before, but are only being identified afterward.”
Her study was not designed to find out why the children were prescribed the drug.
“I might be finished with the survey, but I am not necessarily finished with the question,” she said in a telephone interview.
I left this comment on another blog in which this was reposted. I feel I should leave in here on the original site.
Okay I have several problems with this blog. As a single mother with a child who has ADHD and is on Adderall. I wouldn’t suggest putting any child on Ritalin. I don’t trust that drug, there’s been a lot of advances in the treatment of ADHD, I’d suggest that you get out of the dark ages, because Ritalin is definitely the dark ages.
I have problems with your blogger:â€Ritalin is likely to help regardless of what is causing the child to be disturbed, because it helps the child focus by boosting attention.†This blogger should research before he or she speaks!
This is so very wrong!!! Ritalin and other drugs used to help a child with ADHD is a stimulant (aka: speed).From Wikipedia–>Methylphenidate (MPH) is an amphetamine-like prescription stimulant commonly used to treat Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adults.
In an ADHD brain there is a lack of dopamine. This is why an ADHD child is so hyper. Believe it or not but the stimulate actually calms down the ADHD child.
If you give Ritalin or adderall to a child without ADHD you will either get a very hyper result (more so that you even thought before) or you will get a zombie child. A child that just zones out, probably because they are so hyper they don’t know what to do.
My child who is ADHD can ingest caffeine (as a rule my children don’t usually get caffeine, so I’m able to see a difference when they do get it), she will actually calm down while her brother and sister get more active.
This study only took into account the prescriptions for Ritalin, it didn’t look into any other factors. As a family law attorney you have to realize that single parent families are for the most part low income.
Could the high number of Ritalin prescriptions not be because these low income people aren’t getting proper health care??? I mean did that avenue not cross your mind at all, or was it only the evilness of divorce?
I had my daughter first diagnosed by a psychologist. This is a therapist and they have no ability to give out prescriptions.
This psychologist I think was messed up. After the diagnoses he sent me on my way to search for a doctor to give my daughter a magic prescription. He didn’t want to do any follow up or any continued therapy sessions. He actually wanted to do more therapy with my other daughter who was chronically shy. She’s better now with out that help of that therapist.
I did call our family doctor to tell him of the diagnosis. He said,â€Well, I think I have some free samples of Ritalin around here.â€
Our family doctor is a nice old man, but as far as ADHD goes and anything else of the mind he is clueless.
A friend recommended a circle of therapists that she takes her son to. It’s one office with a psychologist and a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist is one that can issue prescriptions, just like your ear nose and throat doctor only he/she specializes in matters of the brain.
My daughter was re-evaluated by this new psychologist and when we decided to finally medicate we were referred down the hall to the psychiatrist. We go in for monthly therapy sessions with the psychologist and update appointments with the psychiatrist.
This is the way it should ALWAYS be done, otherwise your child is not getting adequate care!
The reason that the prescription rate for Ritalin is so high with single parent families is because they are low income, plus they are busy trying to make ends meet with one sometimes two jobs (maybe more) or the kids are on Medicaid which leads you to sub-standard clinic after sub-standard clinic… (with substandard doctors a lot of the time)
A teacher complains that the child is misbehaving in class. The parent has to leave work get docked pay to see why the child is misbehaving. The stressed out teacher who just can’t stand to have her schedule disrupted mentions the possibility of ADHD.
Mom contacts Medicaid or whatever she can afford to find someone to diagnose her child. They get a wrong diagnosis and take this to a ear, nose, and throat doctor, who fills the prescription with no follow up. This is the true reason why so many children of divorce are on Ritalin!!
If we had a national health care system that treated everyone equally from the rich to the poor, then this wouldn’t be a problem. The bad doctors would be found out and removed from the system. But as such the bad doctors thrive giving out bad care and bad prescriptions!
To those that think I’m using the medication and a ‘quick fix’ for my child, because I can’t parent… I give my daughter Adderall XR (extended release) in the morning. It lasts in her system for 8 hours. When she comes off the drug, it is like hyper x2. She’s up she’s down, she can’t sit still, she’s everywhere. I deal with double the ADHD EVERY evening, while the teachers and daycare workers get the calmed child! How is that for a ‘quick fix’?
To disbelievers in ADHD I invite you to spend time with my daughter, without medication. Please come, and spend time with my ADHD child and see if you don’t believe it exists. I have friends who can testify, that have been around her when she wasn’t medicated (because I also don’t give her the medication if it’s a holiday or the weekend) and have seen the full extent to her hyper activity!
Leave your response!