Some figures on where these drugs are being prescribed might have a better understanding of this . come on Herald if you are going to report a story then report the story not just the soundbite part or is this selective reporting. Nothing bad about glasgow oh no

Children are consuming increasing amounts of chemicals in foods -particularly E numbers, preservatives, flavourings and colourings. We need to eradicate these additives and return to good old-fashioned home cooking to improve children's health, and of course the health of us all. Convenience foods are not really convenient after all..... Manufacturers should be far more responsible in what they put in our foods, and the Government should legislate on reducing the amount of additives - then we should see a vast improvement in children's health, a reduction in the use of medication such as Ritalin, and a consequent reduction in the cost to the NHS of prescribing such drugs. Attack the problem at source!!!

Does this disorder erally exist, its a bit like M.E. i'm not sure. Maybe it is to do with the way the kids are brought up.

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?

More like................
.

A bsent D ad from the H ome D isorder

There's too many single parent families out there.

Does this disorder erally exist, its a bit like M.E. i'm not sure. Maybe it is to do with the way the kids are brought up.

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?

More like................

.

A bsent D ad from the H ome D isorder

There's too many single parent families out there.

I was going to make a point but I can't remember what is was.

ADHD is 100% fraud. It is a nonsensical term used to label and stigmatise children (and now adults). Based on spurious, subjective criteria (decided upon by a committee of psychiatrists), it is now pushed by various psychiatric and pharmaceutical entities as a medical/neurological "disease" that requires "treatment". It is absolute fraud. There is no valid scientific evidence that can effectively demonstrate the existence of what psychiatrists consider "ADHD" as a medical disease, brain abnormality or neuro-"chemical imbalance". Diagnosis is subjective, based on questionnaires, behavioural assessments and opinion only. First-line "treatment" is usually a powerful stimulant drug such as Ritalin. Pharmacologically, Ritalin is almost identical to Speed and more potent, in fact, than Cocaine. What we are doing is the "prescribed poisoning" of our children. It is scandalous and should be stopped.

For more information visit adhdtestingDOTorg, mindfreedomDOTorg and cchrDOTorg.

"Attention deficit disorder does not reflect children's attention deficits but our lack of attention to their needs." -- Peter R. Breggin, M.D., psychiatrist; author of Toxic Psychiatry, Reclaiming our Children, and Talking Back to Ritalin.

It is simply a market to be exploited by the unscrupulous, in my opinion.

I agree with Mike, London.

They can invent any so called disease for what is perceived as different behaviour from the "norm"

I would have thought that a short attention span coupled with hyper activity is actually quite normal in youngsters with energy to burn.

I was a bit like that myself when I was between 5 and 13 and just played at football all the time and got into music as well, despite my mind racing from one idea to another and not necessarily focusing on other stuff that OTHERS wanted me to focus on at the time.

Now it looks like there would be some smart arze who reckoned that this lack of focus being replaced by your OWN ideas is actually a BRAIN DISORDER and would no doubt have you on some kind of medication when all you really need is a scenario to express yourself in.

There is no doubt lots of profits to be achieved by exploiting these young people and their families.

Am I right or am I wrong?

politically-incorrect Man wrote:
I was going to make a point but I can't remember what is was.

I remember now,
no it's gone again!

How is ADHD diagnosed?

A diagnose for ADHD is made if other medical problems are ruled out, though the extent to which doctors ensure there is no other medical issue is unknown.
Ha ha ha ha ha

Who benefits from the prescriptions?

The drugmakers do.
Does your child?
Ha ha ha ha ha

Are we aware of the complications from ADHD drugs for our children that include stunted growth, chromosome damage, increased blodd pressure, arrhythmia, stroke and even death?

(These are a few names of children who were on medication related to ADHD: Stephanie Hall 11, Shaina Louise Dunkle 14, Adrian David Wade 12, Lianne M. Bessner 15).
There is evidence that children who used to take methylphenidate (Ritalin) during childhood are prone to experiment with illicit drugs during adolescence.
What drugmakers don't want you to know.
www: ritalindeath.com

Some good comments above - I'm glad to see that people are not taken in by the self-interest of pharmaceutical companies or the empire-building of sectors within the medical profession.

