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Ritalin:Violence Against Boys.http://www.FreeRepublic.com/forum/a3820d3032dd3.htm FreeRepublic.com "A Conservative News Forum" [
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Ritalin: Violence Against Boys A prominent psychiatrist tells Massachusetts News that one of the key problems for children today, which may be causing the increase in the number of children diagnosed as mentally ill, is the increase in fatherless families. He is Dr. Peter Breggin, director of the International Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology in Bethesda, Maryland, who published an article in The Boston Globe last month on its editorial page under the headline,"Kids Are Suffering Legal Drug Abuse." However, it did not mention the gender problem. Breggin wrote: "In a society that’s supposed to accept and even value differences, drugging shy children reflects an extreme of enforced conformity... "We are the first adults to handle the generation gap through the wholesale drugging of our children. We may be guaranteeing that future generations will be relatively devoid of people who think critically, raise painful questions, generate productive conflicts, or lead us to new spiritual and political insights." Dr. Breggin tells Massachusetts News that most children who have been labeled as having "Attention Deficit Disorder," don’t get enough attention from their fathers. The parents may be divorced. Or the dads are preoccupied with their work or other things. "The ‘cure’ for these children is more rational and loving attention from their dads," says Breggin. "Young people are nowadays so hungry for the attention of a father that it can come from any male adult. Seemingly impulsive, hostile groups of children will calm down when a caring, relaxed and firm adult male is around." Many of these children are receiving Ritalin from their school nurse. It is supposed to help these hyperactive youngsters focus on their work. Yet whether the drug is even needed isn’t clear; doctors and scientists are split on the issue. And many critics worry that mothers and fathers, schools and doctors may be medicating kids who only need traditional discipline and love — not a pill. New York Times Writes About Massachusetts’ Problem The New York Times wrote a story earlier this year about the problem that these drugs are causing for overworked school nurses in Massachusetts. Janet Douglass, a director of the School Health Institute at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, said that in a recent visit to a nearby elementary school she had been struck by the overall level of medication. "‘I think they give out more psychotropic medication than a psych hospital did when I did psych," she said. "Not just Ritalin, but heavy-duty psychiatric medications." The Times reported that a survey of Boston schools showed that the nurses had given about 200,000 doses of medication. "But school officials said the survey was imperfect and the actual number of doses was probably higher." The exact number of Massachusetts children on Ritalin isn’t known because no one apparently keeps track of the prescriptions except the drug makers, and they’re not talking. Abuse in New England Prep Schools The abuse of Ritalin as a recreational drug is also a problem. It was first seen in New England prep schools, according to Dr. Eric Heiligenstein, head of psychiatry for the University of Wisconsin Health Services. "Ritalin abuse was first noticed at New England prep schools where access is easy because so many students have Ritalin prescriptions — often not warranted by medical need." According to the DEA, at least one in 30 Americans between ages 5 and 19 has a Ritalin prescription. Because it has nearly the same chemical makeup as cocaine and speed, Ritalin is often abused. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports that Ritalin "ranks in the ‘Top 10’ controlled drugs stolen from doctors and pharmacies." Kids crush the Ritalin pills into powder and snort it or inject it. Last fall, four youths allegedly stole 27 bottles of pills from the nurse’s office at Westford Academy, reported the Boston Herald. Sixteen of the bottles contained Ritalin. Other bottles held the depressant Lorazepam. In 1996, a girl at Duxbury High School overdosed on Ritalin and was hospitalized. With more public schools handing out Ritalin to more and more kids, there’s more drug abuse. Some students even sell their Ritalin prescriptions. A Harvard undergraduate, "David Green," says that he frequently snorted Ritalin to help speed through his homework. "In all honesty, I haven’t written a paper without Ritalin since my junior year in high school," said Green. "I even wrote my Harvard essay on it. It keeps you up when you’re tired, and makes you much more aware of what you’re doing. Although there are certain risks involved, I think it’s worth it." Another Harvard student, Nick Grossman, said that he knew many Ritalin abusers at Harvard. "It was largely a prep school drug, and it spread out from there," he said. "I know a lot of people who do it." A recent study by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley — a study of 500 children over 26 years — found that Ritalin is basically a "gateway" drug to other drugs, in particular, cocaine. Lead researcher Nadine Lambert, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, concluded that Ritalin "makes the brain more susceptible to the addictive power of cocaine and doubles the risk of abuse." Dr. Breggin says: "Our society viewed with loathing those who ‘pushed’ stimulant drugs on children. Yet today, there are more children taking Ritalin and amphetamine from doctors than ever received them from illegal pushers." The Problem — Not The Solution Dr. Breggin tells Massachusetts