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Technology and the effect on 21st century children
Technology and the effect on 21st century children
Technology and the effect on 21st century children
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Truth be told, there are not many people who can be trusted in this world. Especially when it comes to children, parents are always very cautious and careful as to who can encounter their child. The world we live in today is extremely different from the world we once lived in a few decades ago. Along with traditions and culture; technology has taken over everything. Technology has become the root cause of major changes in everything we know of today. Parenting also became a target of technology. But among all these changes, doctors seem to be kept put in the place of professionals that parents to this day trust and rely on whole heartedly, even though medical research and technology is completely new when it comes to diagnosing and prescribing drugs. Remarkably, one may find it very hard to realize the fact that even though doctors are oh so blindly trusted, they keep prescribing a drug that comes from the same class and chemical compound as cocaine to children. Drugs that have the same chemical compound as a narcotic are known as class 2 medications. Knowing that class 2 medications have the same classification as cocaine, morphine and amphetamines, doctors in America are continuing to prescribe these drugs to children aging from 5-17 merely because of behavioral issues at school and at home that parents keep advocating their children have. Is the use of technology and the use of quick fixes taken over the way we see parenting? It can be hard to realize that this just might be the case today! Parents have so become used to the accommodating quick fixes of 2014 that they have forgotten that their children are still humans and not apps that can be hushed or manipulated via medication. Parents along with doctors who merely prescri... ... middle of paper ... ... . July 8th 2014 "Managing Side Effects Of ADHD Medications." Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update 15.2 (2013): 8. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 July 2014. LaJeana D. Howie, M.P.H., C.H.E.S.; Patricia N. Pastor, Ph.D.; and Susan L. Lukacs, D.O., M.S.P.H.CDC/National Center for Health Statistics . Use of Medication Prescribed for Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties Among Children Aged 6–17 Years in the United States . April 24, 2014. Web June, 25th 2014. Robyn Breen Shinn. J.R Getty . Why Giving Adderall to Toddlers Is So Completely, Utterly Wrong . 05.19.14 . 07/01/2014 . < http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/19/why-giving-adderall-to-toddlers-is-so- completely-utterly-wrong.html>
Smith, M., Segel, J., & Ramsey, D. (2013, 9). Add / adhd medications. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/adhd_medications.htm
United States. National Institute of Mental Health. “Mental Health Medications.” 2008. Health and Education. Web. 16 Nov. 2013
The use of psychotropic medication in children and adolescents dates back to 1937 when Charles Bradley conducted a study by prescribing the stimulant amphetamine sulphate (Benzedrine) to modify the behavior of children with severe behavioral disturbance. (Adams, 1991) Since these studies were conducted, more and more children and adolescents have been prescribed stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers for various mental disorders, such as: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The potential side effects that happen to children taking these medications can include: fainting, blurred vision, vomiting, extreme weight gain, and even death ("Seroquel information,” n.d.).
A diagnosis found that out of the 15 percent of high-school age children who take ADHD pills, the true rate of children needing to be medicated is closer to 5 percent. This over-diagnosis and prescription is a direct result of intense, multi-million dollar marketing campaigns of ADHD medication by the drug makers, through celebrity ads as well print and television ads that prompt patients and their families to ask doctors about those specific drugs. And the tactic has paid off, with a quintupling of stimulant sales since 2002, to over $8 billion in revenues.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the most widely diagnosed “mental-illness” in children in the United States today, and approximately 99% of children diagnosed are prescribed daily doses of methylphenidate in order to control undesirable behaviors. (Stolzer)
According to the FDA, about 2.5% of children and around 8% of adolescents are affected by depression (Temple). A common way to treat depression is by taking antidepressants. Children and teens have also been prescribed antidepressants for various reasons other than depression such as OCD and anxiety disorders. While it is legal for teenagers and children to take antidepressants, many people are concerned with the issues that taking antidepressants have. Children and teens should be allowed to take antidepressants only when other forms of therapy don’t work. Antidepressants are serious drugs that have severe warnings when children and teens use them. There is also an increased risk of worsening depression and suicide in children and teens, especially in the when they begin to take it. Even the less severe side effects can make quite a negative impact on life.
