I suppose it was only a matter of time. The writing was on the wall earlier this year when experts were outraged when a mother, Christie Haskel, claimed that coffee had cured her son of ADHD. The medical experts came out in force against Ms Haskel. How can this woman treat her child with something other than a drug with pharmacological effects that resemble closely those of cocaine and amphetamines? And coffee? That could damage the poor child’s health!
Now it seems they have taken their pro-drug, anti-choice platform a further step into the ultra-extreme. Now they are threatening parents – take the drugs or you’ll be reported:
EXPERTS have warned that parents who don’t medicate children with ADHD could be referred to child protection authorities under controversial draft guidelines being considered by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
The practice points, to guide doctors who treat the disorder, were drawn up by an NHMRC expert working group to address community concern over the use of stimulant medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. They state: “Consideration should be given to the ability of the child/adolescent and their caregivers to implement strategies. As with any medical intervention, the inability of parents to implement strategies may raise child protection concerns.”
Child psychiatrist and Monash University lecturer George Halasz says the situation should not be seen as unique to ADHD and parents who fail to manage serious conditions such as their child’s asthma or diabetes could also be considered to be failing their duty as a parent.
Dr Halasz said the new guidelines were a step in the right direction because they asked doctors to first try to find other explanations for a child’s behaviour before they diagnosed ADHD.
Firstly there is a gulf of difference between a parent’s decision not to administer ADHD drugs and a decision not to treat a child for asthma and diabetes. Secondly, this move does not promote trying alternate methods but reinforces what many suspect; that Ritalin and it’s type have become a one-stop fix for a condition yet to be fully proven.
The British Psychological Society said in a 1997 report that physicians and psychiatrists should not follow the American example of applying medical labels to such a wide variety of attention-related disorders: “The idea that children who don’t attend or who don’t sit still in school have a mental disorder is not entertained by most British clinicians.”
Another problem I have, is how can you even consider reporting parents for not giving their children a drug that has the following possible side-effects:
- Abdominal pain
- Akathisia
- Alopecia
- Angina
- Appetite loss
- Anxiety
- Blood pressure and pulse changes (both up and down)
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Diaphoresis (sweating)
- Dizziness
- Dyskinesia
- Dysphoria or Euphoria
- Formication[48]
- Headaches
- Hypersensitivity (including skin rash, urticaria, fever, arthralgia, exfoliative dermatitis, erythema multiforme, necrotizing vasculitis, and thrombocytopenic purpura)
- Lethargy
- Libido increased or decreased
- Nausea
- Palpitations
- Pupil dilation[49]
- Psychosis
- Short-term weight loss
- Somnolence
- Stunted growth
- Tachycardia
- Xerostomia (dry mouth)
How about we report lazy doctor to the authorities who prescribe this drug without due process? How about we report bullying tactics by so-called experts? How about we let parents decide for themselves what is in the best interests of their children?
How about you think about the consequences of drugging such a large proportion of our young?
Tags: ADD, ADHD, British Psychological Society, Child psychiatrist, Christie Haskel, Coffee, Drugs, Experts, George Halasz, Medication, Monash University, National Health and Medical Research Council, NHMRC, Ritalin
Topical Teaching 
November 21, 2011 at 11:53 pm |
Where did ADHD come from. When I was a kid at school these symptoms were treated with STICK. It seemed to have the desired effect. Usually if administered early in the school day symptoms did not reappear. Sometimes the effect was a cure.
To be serious, we seem these days to be looking for a medical or a psychological reason why children misbehave. Perhaps there is a moral reason. It appears to me many children are not held accountable for their behaviour from an early age and the longer this is delayed the worse the behaviour becomes over time. But I don’t know. I just remembered mucking up at school when I got bored. Then I didn’t understand that being bored was the precursor to being creative, provided my behaviour didn’t impinge on others. You should have seen the ingenious machines I invented for torturing teachers. My homework book was full of the drawings.
November 22, 2011 at 5:19 am |
My generation did not have names for all these psych and behavior variations. You did it, you conformed, you met expectations or got the tar whipped out of you. Not that I advocate whipping the tar out of any child, that’s barbaric. Seems meds are barbaric too unless there is a definable need not assembly line diagnoses. My generation turned out fairly well I think without the stuff.
November 22, 2011 at 7:27 am |
I believe natural consequences are the most effective agents in behaviour modification. You work hard, you earn money. You touch a hot stove, you get burnt. You abuse privileges, you lose privileges. Too often today children are shielded from the natural consequences of wrong behaviour. You tease the cat, you get scratched. My 18yr old grandson has been living with us for 12 months. He has developed a dependence on other people bailing him out of the consequences of his actions, cleaning up the mess he leaves behind. I have been patient with him trying to show him how to shoulder his responsibilities. He is not interested. Recently he got drunk, (not the first time) and was charged by the police with being a public nuisance and obstructing police. He has to face court and no doubt a fine. At about the same time he lost his job. The next day he is on a bus to a distant city to visit a friend. He promised to come back on a certain day. Now for the last six months my wife and I have been gradually trying to help him become more responsible by not shielding him from the consequences of his actions. We have been in contact his father who lives in another distant city, by email, explaining what is happening and our actions. The boy was 300 km from us, 800km from his father, suffering the consequences of his actions, not having come back here when he said he would, and having spent all his money. He contacted his father who paid his air fare for him to visit him. His father has undermined the natural consequences of his son’s actions by this despite our explanation that the correct prescription is tough love. The consequence of this is that we are not having him back here. We are sick of his lies, deception and drunkenness. Wasn’t it nice of his father to take him off our hands?! (Which is the natural consequence of his interference.) You may have gathered by now that this boy’s thoughtlessness and stupid behaviour has been the result of the poor parenting practices and selfishness of his mother and father (who are divorced). The natural consequence for the father is that now he has his son with him and will be responsible for seeing he gets back here for his court appearance. The son will not take any action but ignore the whole thing and wait for the police to arrest him. If this reminds you of the prodigal son in the Bible you are dead right. But in the Bible story the father didn’t chase after the son, nor send him a chariot ticket home. The circumstances he was in by his own actions are what finally led the boy to “come to himself”.