RITALIN DOES'T LEAD YOUTHS TO ADDICTION. 
Dr. Donohue --syndicated column 

Dear Dr. Donohue:

My 9 year old grandson has attention -deficit disorder. He takes Ritalin. I am
fearful that it might damage his brain or set him up for durg addiction later
in ife. Is Ritalin a harmful drug? How does it work? --LA.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder --ADHD--its something that was not
diagnosed when we were children. It existed then but was not recognized as
being a treatable condition. Now there are criteria that establish its
diagnosis, and now there are treatments tht help many children contend with it
successfully. Input from parents, teachers, doctors and mental health experts
is needed before diagnosis is made and before treatment is begun. The label
should not be given to children without the consensus of all these people in
order to prevent over diagnosis and unnecessary treatment.

Children with ADHD find, it is impossible to sit quietly for more than a few
minutes. Their concentration is fleeting. Rarely are they able to complete
assigned tasks. They are not learning impaired, but their grades often do not
reflect their true intellectual ability because their impulsiveness and
constant turmoil make it difficult for them to excel in school .

Ritalin is the most frequently prescribed drug for ADHD. It keeps
norepinephrine, a messenger brain chemical, adequately supplied to brain cells
and to regions of the brain that must be activated to keep attentin focused on
the task at hand. Response to Ritalin is extraordinary. Close to 75 percent of
ADHD children respond favorably to it. A new drug, Strattera, is avaiable for
children who do not benefit from Ritalin .

Ritalin doesn't harm the brain and there is no evidence yet that Strattera
does. They do not predispose treated children to drug addiction in later
life,. In fact , ADHD children who take Ritalin have lower rates of addiction
than ADHD children who go untreated.

end article

Ida J. Camburn 

 Power corrupts the few
 while weakness corrupts the many.
 --Eric Hoffer.