Some public schools are accusing parents of child abuse when they balk at giving their kids drugs such as Ritalin, and as judges begin to agree, some parents are medicating their children for fear of having them hauled away by authorities.

There is a growing debate about diagnosing and medicating children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

• In Albany, NY, a couple put their 7 year old son back on Ritalin after a family court ruled that they must continue medicating him for ADD.

• Child protective services visited a NY couple after anonymous allegations of "medical neglect" were reported after they took their son off of Ritalin and other drugs because of the side effects.

• Maryland psychiatrist Peter Breggin says that often divorced parents disagree on medicating kids, and judges recently have ruled in favor of the parent who wants to medicate.

• According to Peter Jensen, who is on the board of Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder, the courts are going to rule in favor of medication more and more.

• According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 3.8 million school children are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and at least 2 million take Ritalin, a stimulant, for symptoms such as inattentiveness, impulsivity and sometimes hyperactivity. Many others are treated with different drugs.

• The long-term effects of children talking stimulants have not yet been studied.

• William Frankenberger, who has studied ADD/ADHD at the University of Wisconsin-EAU Claire for more than 20 years, says it's "disturbing to take a decision like that out of parent's hands."

In an accompanying article, several parents described their personal stories. One couple had a police officer come to their door. Only the fact that they had gotten a second opinion IN WRITING that her son did not need to take any medication saved them from possibly having him taken into protective custody. They had decided to take him off of the medications that he was on - Ritalin, Dexadrine, and Paxil, because they caused serious side-effects such as withdrawl and hallucinations. Currently, their son is taking no medication and is on a special diet which helps with his condition.

USA Today August 8, 2000.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

it is a sad tragedy that these parents are being forced to give these poisons to their children. These medicines do seem to provide some benefit, but in no way, shape, or form do they even being to treat the foundational cause of this problem, which is related to an excess of grains, sugars, underground vegetables, and any fluid other than water. This is particularly distressing as the diet changes I recommend works so well. There is not a week that goes by where I don't see some child with ADHD or autism have a near miraculous improvement from the diet changes. If you are not yet convinced of the dangers of Ritalin I would strongly recommend that you read Dr. Mary Ann Block's book No More Ritalin (see below). Dr. Block is a personal friend and I believe the book is an excellent resource to convince wavering parents. Related Articles: Untested Ritalin/Prozac Combination Used by More Children Large Numbers of Kids Already On Ritalin Why Are So Many Kids On Ritalin? Uncontrolled ADHD Increases Risk of Problems as Adult How You Can Help Support the Web Site Development One of the ways that you can help support the web site is that you can now purchase books through Amazon by clicking through on my web site. I obtain a tiny percentage of the sale and that will help support my ability to provide high quality content at no charge to you. However this will only work if you click on No More Ritalin. It does not work if you go directly to Amazon. I am only recommending books that I would purchase for my own home library. This book is currently in my library. No More Ritalin - Click to purchase book from amazon.com.