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4-10% (est.) of all school
age children are diagnosed with ADHD.
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Methylphenidate (Ritalin) and
amphetamine (Adderall) are central nervous system stimulants used to treat
ADHD.
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70% of ADHD-diagnosed
children respond to psycho-stimulant drugs (e.g. Ritalin). 15% improve when given anti-depressant drugs.
Some children do not respond to any of these drug therapies
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8.5 tons of methylphenidate
are produced each year globally.
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90% of the world’s Ritalin is
used in the United States.
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9.9 million Ritalin
prescriptions were written in the United States in 1999 alone.
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In November 1999, the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) warned about a record six-fold
increase in Ritalin production between 1990 and 1995.
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A recent article in the Journal of the American
Medical Association reports
a three-fold increase in the prescription of stimulants to toddlers.
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Nearly 50 % of doctors
confess to spending an hour or less with a child before making an ADHD
diagnosis and prescribing medication.
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A National Institute of Health Consensus Development
Conference (1998) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (2000) report found that there is no known biological basis for ADHD.
