| Peter R. Breggin, M.D., International Director of the Center for the Study of Psychiatry and Psychology which represents the opinions of about 1,000 doctors worldwide, flew from London to testify at the hearing. He stated that Ritalin and other mind-altering drugs have addictive qualities, and that their effects include suicide and episodes of mania. Several individuals testified to the reality of ADD and ADHD and in support of Ritalin. Speaking on behalf of herself and Children and Adults With ADD (CHADD), one woman claimed that Ritalin is not a drug, but prescription medicine. She admitted that CHADD gets 10% of its funding from the pharmaceutical companies. Serious Medicine In 1995, CHADD tried to persuade the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to classify Ritalin as a Schedule III drug, which would have made it easier to obtain. Ritalin contains methylphenidate, which, according to the DEA, "is structurally and pharmacologically similar to amphetamines." It was classified as a Schedule II drug in 1971 because it "was so prone to abuse." Other Schedule II drugs include morphine, PCP, methadone, cocaine, and methamphetamine. The DEA refused CHADDs request, charging that "Most of the ADHD literature prepared for public consumption and available to parents does not address the abuse liability or actual abuse of methylphenidate . . . There is an abundance of scientific literature which indicates that methyphenidate shares the same abuse potential as other Schedule II stimulants." A significant body of research exists on the possible negative effects of antidepressant drugs such as Prozac, Luvox, Zoloft, and Paxil on both children and adults which include mania, seizures, and cardiovascular problems. According to Dr. Breggin, "The phenomenon of drug-induced manic reactions caused by antidepressants is so widely recognized that it is discussed several times in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association and many times in The Physicians Desk Reference." ADD & Diet Those who testified before the Colorado Legislature against the indiscriminate use of Ritalin and other psychotropic drugs concede that "there are, without question, cases where medical therapy is a necessity and a benefit." Retired emergency medical services professional Jim Schindler, who described many prescription drug-related cases, particularly involving seizures, that he has personally witnessed, nonetheless added: "I see no reason or desire on anyone's part to deny those who depend on such methods of treatment access to that treatment, nor to deny such treatment in the future to those who are properly diagnosed." Therein lies the rub. Many nutrition experts say emotional wellbeing is tied to the 40+ nutrients that humans need for good health, and that conditions such as hyperactivity and depression are often better controlled through diet than drugs. In her book Lets Eat Right To Keep Fit, Adelle Davis describes the extreme negative effects that can result from deficiencies in vital nutrients. She writes tht the first symptom of biotin (B vitamin) deficiency, for example, is depression. In Chapter 9, she provides details of an experiment in which lack of biotin in adult volunteers caused "mental depression" to become "so intense that it was described as 'panic,' and some volunteers experienced suicidal tendencies. All symptoms disappeared in three to five days after biotin was added to the diet." |
| Conclusion Patti Johnson's original four-page version of the Colorado School Board Resolution offers the following observations: * It is misleading to advise parents that their child needs a mind-altering drug to correct a "chemical imbalance," "neurobiological" or "genetic condition" when science has been unable to establish the existence of such maladies. * Medical research shows that psychiatric symptoms are often a sign of an undetected medical condition, nutritional deficiency, or allergy. * The money expended [on behalf of students with ADHD, as reported by the National Institutes of Health] would be better spent on workable academic programs which actually raise the childs level of academic competence and thus his self-esteem. |
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