News: "These drugs can make you psychotic. They can cause the same problems they’re supposed to treat — inattention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior." Meanwhile, other sources show that the number of Ritalin users nationwide keeps going up every year — about 4 million kids today, up from 1 million in 1990. Production of Ritalin is way up, as well — a 700% increase since 1990, according to the New York Times. Dr. Breggin, author of Talking Back to Ritalin and co-author of Talking Back to Prozac, says that, "Ritalin does not correct biochemical imbalances — it causes them. Pediatricians, parents and teachers are not aware of these hazards because a large body of research demonstrating the ill effects of this drug has been ignored and suppressed in order to encourage the sale of the drug. … Parents and teachers and even doctors have been badly misled by drug company marketing practices. Drug companies have targeted children as a big market likely to boost profits — and children are suffering as a result." More than 90% of Ritalin’s market is in the United States, which says something about how Ritalin is viewed by health officials in other countries, said Breggin. Ritalin was banned in Sweden in 1968 because it was abused. Ritalin is rarely prescribed in Britain. In March, the United Nations advised the World Health Organization to investigate the use of Ritalin. Causing Tragic Violence? Ritalin and related drugs pushed in public schools are being watched more
closely now for tragic reasons. While a direct link between violent behavior and
the use of Ritalin has not been proven, observers have concerns. Consider the
following: Yale researchers, as published in the March 1991 Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology, found in their study of Prozac at least one 12-year-old who started having nightmares. What about? The boy dreamed of killing his classmates at school until he himself was shot. The researchers took the boy off Prozac and he recovered. Then they put him back on the drug, apparently thinking that the anti-depressant could not have caused the nightmares. Once drugged again, the boy started to have acute suicidal thoughts and tendencies. The Yale researchers don’t talk about this now, said Breggin. Ritalin Basics According to the PDR, the Physician’s Desk Reference, "Ritalin
is a mild central nervous system stimulant and is used in the treatment of
attention deficit disorders." The PDR warns that patients with a history of drug
addiction or alcoholism should be given Ritalin with caution "because such
patients may increase dosage on their own." PDR further states that, "Long-term
abuse can lead to tolerance and mental dependence with varying degrees of
abnormal behavior." Terrible side effects Dr. Breggin is more blunt. In his 1998 book, Talking Back to Ritalin, he
lists the following potential side effects of the drug: The Food and Drug Administration classifies Ritalin (methylphenidate) as a
Schedule II substance. These substances include: amphetamines, cocaine,
morphine, opium and barbiturates. Ritalin is more regulated in other countries
compared to the United States. America consumes five times as much Ritalin as
the rest of world combined. In addition to the ongoing investigation by the
World Health Organization, the U.N. International Narcotics Control Board has
issued two official warnings about America’s apparent dependence on Ritalin.
While about 4 million U.S. kids regularly take Ritalin, the Drug Enforcement
Administration estimates that about 8 million kids and adults will be on the
drug in 2000. (About 90% of all Ritalin prescriptions are for kids.) The average
Ritalin script runs between $30 and $60 a month. Most health insurance plans
provide coverage for Ritalin and Attention Deficit Disorder treatment.
To: Leisler I wonder when someone will do a study on what kind of offspring the Ritalin takers produce. I suspect the study will scare us, but what resolve will we have to quit drugging a normal youngster who needs more outlets for his energy, and a school system that doesn't want anything but a robot.
To: Leisler Another reason to take your children out of the bankrupt public schools!
To: blam Zero tolerance for drugs at school! Prescribe coke and speed and marijuana and ritalin and get rid of the problem! (NOTE: heavy sarcasm)
To: Leisler You have to understand. That's how the gays and femis brainwash them into being unmen and weak. It's been used all throughout history only with different means. Notice how many of these get older and then one day explode in violence. That's why, Ratilin. It builds up stress to an impossible level in males.
To: Leisler Well remember there doing if for the children, Really! I mean ALGORE, Bill, Hill and the NOW folks said so didn't they. After all guns cause violence not drugged kids.
To: Leisler Well remember there doing if for the children, Really! I mean ALGORE, Bill, Hill and the NOW folks said so didn't they. After all guns cause violence not drugged kids.
To: pacpam Speaking of robots. I remember reading somewhere that the Nazis put themselves at the top, but ranked some whites even lower. Especially the Poles and the Russians. Anyways, the Aryans would run everything, and have all the "thinking" jobs. The Poles and russians would only be trained for trades and servent work. What I am getting at, is that we have an entrenched elite. They know that their position and lifestyle is based upon the backs of the workers, as in all courrupt times. Drugs are just one part of the control mechanism. It is evil through and through. The only part that scares me is how people can just la-de-da go along with it. As to the children of these children, I think the crack epidemic of the late 80's should start giving us some information. God help us.
