Medicate Kids With ADHD? Answer Is Yes

¶ … medicate kids with ADHD? Answer is Yes

Children with ADHD have basic behavioural problems and are uncontrollable. In such cases the care givers face a big problem and often are victims. Having an ADHD child at home is being tied up to the child, and to prevent the parent getting mental problems some methods have to be resorted to keep the balance. In 1991 the amount of children treated with medication was negligible because medication itself was not available and was in the test stage. But now the scenario is different. More and more children have been diagnosed with the symptoms of ADHD and they are also in schools. That today 6-9% of pre-school children have severe psychiatric disorders is a fact. (Barkley, 41)

The alarming situation therefore has called for research in the area and has produced some of the best solutions in the form of medication. It is not correct to give up medications because of some rumours and some small setbacks. Though the medicines may not 'cure' ADHD, they make the patient's and thereby the caregiver's life easy. Otherwise the parent who looks after the child and the teachers at school would be miserable.

Arguments:

Therefore we should medicate kids with ADHD, as long as it is a last resort and all other alternatives have been eliminated. There are many myths being held regarding this issue. Firstly there is a mistaken assumption that ADHD arises out of the child's social condition and lack of discipline, but there is no evidence supporting this. On the other hand it has been shown that the condition is a result of deficiencies in the brain. To overcome that medicines are a method. These are stimulants that activate the deficient parts. Though stimulants administered also have only a temporary effect, it can help in the long run. Secondly there is the fear that these are addictive stimulants. It is not the case. The major issue that parents have regarding the medication is side effects and the issue of the medicines not being appropriate. To address this issue, firstly some of the major fears of the parents are to be examined in the light of modern evidence. There is a feeling that the medicines might become addictive. (Barkley, 64)

However there are so far no reported cases of addiction and inn cases where the drug is stopped in teenagers it has been found that taking the medicines in no way created addiction and in no way interferes with the life of the children as adults. These medicines not only provide relief to the child but also see that the children become more accommodative in the school environment and there further is no case of the children tending to substance abuse in later years. Therefore there must not be much objection with these concepts. (Barkley, 64)