Letter to the editor
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 25, 2004 9:00 p.m.
ADHD doesn’t exist; Ritalin is abuse
At first, I thought the submission “Boredom: typical, or a
warning sign of ADHD?” (Science & Health, May 25) was an
advanced piece of irony. Then, I realized it just gathers several
psychiatric lies into one article.
In Sweden, where I come from, we don’t have the United
States’ madness that turns social, ethical, pedagogic
problems — or even no problem at all — into psychiatric problems.
I find it fantastic to read some of the arguments for giving kids
and adults a drug of the same class as cocaine. It seems as if the
person writing is convinced ADHD is a medical condition ““
having an objective abnormality. To compare ADHD to diabetes and
Ritalin to insulin is a must for persons defending the
“treatment.” You can see it in almost all
discussions.
I think the best way to expose the fraud would be for parents
who are told this myth to ask for a measurement of the abnormal
brain function. If you suspect diabetes, you first take a test and
find the abnormality. After that, it can be treated. If there is no
abnormality, there is no treatment.
But there are few medical tests for ADHD, and they are not
widely used. The two biggest frauds are diagnosing the situation as
a “medical condition” and giving potent drugs to
children in the name of “medicine.”
The worst thing about all this is people find such conditions as
good reasons for drugging children. It is understandable that
teachers must hold onto the lie that kids have ADHD and need
Ritalin. How would it otherwise be possible to continue to be a
teacher for pupils given the drug? If it were not a true medical
condition, then giving kids potent drugs would be a terrible form
of behavior control ““ best referred to as chemical
abuse.Â
Janne Larsson Teacher
