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Attention Disorder or Not, Pills to Help in School


Shep

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This is an extremely troubling article from the New York Times from October 9, 2012. If you think the picture of the boy is disturbing, the dead look in his eyes are only the beginning of yet another life destroyed by psychiatric drugs instead of fixing our failing schools.

 

 

Attention Disorder or Not, Pills to Help in School

 

 

CANTON, Ga. — When Dr. Michael Anderson hears about his low-income patients struggling in elementary school, he usually gives them a taste of some powerful medicine: Adderall.

 

The pills boost focus and impulse control in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Although A.D.H.D is the diagnosis Dr. Anderson makes, he calls the disorder “made up” and “an excuse” to prescribe the pills to treat what he considers the children’s true ill — poor academic performance in inadequate schools.

“I don’t have a whole lot of choice,” said Dr. Anderson, a pediatrician for many poor families in Cherokee County, north of Atlanta. “We’ve decided as a society that it’s too expensive to modify the kid’s environment. So we have to modify the kid.”

 

As the article goes on, we meet several children, including Quintn who suffered from symptoms (adverse reactions) so severe that at only 10 years old, he's locked up and then placed (i.e. forced) onto an antipsychotic. 

 

 

When puberty’s chemical maelstrom began at about 10, though, Quintn got into fights at school because, he said, other children were insulting his mother. The problem was, they were not; Quintn was seeing people and hearing voices that were not there, a rare but recognized side effect of Adderall. After Quintn admitted to being suicidal, Dr. Anderson prescribed a week in a local psychiatric hospital, and a switch to Risperdal.

 

Even after this experience, the crime continues: 

 

Despite Quintn’s experience with Adderall, the Rocaforts decided to use it with their 12-year-old daughter, Alexis, and 9-year-old son, Ethan. These children don’t have A.D.H.D., their parents said. The Adderall is merely to help their grades, and because Alexis was, in her father’s words, “a little blah.”

 

This is telling because it's putting the narrative into the parents' hands - "the Rocaforst decided to use it" with their other children.  Decided to use it? Really?! I would think the doctor made that decision and scripted the drugs. 

 

And what do the doctors conclude?

 

 

“This is my whole angst about the thing,” Dr. Anderson said. “We put a label on something that isn’t binary — you have it or you don’t. We won’t just say that there is a student who has problems in school, problems at home, and probably, according to the doctor with agreement of the parents, will try medical treatment.”

He added, “We might not know the long-term effects, but we do know the short-term costs of school failure, which are real. I am looking to the individual person and where they are right now. I am the doctor for the patient, not for society.”

 

This is such a cop out because we DO know the long-term effects. This is an indication that every pediatrician should be required to read Robert Whitaker's Anatomy of an Epidemic, as well as his website, including this article by Bruce Levine:

 

Is Society or Psychiatry to Blame for the “Seriously Mentally Ill” Dying 25 Years Prematurely?

 

It's both ironic and tragic that as the schools deteriorate, pediatricians take it into their hands to "fix" the situation by destroying the very children they say they are there to help.

 

No, Dr. Anderson, you are not the doctor for society. But you certainly aren't the doctor for the patient, either. 

 

 

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that gets me so angry...i've had enough of this. i'm going to start gathering people for an anti-risperdal movement.

In March 2016 i suffered from a paranoia/schizophrenic episode which resulted in me taking risperidone/risperdal 3mg for about 3 weeks along with a couple 7mg long acting injections.  i had an intense withdrawal after stopping cold turkey and i have been off risperidone ever since then.

 

 

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Sorry to interject politics but I greatly fear with Trump's appointment of a pro voucher/charter school education secretary that things will get alot worse due to more money being drained from the public schools.   

 

Anyway, Dr, Anderson is a disgrace.

 

CS

Drug cocktail 1995 - 2010
Started taper of Adderall, Wellbutrin XL, Remeron, and Doxepin in 2006
Finished taper on June 10, 2010

Temazepam on a PRN basis approximately twice a month - 2014 to 2016

Beginning in 2017 - Consumption increased to about two times per week

April 2017 - Increased to taking it full time for insomnia

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Ah, the "magic" of charter schools. No one can explain charter schools and standardized testing better than John Oliver:

 

Charter Schools: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 

 

 

Standardized Testing: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

 

In the first episode, we find that a charter school is a "business". And in the second one, we find that the company that makes the standardized tests, a company named Pearson, also produces the ADHD testing material. I looked that up, and it's true - 

Pearson Acquires ADHD Testing Company BioBehavioral Diagnostics

 

And that second video also brought up the fact that for some charter schools, teacher salaries are actually tied into students' test scores.