Typical ADHD drug overdoses lead to an estimated 3,000 Emergency Room visits each year (Vinerd. 2006). In 2010 alone, there were 17, 000 human exposures to ADHD medications. This number is just what was reported to the Poison Control Center. Eighty percent of these overdoses occurred in kids younger than 19 years old. The other twenty percent of the overdoses occurred in adults (Stiller, 2013).This leads to the number one question: Who is to blame for these overdoes? Do we blame the doctors prescribing the medications or do we blame society?
Pozzi, M. E. (2000). Ritalin for whom? Understanding the need for Ritalin in psychodynamic counselling with families of under-5s. Journal Of Child Psychotherapy, 26(1), 25-43. doi:10.1080/007541700362140.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder that causes children to have problems with paying attention, trouble with following instructions, have impulsive behaviors and become easily distracted. Medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin, are used to treat the symptoms of this disorder by helping the patient to focus and pay attention while also curbing their impulsive behavior and hyperactivity. Side effects of these medications are, but not limited to, anxiety, addiction and in some cases psychosis. Proponents of giving ADHD medication to children argue that ADHD is a real disorder in children and the medication does improve the symptoms of the disorder by a large margin as well as being cost effective. Also, not only are the parents happy with the outcome of their children taking the prescribed medication but so are the children themselves. Proponents also argue that by not letting parents of the children, young adults and adults choose to take these prescriptions when diagnosed with ADHD that the medical and psychiatric communities would be in violation of the principle of autonomy. Justice as well would be violated since most of the burden of dealing with all the symptoms caused by this disorder would fall onto those with ADHD and partly on their families. Opponents of giving ADHD medication to children point out that it is not only going to children with ADHD but also being prescribed to those not diagnosed with the disorder as well as the pills being given or sold to other children and young adults. They also claim that the full side effects of ADHD medication are still not known and could have harmful long- lasting side effects on the children taking the medications. In this case, the princip...
As stated previously, medication is the most common option that parents choose for their children. The most common prescriptions are Dexedrine, Cylert, Ritalin, and Adderall. Medication is highly effective. For around 75%-90% of prescribed patients, these work to solve their issues. This is a definite advantage to taking medication is that it is almost guaranteed to work. There are drawbacks to taking medication however; the trial-and-error process, cost of medication, and the side effects that can come with medication. As with any brain chemical medication, there comes a trial-and-error process to determine the right balance and the right amount to really curb the symptoms that come with. Just like any medication that people need to operate, the cost does add up whereas with behavioral therapy, there is no medication to buy and thus no costs. Lastly, there are side effects that come with ADHD. These can be insomnia, nervousness, headaches, and weight loss. Despite all these drawbacks, medication is the fastest and most effective way to treat ADHD (“Identifying and Treating Attention Deficit
Walkup, J. T. (2012, January 26). Best Medications for Kids With Anxiety . Best Medications
Kelland, Kate. "Children with ADHD say stimulant drugs help them: study." Huffington Post. 10 14 2012: n. page. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
Most adolescents who misuse prescription pain relievers are given the medication by an unknown friend or relative. This is a situation that can easily be avoided with an education on the risks of opioids. Patricia Schram, MD, an adolescent substance abuse specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston, stresses the importance of parent involvement in preventing young adults from abusing opioids and in the recovery process, citing a study that claimed, “teens were less likely to abuse opioids if their parents often checked their homework, if they had been frequently praised by their parents and if they perceived strong disapproval of marijuana from their parents” (Viamont 1). Besides parent and family involvement, physicians have a role to play in preventing the spread of the opioid epidemic.
Next you can decide if you want to take medication such Ritalin and deal with the side effects like vomiting, mood swings, dizziness and headaches. Or you can try an alternative route and enter a program like Handle that helps you control your ADHD. The medication doesn't work for everyone and it can cause side effects. Some people find that attending an ADHD program is not enough for them and medication is necessary.