To: capecodder
BTTT FYI
To: Leisler I work in a pediatrician's office, and we have a fair number of youngsters on Ritalin. Some of them have serious underlying medical problems, but there are others whose mothers never seem to need the drug in the summer months. It's only when school starts that they are desperate to refill their prescriptions...
To: Leisler PUSHERS
To: Wife of D28Man
It's only when school starts that they are desperate to refill their prescriptions... That's because most schools won't allow a kid who has been diagnosed as a "problem" to attend without being on medication. Another reason we homeschool.
To: Hotline "Seemingly impulsive, hostile groups of children will calm down when a caring, relaxed and firm adult male is around." Caaaaaareful, Doc! You are coming awfully close to directly challenging a key tenet of feminist dogma! <);^)~
To: Leisler Vote republicrat for more of the same. The drug companies are big contributers to law makers, so these are the laws in force. The next law is you have to send your childern to school, a captive experiment.
To: Largun It really boggles the mind... We are spending millions for a "war on drugs" while at the same time stuffing heavy drugs down the throats of kids who are in the most crucial stage of growing. What in the world is going on? You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that the potential for damaged and diseased minds caused by this program is beyond belief.
To: Born in a Rage Heads up. :-)
To: Leisler I did some research on this in grad school, and I really believe the reasons so much Ritalin is prescribed in the US are: 1. Parents who don't have time to discipline, or believe that disciplining their children will harm the childrens' "self-esteem". Children who aren't disciplined rarely learn self-discipline either. 2. Children starting school too young (i.e. 4 years old), before they can or should be sitting still for the better part of the day. 3. Too much television, especially in the preschool years. Television is passive, and generally the focus changes extremely rapidly - the children don't learn to concentrate on anything for a long period of time, and they expect to be constantly entertained. I personally know parents who never disciplined their toddlers. When the tykes got older (school age) they drove their parents and the teachers nuts. However, the parents were actually relieved to have the kids diagnosed ADHD, because that meant their bad behavior wasn't Mom & Dad's fault.
To: amom Good post. The wholesale prescription of Ritalin will one day be regarded along the lines of bloodletting and leeches.
To: Ronin This is just the start. You should check to see what other kinds of drugs they are giving children, especially boys. That bill that was defeated everywhere it was tried so that schools could give "counseling", "birth control pills", and abortion advice without the parents consent had a lot more to it than was said to the public. There were other drugs that would be allowed such as drugs to deprive boys of the ability to reproduce if used for too long or in too high doses. It also sterilized girls or caused their body, after long usage, to automatically abort an unborn child. They got these from government tests.
To: Leisler Somewhere between 29,000 and 48,000 children in Massachusetts’ public schools are operating under the influence of Ritalin Absolutely stunning! Does anyone remember that many mentally ill students when you were in school? It must mean that our schools now would look like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" if they weren't drugged.
To: Leisler Well, its the old Liberal philosophy, if ya can't kill them before they're born, (or in some cases, while they're being born) Drug em until they're 18 and kick em out. No wonder society is going nuts!!
To: blam According to the article, some of the worst Ritalin abuse is happening at private schools. Public school and home-study students also share in the problem; it's across the board. The problem began overwhelming the schools with the Behavior Modification theories that were pushed on Education students in the '70s. Appeasement took the place of discipline. When non-drug strategies (manipulation, give 'em candy rewards like with your dog) didn't work, the next step was drug therapy. The article is good as far as it goes. I'd like to know how many of these Ritalin kids have parents who have or have had drug problems, and can't cope with normal adolescent behavior (not always a pretty sight). Do a lot of these kids have undiagnosed vision, hearing, spatial problems which have been made worse by technology? Example...you try reading a cramped, poor copy of a textbook page under flourescent lights! As long as schools are in the business of teaching kids how to fit into this BRAVE NEW WORLD instead of how to think, drugs are going to be the answer of choice. It's sick.
To: Benoit Baldwin Thank you, BB. Recently a friend walked into the wrong conference room in a hotel outside of Boston. Noting that the room was crammed with tables from different drug companies, my friend asked one of the table reps if there was a medical conference scheduled. The answer? "This is a conference for school medical and administrative personnel. School mental health services are expanding...."
To: Leisler
Lead researcher Nadine Lambert, as reported in the Wall
Street Journal, concluded that
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 "A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth." -- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901 "I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education." -- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820 "What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?" -- Sandy Gottstein "Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?" -- Sandy Gottstein |