Are children over-medicated in regards to ADD and ADHD?

Health research specialists have raised a concern about how American children are receiving early and often unnecessary exposure to ADD and ADHD medication. The diagnosis of ADD and ADHD can be challenging since the analysis tends to seek symptoms such as hyperactivity and impulsivity, and these are traits in kids that tend to be steady with normal developmental behavior. The approach used in diagnosing ADD and ADHD in kids tends to vary based on the current conditions of the child. Children in the United States are not over-medicated in regards to ADD and ADHD.

Most children with mental disorders in the United States tend to use antipsychotics, and this is aimed at suppressing various disorders such as ADHD, intellectual disability, and disruptive behavior disorder. Most children are diagnosed before being given drugs; this implies that the drugs are suitable for resolving the issues experienced by the children. There are many specialized pediatrics in the United States; this means that they are aware of the conditions that the children undergo, and they prescribe suitable drugs aimed at correcting the disorders experienced.  Mental therapies and behavioral interventions are the most common modes of treatment used in the United States; however, when the conditions tend to become chronic, drugs are prescribed.

According to Park (2011), a child experiencing mental disorders that make them atrociously upsetting, causing self-injury and hurting themselves, it is recommended for a parent to give medication as prescribed by the doctor. Medication helps in making the behavior more manageable; however, the doctor’s prescription ought to be followed to ensure that the child does not overdose as this may have side effects. Medication for psychological issues is the basis of treatment more so when the patients are violent and hyper; this, in turn, makes the parents give medicines as recommended by the doctor. In some instances, children with mental disorders have developed suicidal thoughts; and as a result, parents are expected to give medications as prescribed with the aim of saving the children. Most parents rely on doctor’s prescriptions; as a result, the doctors have developed interventions for milder psychological disorders whereby they examine the children before prescribing drugs. Frequent diagnosis has reduced over-reliance on pills for mild disorders; this implies that children use drugs only when necessary.

According to Reinberg (2012), about 14% of teens experiencing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are prescribed psychiatric drugs; this implies that not all ADHD cases require medication. Most individuals tend to use a non-pharmaceutical approach, such as making the child’s home prearranged. Most parents have also made attempts to teach children how to overcome distractions, and this has reduced the use of drugs. ADHD could result from poor parenting; as a result, correcting this can be one way of avoiding drug use, and this is what many parents have opted for in the United States. Drugs are given to children with ADHD and ADD when the other interventions have failed.

Most parents have been warned against giving pills to children before seeking medical attention from specialists; this has reduced overmedication in children. Furthermore, most parents are aware of the adverse effects associated with over-medication in children; as a result, children are treated based on prescription (Park, 2011). Most mental disorders have been treated through non-medical interventions.  In some instances, some parents tend to fake a condition for a child with the aim of getting drugs for themselves; this implies that most children are not on medications. According to Reinberg (2012), most drugs on a mental disorder are not overused or misused; instead, they are used as prescribed.  Although drugs can help in improving health in children with aggressive behaviors, most parents consider non-medication therapies as this allows children to recover fully. Long term effects of medications tend to affect cognitive and physical development in children; as a result, most children with ADHD and ADD are not given drugs, but therapies that help in suppressing aggressive behavior (Reinberg, 2012).

Most families with typical health insurance cannot afford mental healthcare for their children; as a result, they end up using non-medical interventions to treat their children, and this has worked.  Most children do not have access to pills, and this has helped in avoiding overmedication cases in most children. Furthermore, some children may portray some symptoms that relate to ADHD and ADD; however, the parents try to avoid medication as this may result in the misuse of drugs. Misdiagnosis has been a common practice since some symptoms may not develop at a fast rate; this, in turn, calls for non-pharmaceutical intervention as this helps children suppress insistent behaviors (ZUGER, 2010).  In the past, most children could receive ADD and ADHD drugs based on parental diagnosis; however, physicians have helped in diagnosis, and children can be treated without the use of medicines depending on their current condition as well as symptoms that they portray. Non-medication interventions have worked, and this has convinced many people on the use of therapies as opposed to drugs more so in children with ADHD and ADD.

Conclusion

Parents rely on the pediatrics and the children are given drugs as prescribed; this implies that there are no over-medication cases. Furthermore, most healthcare specialists have opted for non-pharmaceutical interventions; this reduces the use of drugs and hence over-medication is avoided. Many children experience mental disorders such as ADHD and ADD; however, their conditions have been corrected through therapies .Besides, the physicians carry out diagnosis and this helps in recommending the suitable treatment.

References

Park, M. (2011, May 24). Little people, lots of pills: Experts debate medicating kids. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from www.edition.cnn.com: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/05/23/kids.overmedicated/

Reinberg, S. (2012, December 3). U.S. Kids Might Not Be Over-Medicated After All. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from www.health.usnews.com: https://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/12/03/us-kids-might-not-be-over-medicated-after-all

ZUGER, A. (2010, February 22). Doing an About-Face on ‘Overmedicated’ Children. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from www.nytimes.com: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/health/23book.html?mtrref=undefined&assetType=REGIWALL