I want to bring up a subject that has been weighin gupon me for some time now. As you know, I am an educator at a Jewish High School, and as such (and for many years before my teaching experiences) I have watched the disturbing growing trend of children being subjected to mood-altering drugs such as ritalin (sp), zoloft, etc. The numbers have redoubled over the past several years and it is more than a little disturbing.

I honestly believe that the school systems (especially the public school systems) are highly prejudiced against boys in general. The definition of a "good student" is one who
1. Is quiet
2. Keeps his/her hands to himself
3. Pays close attention
4. Is still in the chair
5. Doesn't disturb any other classmates

The definition of a healthy young boy is nearly the mirror opposite of these standards. Healthy boys (in general) are active, tactile learners, interactive, maintain a broad range of interests and "into things".

The system is set up to privelege little girls who (typically --there are always exceptions) are hard-wired to be able to sit for long periods, be able to focus on detailed tasks for long periods, pay close attention and remain occupied with a single task for long periods. So the only typical struggle they may experience is in the area of being big talkers (a greater tendency in girls).

So the boy is just being a boy--pulling Peggy's pony tails, shoving his friend, playing with all the pens in his notebook, rocking back in his chair and trying desperately not to lose his mind until recess where he can go "learn"--and he gets a note home. Little Yaakov can't sit still, is always talking to his friends, cannot focus on assignments--I think he needs to be assessed for ADD/ADHD. Please see a doctor, he is a problem in class.

Mom and Dad take him in, the Doc administers the drugs, becasue after all that is what they are there for, and asks for a follow-up. Now we have a child on drugs that was just being a normal little boy. The follow up is good-- no more complaining teacher. Of course the kid is listless and quiet and sleeps a little more-- but hey, isn't that a good thing? And so the cycle continues. The child pays for a teacher's inability/unwillingness to advance his/her curriculum to a level wherein it includes boy's learning and development cycles.

The big big problem is that we have very few studies on the long term affects of these drugs on pre-pubescent children later in life, because many of the drugs are so new that there is not a large enough smaple fo the population who has been on them for a long time so we really can't give a qualified answer to parents as to what they can expect for their childrens' long term health affects.

Disclaimer--I am NOT a medical doctor, and obviously ther ARE children and young adults who have genuine problems and are aided by these meds. But by and large, I would have to say that the behavioural modification drugs for young boys is grossly over-used and that ADHD/ADD is among the most over-diagnosed and mis-diagnosed illnesses of our time for the reasons I just gave.

Ravs-- CAN THIS BE KOSHER FOR JEWISH PARENTS TO PARTAKE IN THE MEDICATING OF OUR CHILDREN WITHOUT FIRST EXHAUSTING EVERY CHANNEL??

Ravs-- these boys are our future Rabbis, and community leaders. What will happen if their mental abilities are suppressed due to pop diagnosis/drugs on a mass scale? Shouldn't parents be warned to get other opinions before delving in to the drug loop headlong? Stats are now showing that there is a direct correlation between this diagnosis and medicinal treatment and that the result (IF WE CONTINUE ON THE CURRENT COURSE AND IT DOESN"T BECOME WORSE) that girls will outnumber boys in universities 3 to 1, WITHIN FIVE YEARS. This is an emergency.

By the way--to further back up my statement--Boys are being "diagnosed" as it were and given meds for ADD/ADHD THREE TIMES to every girl?

I ALSO FOUND THIS:

"plentiful DHA diet improves learning ability, whereas deficiencies cause deficits in learning" (Horrocks, 1999).

Also here are some books on the issue; I haven't read all of them but all get great reviews for the most part:

"Boys and Girls Learn Differently" - Michael Gurian, with Patricia Henley and Terry Trueman (Gurian wrote "The Wonder of Boys" and "The Wonder of Girls")


Speaking of Boys" - Michael Thompson (also co-author of "Raising Cain")

"The Men They Will Become" - Eli Newberger, M.D.

"Real Boys" - William Pollack (who also published "Real Boys' Voices")

"The War Against Boys" - Christina Hoff Sommers

This post does not even attempt to uncover the other difficulties that come psychologically with being "labeled" in this manner. Surely community awareness needs to rise on this issue. I don't even have boys, and I am outraged at the implications. Parents beware.

Shalom!
Yocheved Hadassah

Yocheved,

We live in a society in which we want a quick fix. Probably half the middle aged women in the US are on some kind of antidepressant or happy pill. We put our children on calming drugs etc. Most people on these drugs don't need them. Doctors are usually under pressure from patients who see ads from pharmaceutical companies on TV. They come and demand these drugs from the doctor who usually doesn't want to lose the patient. So there is a proliferation of these drugs.

How can it be stopped? I really don't know. People are living under a lot of stress and cannot cope, whether it's the children who just need extra help to manage or it's the parents themselves who have busy lives.

Patients always shop for the doctor who will do what they want....in fact, they are always bad mouthing other doctors when they visit their doctor of choice. We cannot outlaw these drugs because a huge blackmarket would develop....and many people do need them.

Ultimately it's in the hands of the consumer and the consumer is driving the demand.

Avi

quote:

They come and demand these drugs from the doctor who usually doesn't want to lose the patient. So there is a proliferation of these drugs.

Avi - are you not aware of other cases in which doctors like to push pills to patients who would prefer to not take any?

And for example if new standard for cholesterol has been adopted, and a patient is comfortable within the old standard and resists the chance to jump to take a drug for their unchanged condition, that a doctor might pressure the patient to take the drug or find another doctor?

quote:

Ultimately it's in the hands of the consumer and the consumer is driving the demand.

I think another twist on the same problem, something which I heard clearly in the first post, and I am aware of from elsewhere, is that teachers are the ones prescribing the medicine, and doing so under the threat that if a parent of the consumer refuses opportunity to drug their kid into submission to make the baby sitter's job easier, that the parent will find themselves defending their right to be a parent against a social services arm of the government.

Rob,

Generally doctors will not switch you to a new drug if the old one is working well for you. If they are convinced the new one will be better, they will ask you to try. Generaly doctors will not force you to take anything. It's a big liability on their part. Whenever a new drug is considered, it is usually on a trial basis. That's why they have all the samples from the drug reps.

About drugs being prescribed by school teachers; that's also rare. No doctor is going to prescribe any drugs to a child without the parents' knowledge. So parents are always participants unless it's an anomalous situation.
However, if parents decline the use of a drug deemed to be beneficial, it creates a whole new world with the child protective services. But that's a rare "media circus" type of case.

Avi

There is also the idea of "Chemical Restraints" versus "Physical Restraints". Chemical Restraint, is the use of medication and Physical Restraint, is tying a person to their bed for example. Where it is illegal to tie a person to his/her bed, it is not illegal for a doctor to administer medication, therefore we can restrain them chemically so that they can at least function to a degree without being harmful to others.

Or, for example, in a group home for the developmentally disabled, medication will be given out to "consumers" so that they not interact negatively with the other people in the residence and/or staff.

I agree with you, Yocheved, that there needs to be better judgment in the diagnosing of medication to students. However, the problem I think lies also in the fact that many if not most schools focus on the top 1/3 of the class. Then we have the other 2/3 that need to be focused on and the question is - what to do with them?

I think this whole drugging of children is instituted to make the teacher's job easier. The child's well-being is not even taken into consideration. In a sense it is not dissimilar to sterilization of "undesirables": if the parents and the teacher cannot handle the kid - drug him! It is disgusting.

ALEX--

BINGO!! It is done to compensate for the teacher's incompetence 90% of the time!