SHRINK SLAMS SCHOOL ‘PILL MILL' DISCIPLINE

New York Post ^ | 8/14/02 | DOUGLAS MONTERO

[kattracks]

August 15, 2002 -- A BRONX psychologist is charging that public-school educators are using local clinics as Ritalin "pill mills" to dispense medication to normal kids who don't need them.

A horrified Bernice Bauman, who runs the Independent Consultation Center, says that during the school year she sees about 10 to 15 parents and kids referred to her for Ritalin by school officials.

[bvw]

Freeper Joe Montana used to post on this subject, it is a horror!

[backhoe]

Rx Nation- are our children being medicated to death?

[Sacajaweau]

The saddest thing I saw was a puppy on Ritalin. The other puppies were scurrying around playfully. The puppy on Ritalin was sitting quietly on the owners lap and it almost looked like a "stuffed animal".

It was just horrible.

Sac

[abclily]

Since it is against the law to make children mind in the classrooms, they are now medicated into civility. This situation has evolved, since boys are now expected to act like docile girls. You will find that the vast majority of students on Ritalin are boys.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

I understand that if your son has taken Ritalin, it will disqualify him for future military service.

[Sacajaweau]

The other "clincher" of Ritalin is that these kids will need medication "for the rest of their lives" according to one Doctor who passes this out like candy.

I wonder what the long term effects are Ritalin are...I have never heard any stats...Do we know???

Sac

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

parents and kids referred to her for Ritalin by school officials

Unreal. No wonder ADHD has such a rotten 'reputation'.

I'm stunned that a school has the power to actually *suggest* treatment. The only execption I can fathom would be the availability of a multi-physcian examination to

-Conduct the complete series of Physical and Neuropsychological evaluations necessary to rule out one of the 50 or so medical conditions which can mimic ADHD symptoms

Determine, follow and apply without hesitation, the recognized diagnostic guidelines clearly laid out by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Using the same guidelines, comply a treatment 'plan' using the AAP recommended 'dual therapy' approach consisting of
**Family therapy
**Establishment of clear and obtianable patient goals, both in the long and short term
**A series 'socially acceptable situations' guidelines when appropiate, used both as a tool to show relevant, necessary behavior patterns and to assist the child in re-learning these behaviors
**When deemed appropiate, the correct medication.

[ventana]

Every Freeper who hasn't read "Brave New World" should. Those who read it years ago, should re-read it. It is about a society placated by a drug, sexual titillation, and low culture. It is what we have become.

Years ago, my son's kindergarten teacher advised me that if I put him in the public schools, they would insist he be medicated. I worked, we had financial stress and that made tensions at home high. I quit my job, and we changed our lives as best we could to be more peaceful and secure for our son. The financial stress didn't go away, but we made other arrangements. I never let him be medicated, but I worked with him every way I could think to manage his high energy level. I also let him be a boy.

He will be eighteen soon, an honor student, an eagle scout, and sometimes an all around pain in the butt, as are most teens. We lock horns, but he is developing into a nice man. I still give him a hard time about everything from table manners to homework--after all, a Mom's job IS to civilize her children especially her sons, but it is not to neuter them medically or otherwise. V's wife.

[AbnSarge]

"I understand that if your son has taken Ritalin, it will disqualify him for future military service."

Not so, I was doing the 'mentoring' thing with a 'troubled' kid who had been on Ritalin as a young teen. I jumped with him on his qualifying jump at airborne school, and he went off to the Ranger Rgt.

[GBA]

The over prescribing of Ritalin in our schools is yet another of the "here, take this" method of solving our problems. Just a few decades ago, before the belief in "magical" pills became so prevalent, our society believed in reality and believed in discipline, hard work, and a change of beliefs to solve one's problems.

But not today. Now we want to believe in a new and better way. If one has a problem, take a pill. If one is overweight, no need to diet! Take some weightloss pills that still let you slam down pizza(s) and beer, cake and ice cream, whatever you want, as much as you want, and you'll still lose that weight. And you know what? We believe it!!

It's no wonder we also slam down SERIOUS psychotropic drugs so that we can deal with our day to day difficulties. A prescription for prozac, paxil, etc. are often the first method employed by modern psychiatry in dealing with centuries old human problems. Small wonder kids take illegal drugs. Why shouldn't they? They are not only following the example of the adults around them, but are hammered with that message by the "experts" writing magazine articles, marketing advertizement,and, of course, prescriptions. And we wonder why we haven't won the "war on drugs". Hilarious!

When teachers and school faculty, along with parents, gave up the will to discipline kids and the tools to maintain control of the classroom, it was only a matter of time until ritalin and "smaller class size" would be touted as the way to save our kids and the education system.

Why is it that just a couple of generations ago, before ritalin and the socialization of teaching, there were large, yet orderly, class sizes (except on the days when there was a substitute teacher)? Most kids feared the alternatives (aka punishment) to their maintaining self control in class. We've always had guns in society, but there were few if any school shootings back then. Why?

Something changed. It's not people. A simple look at history will show that there's nothing new under the sun. Humans haven't changed in thousands of years. What did change? Something was removed and a new erroneous belief was accepted and that is when the problems, both personal and societal, began.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

Good news, but Ritalin is still being badly abused and is hurting our young boys.

[Red Jones]

bump

[zx2dragon]

By the standards they use in school these days, just about everyone I knew (and myself) would have been medicated or even possibly thrown in jail.

Shame that children can't be children anymore.

[OldFriend]

There is another reason why the schools label these children ADHD and recommend medication (Ritalin), it increases the number of 'classified' children in their school.......entitling the school to extra funds.

[OldFriend]

I believe it states that if the person took Ritalin AFTER puberty he would not be permitted to serve in the military.

[Mark was here]

A good swat on the Backside vs. Ritalin
If I got into trouble in school, you bet I was in more trouble when I got home!

[GirlNextDoor]

Years ago, my son's kindergarten teacher advised me that if I put him in the public schools, they would insist he be medicated. I worked, we had financial stress and that made tensions at home high. I quit my job, and we changed our lives as best we could to be more peaceful and secure for our son. The financial stress didn't go away, but we made other arrangements. I never let him be medicated, but I worked with him every way I could think to manage his high energy level. I also let him be a boy.

How wonderful and bless you for your choice!

[4America]

"She says those parents come in panic-stricken. They say the teachers call them daily to complain about their children's classroom behavior - like they don't stay planted in their desks or don't pay attention."

I had this same exact problem 3 years ago. The Doctors started my son on Wellbutrin ( I think I spelt that correctly) for about 6 months (He was 6 1/2 back then). I kept telling the Doctors, that he became withdrawn & depressed and I was becoming worried, because this was not my sons normal behavior.

The Doctors insisted, that this was normal & to give it more time. They also wrote him a script for Ritalin & Paxil to be taken at the same time. (that's including the Wellbutrin) and then told me it was to balance the depression out.

That's when I told the Doctor, that maybe she (the Doctor) and the teachers needed the medication.

Trust me, every parent really knows their own child & if you strongly believe, that your child does not need to be on Meds, the schools nor the Doctor have no right to put your child on Meds unless properly diagnoised.

My son has been of the Meds for three years now & he's as normal & is as happy as can be.

[ZinGirl]

He will be eighteen soon, an honor student, an eagle scout

kudos to you...a mom who hung in there when the going got tough....GREAT POST.