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:”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,”Well, I think I have some free samples of Ritalin around here.”

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!