Parents dream of ‘healthy’ children, but societies are redefining what this means. An April 26th article in the Australian newspaper, The Age caught my attention. NSW judge Paul Conlon condemned physicians’ widespread diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and their propensity to medicate children from a very young age. Apparently, “ More than 264,000 prescriptions for the drug Ritalin were issued [in Australia] last year, compared to just 11,114 scripts written in 1992.”
Why suddenly medicate so many children? Might this reflect increasing numbers of parents deprive children of attention or, aren’t willing to deal with teach discipline? Might this reveal growing influence of drug companies on society? Judge Conlon explained he had, “ lost count of (numbers of) offenders coming before the courts who were diagnosed at a very young age with ADHD for which they were 'medicated.' “ ADHD has been set apart in poor concentration, distractibility, hyperactivity, impulsiveness and other symptoms that are age-inappropriate. If untreated, believers of the disorder feel it negatively affects learning, relationships and organizational skills.
A jump in medicated Aussie kids led me to research historic Australian populations that coincide with trends of medicated ADHD children. I discovered something shocking. Although the population rose from 17,099,900 (1992) to 20,810,069 (Jan 2007), which reveals a 10.2% growth rate, the fertility and childbirth rate actually decreased. Higher populations are based on immigrants who are often retirees. This suggests medicating ADHD in Australia increased 23.6 times between 1992 and 2006 without a coinciding increase in birth rate.
If you compare other national trends, a March 2007 study published by the university of Berkley, California, indicated the use of psycho-stimulant drugs to treat ADHD has more than tripled worldwide since 1993, challenging beliefs this neuro-developmental disorder is concentrated in the U.S. The study reveals, about “1 in 25 adolescents 15-19 is prescribed such drugs,” in countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Members are largely North American, European and Northeast Asian nations. While the U.S., Canada and Australia show higher-than-expected rates of ADHD medication use between 1993 and 2003, a selected country analysis also shows increases in ADHD drug consumption in countries including France, Sweden, Korea and Japan. What does this tell us? Should we be raising awareness of implications?
My insight into ADHD relates to my role as a university lab researcher in psychopharmacology for Ritalin studies in the mid 1990s. I also have a friend whose sister was diagnosed with hyperactivity and treated with Ritalin. In addition, I did considerable volunteering in psychiatric wards and community centers with the intention of pursuing psychiatry. My undergraduate Honors thesis investigated how popular culture, science trends and mainstream films, characterize and reinforce social stigma associated with multiple personality disorder (MPD) over a period of 30 years. Diverse experience built my multidisciplinary perspectives.
The drift to widespread diagnosis of ADHD in children echoes a disturbing trend recognized as the dangers of “chemical straightjackets” in Western countries. Diagnosis of mental illness evolves based on perceived advances in genetics and biochemistry, but also according to economic power dynamics. Why is it experts involved in drug development/ marketing and prescribing physicians, expect growing trends of diagnosis to increase sharply? Both agree global costs for individuals and societies to medicate ADHD will also increase over the next decade. Hmm.
Although the U.S. leads the world in ADHD medication spending ($2.4 billion in 2003), growth trends indicate that other countries are following in its tracks, according to the study. For example, global spending on ADHD medications increased nine-fold among OECD countries during the time period studied. This increase is largely due to the advent and availability of more costly and long-acting medications such as Concerta, Strattera and Adderral XR, among others.
Drug trade names may vary among countries, but the increasing use as a trend is similar. This situation prompts us to question whether widespread diagnosis of ADHD in children is really a symptom of serious imbalances in social, political, environmental, economic and other behavioral trends in society. To what lengths are we willing to go to justify imposed codes of conduct, and personal restrictions on anything from diet to etiquette? It's wise to ask yourself who benefits from current trends, who defines them, and what do you have to gain or lose. How or why you justify restrictions on yourself is one thing, but what about on others?