 

So, a school is run for profit (which automatically commodifies the kids), the company that makes the standardized tests also makes the ADHD tests, and teachers are paid in accordance to how the kids test, really, on both tests. 

 

What could possibly go wrong here?! 

 

In that second video, it brings up a movement where kids are boycotting the standardized tests. Good for them. Now if we can just get their parents and their pediatricians to boycott psychiatric drugs, maybe they will have a decent future. 

 

 

 

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Hi Shep,

 

Thanks for providing all those links.   I only watched the beginning of John Oliver's films but am already quite angry at what I heard.

 

Wow, that is incredible that the folks who make the standardized tests produce the ADHD testing material.     How come no one has complained about this?

Drug cocktail 1995 - 2010
Started taper of Adderall, Wellbutrin XL, Remeron, and Doxepin in 2006
Finished taper on June 10, 2010

Temazepam on a PRN basis approximately twice a month - 2014 to 2016

Beginning in 2017 - Consumption increased to about two times per week

April 2017 - Increased to taking it full time for insomnia

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Wow, that is incredible that the folks who make the standardized tests produce the ADHD testing material. 

 

and I bet if you look into the nitty gritty have stock in treatment... that is how it all goes... in business good old boys club.  

 

Some of whom no doubt produce chemicals.. that according to Enviromental Illness site cause ADHD in the first place... 

 

is this a dog catching his tail... what are the results .. besides dizziness?  Guess we will see...

 

some things to look at if you want...

 

 

Treating and Beating ADHD - The Environmental Illness Resource
www.ei-resource.org/articles/related-conditions.../treating-and-beating-adhd...
May 9, 2016 - Chiropractor, Dr. Rodger Murphree, discusses the use of drugs such as Ritalin and their side-effects in the treatment of ADHD and describes ...
Nutritional Therapies for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
www.ei-resource.org/.../nutritional-therapies-for-attention-deficit-hypera...
  1.  
Oct 1, 2015 - by Leo Galland, M.D.. www.mdheal.org. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has reached epidemic proportions among U.S. school children.
ADHD risk increased by mercury and lead exposures
www.ei-resource.org/.../adhd-risk-increased-by-mercury-and-lead-expos...
  1.  
Sep 26, 2012 - Whale and fish consumed by their mothers were the sources of the Inuit ... Mercury and lead exposures had a stronger effect on ADHD symptoms than .... In Environmental Illness Forums / General EI Discussion; Last post by ...
My Battle with Candida - The Environmental Illness Resource
www.ei-resource.org/articles/candida-and-gut.../my-battle-with-candida/
  1.  
  2.  
May 9, 2016 - ADD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, disorientation, drowsiness, ...... on the subject - http://www.ei-resource.org/myblog/Candida-Yeast-Infection- ...
The Serotonin Connection - The Environmental Illness Resource
www.ei-resource.org/articles/mental-and.../the-serotonin-connection/
  1.  
Oct 5, 2015 - “Essential” amino acids are sources of protein, that the body cannot produce and ... Thus ADHD is considered another consequence of insulin ...
Autism and the Human Gut Flora - The Environmental Illness Resource
www.ei-resource.org/articles/autism.../autism-and-the-human-gut-flora/
  1.  
  2.  
May 10, 2016 - ... (ADHD), Pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) and many others, ..... In Environmental Illness Forums / General EI Discussion; Last post ...
Autism News - The Environmental Illness Resource
www.ei-resource.org/news/autism-news/
  1.  
  2.  
AGRE is a resource for scientists that is comprised of clinical and biological data from families who have ... ADHD risk increased by mercury and lead exposures.
Is There Really a Connection between Probiotics and Brain Health?
www.ei-resource.org/.../is-there-really-a-connection-between-probiotics-...
  1.  
May 8, 2016 - ... Deficit Disorder); ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) ... She is a great resource for probiotic foods and fitness lessons that you can follow ... In Environmental Illness Forums / General EI Discussion; Last post by ...
Immune Mimicry Disease: Theory and Implications for Autism and ADHD
www.ei-resource.org/.../immune-mimicry-disease-imd-theory-and-implic...
  1.  
May 10, 2016 - Asperger syndrome sufferer, David Williamson, outlines his Imunne Mimicry Disease (IMD) theory of Autism and ADHD and other ...
Environmental Factors in the Causation of Autism
www.ei-resource.org/.../environmental-factors-in-the-causation-of-autis...
  1.  
May 10, 2016 - Autism, Dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), Crohn's Disease, CFS/ME, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Ulcerative Colitis ...

