Ritalin or methylphenidate is a stimulant derived from the same family as cocaine. It is being dispensed with speed and nonchalance compatible with our drive-through culture, yet entirely at odds with good medicine and common sense. Ritalin does help some people pay attention and function better. But an excessive amount of children and adults are being prescribed Ritalin. Is Ritalin over-prescribed in today's society?
             The American Psychiatric Association has devised guidelines, which is stated in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for diagnosing, prescribing, and monitoring this disorder and sometimes-useful drug. There is no independent valid test for ADHD. There is not a laboratory test, or a physical examination that has been established to clinically assess this disorder. The guidelines for assessing the disorder are nothing but a list of disruptive behaviors (Clarke, 1997). Millions of America's children (Millions of American children) have been labeled with this disorder and put on Ritalin. Studies show that Ritalin prescriptions fluctuate dramatically depending on how parents and teachers perceive "misbehavior" and how tolerant they are of it. Physicians diagnose ADHD in patients and prescribe Ritalin after interviews as short as fifteen minutes. A five-fold jump in Ritalin production in the past five years clearly suggests that these guidelines are being ignored and that Ritalin is being vastly over-prescribed. Ritalin has increased sales by 700% since 1990 (Carlisle, 2002).
             People are willing to overlook side effects when it comes to treating a life-threatening disease. But with a less serious disorder like ADHD, therapeutic rewards must be weighed against possible adverse reactions. Since Ritalin is a relatively new drug, in use for about 30 years, we still don't know what long-term side effects await its young users. But we do know that more immediate problems can occur. There is a danger that t...