An article I read regarding Ritalin and turning "normal" children into "zombies"

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An article I read regarding Ritalin and turning "normal" children into "zombies"

At work on Thursday I was reading a newspaper and an article caught my eye. It was my mates (honest) "The Sun" so it would be no suprise if they'd got their half arsed journalism involving drugs wrong again, or maybe I've just misheard something in the past, which is the purpose of this thread.

I can't find it online to quote it, but from what I remember it was an article saying that children with ADD/ADHD usually do not suffer this condition and are commonly getting misdiagnosed, and that these "normal" children are turning into complete "zombies" while under the effects of the drug.

I was under the impression that people who did not suffer ADD/ADHD would get a stimulant effect from medication like ritalin (i.e not "zombie" like at all really) whereas people with the condition would experience a more sedating effect.

Am I right in thinking this? What are the mechanisms (without getting too advanced) involved in the difference in effects between sufferers and none-sufferers?

Cheers

 

[BilZ0r]

This is a very complicated subject... I went to an ADHD conference about 6 months ago, their were clinicians as well as animal researchers.... and no one could agree about anything...

Some of the doctors said that in ADHD children, methylphenidate makes them calm, but in non-ADHD children is doesn't.... others were saying that was complete bullshit.... One doctor was suggesting that if you want ADHD kids to sleep, give them ritalin like a sleeping pill, and everyone thought that was crap.

Ultimately, until there is an objective measure of whether a kid has ADHD, or not, the arguement about "over-prescription" is bullshit, because you can't measure who has got ADHD and how doesn't.

In adults, whether with or without ADHD, amphetamines are definately stimulant, though the effect may be less in adults with ADHD.

In children, it is likely that the manifestation of amphetamines is improved attention, when can seem "zombie" like. It is likely that this effect is the same in normal or ADHD children

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

^^^ Aren't there whole countries, healthcare systems, and regions of the world that don't believe in the existence of ADD? I'm not saying I agree (I'm on ADD medication, actually), but it's not exactly common for any sort of medical diagnosis to be accepted as common knowledge in some places and completely rejected in others, and I think that says something.

 

[BilZ0r]

^ I doubt it. Unless you're talking about like, Sudan...

 

[AlexxRed]

Not sure if this helps at all but I was told by a psychiatrist that many kids that are diagnosed with ADD are later found to be Bi Polar.

Wonder what the effects of Given Ritalin to someone with Bipolar would be...can't imagine it would be good.

"Ultimately, until there is an objective measure of whether a kid has ADHD, or not, the argument about "over-prescription" is bullshit, because you can't measure who has got ADHD and how doesn't."

qEEGs and ERPs are two types of electrophysiological assessments that are often used to test for ADD, but that all depends if the theory about what that data shows is actually correct.