WARNING THIS WILL BE LONG
Had a car accident in 85
Codeine was the pain med when I was release from hosp continuous use till 89
Given PROZAC by a specialist to help with nerve pain in my leg 89-90 not sure which year
Was not told a thing about it being a psych med thought it was a pain killer no info about psych side effects I went nuts had hallucinations. As I had a head injury and was diagnosed with a concussion in 85 I was sent to a head injury clinic in 1990 five years after the accident. I don't think they knew I had been on prozac I did not think it a big deal and never did finish the bottle of pills. I had tests of course lots of them. Was put into a pain clinic and given amitriptyline which stopped the withdrawal but had many side effects. But I could sleep something I had not done in a very long time the pain lessened. My mother got cancer in 94 they switched my meds to Zoloft to help deal with this pressure as I was her main care giver she died in 96. I stopped zoloft in 96 had withdrawal was put on paxil went nutty quit it ct put on resperidol quit it ct had withdrawal was put on Effexor... 2years later celexa was added 20mg then increased to 40mg huge personality change went wild. Did too fast taper off Celexa 05 as I felt unwell for a long time prior... quit Effexor 150mg ct 07 found ****** 8 months into withdrawal learned some things was banned from there in 08 have kept learning since. there is really not enough room here to put my history but I have a lot of opinions about a lot of things especially any of the drugs mentioned above.
One thing I would like to add here is this tidbit ALL OPIATES INCREASE SEROTONIN it is not a huge jump to being in chronic pain to being put on an ssri/snri and opiates will affect your antidepressants and your thinking.

As I do not update much I will put my quit date Nov. 17 2007 I quit Effexor cold turkey. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1096-introducing-myself-btdt/

There is a crack in everything ..That's how the light gets in :)

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My mom has ADHD...big time.  Was never treated for it.

 

She is now 80, has lived a lifetime medication-free (mostly), run rings around me energy-wise and can discuss everything from gardening to Tolstoy.

 

Would medication have helped her with spelling and organizational challenges?  Probably.  But would the trade-off have been worth it? 

 

I feel bad for kids today who don't have any choice.  Short-term profit at the expense of long-term consequences. 

 

Same old story.

On and off various medicines since 1989

2009:  Prescribed Lexapro 5mg and Abilify 5mg
2015:  discovered MTHFR snp, went on Walsh protocol, felt better

2016:  down to 2.5mg each of Lexapro and Abilify

2017:  down to .7mg of Abilify, obtained liquid form.

Currently at .4mg of Abilify

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btdt, thanks for sharing all of those links. The first link  is mind blowing in the amount of money being spent on this - "Spending on ADHD drugs soared from $759 million in 2000 to $3.1 billion in 2004, according to IMS Health, a pharmaceutical information and consulting firm. The United States uses approximately 90% of the world’s Ritalin."

 

I'm sure it's even more now in 2016. Just imagine if all of that money could go to improve the public schools.

 

JJ33, your mom sounds like a very special lady. I'm sure she's proud of you for getting off your drugs. 

 

 

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Wow, that is incredible that the folks who make the standardized tests produce the ADHD testing material.     How come no one has complained about this?

 

 

Oh, but people have complained. People are very much against the standardized tests and against ADHD testing, but the problem is the same for everything we're railing against when it comes to large corporations. Even though we're the 99%, the 1% have the power.

 

Like in the John Oliver video, kids are walking out in protest, not taking the tests. But most kids DO take the tests because they want to graduate. So it's just not massive enough, the protests aren't big enough, yet. I hope this is a trend that continues, though. Parents are overwhelmed with jobs and growing debt, though. It's a giant economic mess, it seems. 

 

Also, not enough people know because 90% of the media is owned by only 6 corporations. And pharmaceutical advertising is a form of education that is funneled into that stream of media. So a lot of people don't even know much of anything anymore. 

 

It's like what we're doing to try and stop these drugs - many people have written letters, have talked to journalists, have set up websites and written memoirs depicting the horrors of these drugs. And yet doctors still write prescription after prescription. And new funding keeps getting slatted for chemical "treatments". 

 

But the pharmaceutical industry puts twice as much money into lobbying congress as big oil does. 

 

And if we can't fight back on something as visible as climate change due to the interests of big oil, how are we to fight the quieter, less seen monsters such as ADHD testing?  :huh:

 

 

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