ADHD is a label - not a diagnosis. It covers a whole range of sometimes overlapping problems, from bad parenting or teaching, through nutritional deficiency because of poor diet or an unrecognised health problem, to undiagnosed Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Societal breakdown also plays its part.

The claims of the drug lobbyists re. differences in the brains of children with ADHD is extremely contentious and is outrightly disputed by psychiatrists such as Peter Breggin in the US, and many others:-

http://www.breggin.c

om/

The reality is that there are a growing number of studies that show that these drugs damage and atrophy the developing brain of a child. Even the manufacturers labels tell us that they produce fatal and near-fatal effects on the heart. The medical and political establishments should stop promulgating these distortions and the fraudulent claims for the efficacy of these drugs, and the media should stop churning out articles where no representation is given of the other side of the argument as regards the damage that these drugs do. The links between ADHD `patient` - actually parent -
groups and the manufacturers themselves have been exposed in both the US and UK.

Further information on ADHD drugs, which are now quite scandalously being pushed at children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder through the SIGN (Scottish national clinical) guidelines, is available within the Autism Rights Briefing Paper:-

http://www.autismrig

hts.org.uk/BriefingP

aperIndex.html

and also this papers weblinks, specifically:-

http://www.autismrig

hts.org.uk/ChemicalC

ontrol.html

I rather suspect that much of the 20% increase in the use of these drugs is because of the publication in June of this year of the SIGN guidelines on Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). When SIGN published its guidelines on ADHD, which recommended the use of Ritalin and other drugs, their prescription shot through the roof. ASD is a disability, and drugs should not be used as a chemical cosh on disabled children. If children with ASD received the medical and educational services that they need, behavioural problems would be minimal - and often less than `neurotypical` children.

The damage being done to the developing bodies and brains of children through the use of these drugs is as tragic as the passivity that too many adults require of children who often merely need more physical exercise and better or more specialised educational provision.

Aside from a better diet and more physical exercise, there are other medical interventions providing much more satisfactory outcomes than doping children with dangerous drugs. See the following websites for more information:-

http://www.tees.ac.u

k/schools/SSSL/cactu

s/index.cfm - Cactus Clinic - director is Dave Woodhouse

www.durhamtrial.org

http://www.fabresear

ch.org/

http://www.ness-foun

dation.org.uk/

http://www.hacsg.org

.uk/NEWS.htm - a good support group for families with children who are hyperactive or given the ADHD label.

The related article to this within the Herald quotes Sophie Dow, who set up Mindroom, with which Professor Chris Gillberg is closely associated. If you read the following BMJ article, you'll get an idea how scientific empires and reputations can be built on what can only be described as scientific fraud.

Gillberg shredded the raw data from his own research, presumably to cover his tracks on his research on DAMP, a `disorder` discovered by himself. Pity the UK doesn't have these kind of laws against scientific fraud or malfeasance.

http://bmj.bmjjourna

ls.com/cgi/content/f

ull/331/7510/180-f

    *      Gillberg fined by Swedish court

Of course, fraud is not a victimless crime - either for the children who are forced to take these drugs, or for those people who are refused drugs and other medical treatment because of cost-cutting. The health service has some seriously skewed priorities.

The terms - ADD - and - attention-deficit disorder - are no l o n g e r recognised in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV)

Fred Baughman is best known for his highly controversial social critism of ADHD, and psychiatry in general.
CCHR med. advisor webpage adhdfraud

Antipsychiatry
Baughman is a noted psychiatry critic most of ADHD and psychiatry.
He has stated, "biological psychology/ psychiatry is a total perversion of medicine and science, and a fraud".

Baughman often uses the term "fraud" and "fake" to describe ADHD and his personal website address contains the sword ADHD and Fraud within the address. see above.