As someone who has benefitted in many ways from ADHD medication throughout my life, I still have many reservations about the over-prescription of psychiatric drugs, especially at very young ages. A lot of the science and the theories of behavior and mind still take an overly simplistic of neuro-chemical interactions and as we become more and more aware of the overall complexity of the brain and the lasting effects of brain development during critical periods, there is good reason to be more conservative with tinkering with it. Beyond that, it still seems like a lot of the thinking weighs the convenience of parents and teachers much more heavily than the actual wellbeing of a child. From a social work standpoint there's more incentive to understand problematic symptoms (irritability, anxiety, sleep problems, explosive anger, etc.) as products of a larger context that exists outside of and in conjunction with the individual brain and psyche. We've talked a lot in the program about the strengths and drawbacks of the current medical model of psychopathology, especially when applied to vulnerable populations. This feels like a continuation of that conversation thinking about the unique position of children, especially with regard to the nature of consent before beginning years of psychoactive medications without great information about the longterm effects. I believe that under certain circumstances the benefits of psychoactive medications are a godsend to many children, just as the painkilling benefits of opiates under certain circumstances were a godsend to many who were suffering intensely. However, the motivations on both sides of this parallel have often been out of sync with the best interests of the individuals involved and we are left collectively to try and undo the complex ramifications of putting too many eggs in one basket to address elements of large-scale social problems.
I am hopeful that parents are becoming more wary of over-medicating children as time goes on. My hunch is that the phenomenon, on this level, started in the 90's and progressed through the 2000's with a generation of parents who trusted the medical authority of psychiatrists and believed that they were doing what was best for their kids. Children like Jacob, who at least by the eye-test, seemed to act much more "normal" relative to his age before he ramped up the number of medications he was taking, hopefully served as a warning as to the implications of pumping kids full of meds during developmental periods. I definitely do not blame his parents, who were clearly wary of the diagnoses and prescriptions but went along with them anyway because they were desperate for help and respected the doctors professional opinions.
I also benefitted from ADHD medication, but I don't think it was appropriate that I was taking it. Though I probably have some ADHD, I think my symptoms could have been managed through therapy and from an ecological perspective, instead. The medication eliminated the symptom of being distracted, but didn't help me confront a number of underlying issues in my teenage life. I think if anything, the medication actually prevented me from addressing them, serving as a bandaid which solved the "grades" problem but none of the more important ones. I think it can actually be considered detrimental to prescribe stimulants in a case like mine (even though they helped accomplish their goals.) I definitely think other cases of ADHD do warrant medication, and would like to learn more about how meds can help a severely hyperactive kid regulate. I suspect my my current client would greatly benefit from medication, though his parents are unwilling to entertain the idea.
I also benefitted from ADHD medication, but I don't think it was appropriate that I was taking it. Though I probably have some ADHD, I think my symptoms could have been managed through therapy and from an ecological perspective, instead. The medication eliminated the symptom of being distracted, but didn't help me confront a number of underlying issues in my teenage life. I think if anything, the medication actually prevented me from addressing them, serving as a bandaid which solved the "grades" problem but none of the more important ones. I think it can actually be considered detrimental to prescribe stimulants in a case like mine (even though they helped accomplish their goals.) I definitely think other cases of ADHD do warrant medication, and would like to learn more about how meds can help a severely hyperactive kid regulate. I suspect my my current client would greatly benefit from medication, though his parents are unwilling to entertain the idea.