The routine drugging of children for the ordinary problems of childhood is destructive for two reasons: firstly because of the toxic effects of the pharmaceutical products, and secondly because it conveys to the child the message that drugs are an acceptable way to deal with life’s problems.
This latter kind of damage is graphically illustrated in a tragic NY Times article by Ted Gup. You can see it here. Ted is a fellow of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard.
He recounts how he agreed to have his rambunctious child placed on Ritalin when he was in the second grade, and Ted links this decision to his son’s tragic death from a drug/alcohol mix at age 21. The article is brief but compelling.
We’ve been seeing an increasing number of these tragedies in recent years, and with DSM-5’s widening scope of the ADHD “diagnosis,” we will presumably see a great many more in the future.
Please read Ted’s article. I’m sure it took a lot of courage to write.