If you go to any parent and ask them what it is like to raise a child their answer will be “not easy.” Having a child with a disability makes the task that much more difficult. When parents are faced with the difficulties that come with a disabled child, often to make it easier on themselves, they take whatever aid is given to them by a physician, therapist, or any other source of help. Children with disabilities such as ADD/ADHD are frequently put on medication to subdue the behavioral issues that go along with the disability. However, this decision is always made by the parents leaving no say for the child’s opinion. There are benefits for putting a child on medication but there are also negative side effects. Depending on the severity of the disability and the dosage of the medication, it could become addicting to the child taking it. Considering both positive and negative effects of medicating children it is clearly more detrimental to the well-being of the child when forced to take a “quick fix” drug.
When a child is first born, parents are not yet aware of possible diagnosis for ADD/ADHD. It is typically not discovered until the age of 3 when a child enters preschool or begins to develop mentally and socially. There are many cases where the behavioral issues are manageable, however, just as often as not, there are children who struggle greatly with maintaining normal behaviors expected in a classroom. This is when the parents are needed to step in and solve the issue. They may wait a couple months before obtaining the medication but eventually, that is where they end up. They are quick to turn to medications when looking for an easy fix to an arduous problem. Minimal effort is put into elucidating the issue naturally. “If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD and is struggling, he probably needs medication,” says M.D. Stephen Copps. No thought into how the child might react is put into consideration. Changing something, as to how they behave chemically, is a drastic change for a diminutive body to tolerate.
The opposing view relies on other disorders, similar to that of ADD/ADHD, that are only repressed by medication, to support their decision for medicating. Such disorders are anxiety, depression, OCD, etc. In certain cases, a child’s anger arises from disorders that struggle with learning. When straining to sit still and pay attention, the teacher and/or parent should be there to redirect the child. Out of the 6.4 million children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, two-thirds have been prescribed stimulants for treatment. Parents could argue that this is beneficial and crucial for the child to succeed in a normal school environment; the child doesn't have to stress about the fear of acting out unexpectedly. This damages the child emotionally as well as biologically because it is not the norm for a child of three or older to absorb or expect drugs to feel "normal."
There are many health risks that go along with medicating your child. Stimulants can, in some cases, be fatal. They interact dangerously with prescribed medications. Between the years 1999 and 2003, there were reportedly 19 children who died while taking methylphenidate or amphetamine, two types of stimulants. Minor side effects of stimulants include less appetite and weight loss, sleep problems, headaches, and jitteriness. ADHD meds, similar to stimulants, have more serious side effects. They are linked to increased heart and blood vessel problem and could conceivably make psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, or psychosis worse. After starting a child on medications, it takes augmented time dealing with the side effects of the drug than the original complication. When there are negative side effects to a certain medication or stimulant doctors change the dosage or the medication until they find one that best reacts with the disability. Continuously changing a child's body biologically can throw them off more than they already struggle with. The body goes through minimal withdrawal and then is bombarded with yet another drug.
Psychiatrists specializing in treating children with ADD/ADHD say that children who have mild to severe issues and do not take the medications have high risks of academic failure, social problems, car accidents, and drug addiction. Medicating your child for ADD/ ADHD will benefit them in the short-term involving sitting still and paying attention but there is imperceptible evidence that proves prescribed medication improves school achievement, relationships with others, and decreases frustration and anger. Treating ADD/ADHD is only beneficial when the child is young. As they mature and grow out of the medications they cannot cope with themselves without the aid they have had all their life before.
The average age for a child to be diagnosed with ADD/ADHD is seven. At this point in a child's life, they are fully aware of what is going on around them and capable of understanding how their body functions. If faced with the issue at this age they should be able to have a say in what they want to do and understand the possible consequences, both good and bad. factor, jump to conclusions about end results neglecting to even acknowledge the child for something they have to live with, maybe for the rest of their life. Several medications prescribed to children are specifically for adults. Those such as diabetes pills and sleep drugs including higher dosages are given to ensure that the drugs are working. In 2009, 9.6 million antidepressants were given to children ages 19 and younger, 5.2 million blood pressure prescriptions were given to kids of the same age group, and 1.3 million antipsychotics were prescribed to children 9 and younger. Certain disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, mood disorders, and OCD are considered “adult diseases” and are just simply treated with adult solutions.
Personality disorders do not come from bad parenting or lack of discipline; they are serious issues that need to be dealt with immediately. However, there are other treatments available as opposed to jumping right into medication. The use of stimulants and/or prescriptions are tools, not the cure. One example of an alternate option is neurofeedback, which trains the parents to control the brain waves associated with focus and attention. It is said by doctors to last permanently after one treatment. Interactive metronome training improves motor skills and ability to plan by putting on a pair of headphones and using their hands and feet to tap to the beat they hear. They are other more simple options such as healthy eating habits, sleep patterns, exercise, and for some cases improved parenthood. Discovering which technique fits best for the child is much easier and less stressful than searching for the correct medication. Research has shown that 25% of all children and 30% of adolescents take at least one medication for a chronic condition. Children with a disease such as obesity are being treated with pills as opposed to watching diets and disciplining food intake from the parent. Continuing, 50% of pediatricians prescribe kids insomnia drugs according to an article in the Huffington Post. No longer is there the consideration of natural solutions, instead, those that in the long term, not only harm the child but those people who the child influences.
Kids diagnosed with ADD/ADHD can eventually “grow out” of the disability. Without medication, they are able to focus on their body and concentrate on focusing or paying attention. They conscientiously make the decision to calm down as opposed to a pill in their body doing it for them. They gain more self-control and learn to cope with the issues allowing them to hopefully grow out of their biological burden.
Medication can be beneficial to certain children; however, the amount of time is short-lived. Those who do not react well to the drugs have created more problems than what was originally trying to be solved. Statistics have shown how detrimental the side effects can be yet parents continue to pursue medication. They do this because it is the “easy way out”. Children who struggle with disabilities such as ADD/ADHD or any other disability need extra care and attention. They need more energy than a “normal” child to work on controlling their body, which results in a lack of productivity in other areas of their life. They are unaware of the side effects that can result from taking the medications and would not know how to handle themselves if something started to happen they did not know about. It has become the solution for any problem a child has. A solution that magically makes any child normal. If it was up to you, making the decision for your own child, how would you react? Considering all aspects medicating a child is not worth the risk of health in the long run for the child or the family. It is a matter of hard work, determination, and love that helps any person push through issues, that in certain ways, define them.
