Medicating Kids to Treat ADHD

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Table of Contents

Introduction
ADHD Treatment
Implications
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The question of whether kids with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder should be treated with medicine has always been a heated one. First signs of the disorder can appear as early as 5 years old, and a lot of parents are concerned if it may be too early their children to start taking medication and are wondering about the alternatives.

ADHD Treatment

In the US, medication and behavioral therapy are the principal tools for treating the disorder. The exception to this rule is the treatment of pre-school children, where only therapy is utilized (Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), 2016), although medication can still be prescribed if the former does not show a positive result. The consensus in the US is that the dangers of delayed treatment often outweigh the risks posed by the early medication. The traditional view is that the drugs for the disorder are some of the safest in the psychiatric practice, while the dangers posed by untreated ADHD include failure in studies, inability to construct social connections, accidents due to lack of focus, and problems with alcohol and drugs (McCarthy, 2016).

Implications

Despite the recorded effectiveness of the ADHD stimulant medication, there are still concerns about some of the implications of their prolonged use.

Most of the academic studies support the short-term effects of medication, but there is still very limited research on the long-term effects and how lasting they are.

However, there are recorded examples of severe side effects in children, from weight loss to low-grade depression, character tics, and hallucinations. There are recorded cases of the disorder returning after the medication was stopped (Side Effects of ADHD Medication, 2016). Some sides of the discussion insist on religion and belief as a useful tool for coping with ADHD both in children and adults (ADDitude Editors, 2016).

However, behavior treatment on its own does not always produce results, and, according to Parritz and Troy (2014), lack of effective treatment can cause “noncompliant and negative behaviors [to] occur more frequently, particularly related to issues of responsibility (e.g. chores), rights and privileges (e.g. driving)” (p. 149). Finally, a large number of adults continue to experience ADHD related issues into their adulthood if untreated, which results in antisocial behavior, abuse of substances, and other problems.

Conclusion

I believe that ADHD is a problem that cannot be solved by using a simple approach for every person. The dangers of the disorder are severe enough, that the need for treatment should be accepted as a fact. Whether it would be though belief, behavior treatment, or medication, should be dependent entirely on the needs of an individual child.