Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: To Medicate or Not to Medicate?

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Recommended: ADHD—overcoming the specter of overdiagnosis, 2002

The medical world has seen many changes and advances over the last century, but possibly none that is as financially lucrative then the prescription medication industry. New drugs turn up everyday and claim to treat more and more conditions. On the corner of every block is a pharmacy and their shelves are stocked with prescription medications and it seems they are here to stay. The question is, to medicate or not to medicate?

Most regularly we turn to prescription drugs for everything from acne to severe back pain. The condition known as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is no different. ADHD is a behavioral disorder commonly diagnosed in school-aged children ages 5-17 years old about 8% to 10% of that population (Kidshealth.org), which is 4.5 million children have ever been diagnosed with ADHD (Bloom & Cohen, 2006 p.5). The brains of these children work differently. Not allowing for them to focus on tasks considered by most as boring or routine. A person living with ADHD is characterized as having chronic difficulties with one of the following areas; attention, impulsivity and [hyper] activity (Addresources.org). They require excitement to keep alert and they cannot spend the time to prioritize what they need to focus on. This can be very disruptive in a classroom and a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder often gets into trouble at school and/or home. If not recognized early this child now categorized, as a “trouble maker” becomes a frustrated, underachiever with low self-esteem. These teen have a higher rate of substance use and as adults can find themselves with a history of failed relationships and frequently under or unemployed (Addresources.org).

Diagnosis of this behavioral disorder is a...

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Kingsley, R. (Septmeber, 2008). KidsHealth. In What Is ADHD?. Retrieved January 21, 2010, from http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/adhd.

Mental Health in the United States: Prevalence of Diagnosis and Medication Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. (2003, September) MMWR weekly magazine

The MTA Cooperative Group(1999). A 14-month randomized clinical trial of treatment strategies for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56:1073-1086.

National Institute of Mental Health. (September 2009). Attnetion Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In MedlinePlus. Retrieved January 21, 2010, from http://.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/attentiondeficithyperactivitydisorder.html.

Surgeon General of the United States (1999).. Department of Health and Human Services. Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General

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