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The Great Ritalin Debate
Treating ADHD With Medication By Kelly Burgess
(Kensington Pub Corp., 1996). Although she takes the radical view that ADHD is not a "real" disorder, a point that is constantly debated on both sides of the ADHD camp, she also is a good example of why a thorough physical evaluation is important prior to the diagnosis of ADHD.
"There are often underlying causes that can cause the same types of symptoms as those seen with ADHD," says Dr. Block. "I have often seen these symptoms resolved after treating the health issues, whether it's undiagnosed allergies, nutritional deficiencies, low blood sugar, other chronic health problems or even learning differences."
Dr. Block's attention to what she calls "learning differences" is one that is receiving an increased amount of attention from unbiased researchers. The idea is that some children merely learn differently and use acting out behaviors when their unique learning needs are not addressed. It's the same principle that is shaping research into learning disorders such as dyslexia, and it's a legitimate concern.
However, the idea that Ritalin and similar drugs should never be used to treat a child with ADHD symptoms is probably not legitimate simply because there are many children who have been helped by medication.
The Other Side of the Story
Teressa Colclasure, of Orangevale, Calif., tried everything to control her son's impulsive, destructive behavior. By age 5, Trystan had been kicked out of daycare and was nearly kicked out of preschool as well because of his poor impulse control and inability to sit still for even a moment. She says that in November of 2001, she was "strong-armed" into putting him on Ritalin by the principal of Trystan's school when the boy was in kindergarten. And, at first, her fears seemed to be justified because Trystan seemed so doped up. However, once his dose as adjusted, it was as if a miracle had occurred.
"For the first time in five years Trystan would sit and let me read a whole book to him," says Colclasure. "I could take him out and he would stay with me and not run off. He could complete a thought without babbling off on some other topic and sit in class and actually learn. He was not going to the office every day or getting sent home or suspended. He went from November to May without getting sent to the office one time; before that, he was sent up every day. He even came to me after being on Ritalin for a month or so and told me he was learning in school and he finally understood the things the teacher was telling him. This all helped me to be OK with Ritalin."
According to the National Institutes of Health, current medical opinion acknowledges that ADHD is a very real condition with long-term adverse effects on academic performance, vocational success and social-emotional development. However, the controversy over what it is, whether it can be reliably diagnosed, and, if treated, what interventions are the most effective, continues to rage. At this point, there are no clear answers, but it is clear that no parent should be forced to give their child psychotropic drugs against their will. On the other hand, stories like Trystan Colclasure's make it impossible to rule out Ritalin as a partner in a successful course of treatment.
