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.