Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a disorder most often diagnosed in young children who suffer from inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Wait a moment, that describes most young children, doesn't it? It would be a challenge to find any young child who can sit still and pay attention for long periods of time, who aren't hyper or impulsive. If those symptoms seem to fit so many children, why are so many children taking so many pills to calm the symptoms of childhood? "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood brain disorders and can continue through adolescence and into adulthood" (National Institute of Mental Health). With ADHD being the most common disorder in children, should they have their systems filled with potentially dangerous medication? Despite the fact that Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera and other ADD/ADHD medications work for treating some symptoms of the disorder, parents and teachers should not overly medicate their children due to the negative physical and mental effects that comes with giving these drugs to young children.
Can these medications be used for good? Of course they can. For children with ADHD/ADD, the medication is meant to increase the amount of dopamine in their systems, as their brains are not creating enough by themselves. The increased amount of dopamine is meant to help the children focus on the tasks they are given, and when used properly, ADHD/ADD has been proven to be effective. "The biggest long-term study of treatment for children with ADHD, called the MTA [Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD] study, treated nearly 600 children in the late 1990s for 14 months, to compare the effectiveness of several different protocols-medication, behavioral treatment, or both. That study showed clearly that medication reduced symptoms more effectively than behavioral therapies" (Miller).