Australian ADHD: Ritalin Controversy

I have been following this story in the online news. It seems quite surprising to me…

From what I can gather, a 20 year old young man got charged, convicted and sentenced to jail for charges of assault and an indecent act. This young man had been diagnosed with ADHD, and was treated with Ritalin from the ages of 6-16. Judge Conlon reportedly said that he believes that the use of Ritalin has created a whole generation of violent youth. Apparently a psychiatrist testified that ritalin caused brain damage.

Here is a link to the original article.

My surprise comes from the fact that misinformed (and frankly ignorant) opinions about ADD and ADHD are in the courts in Australia. This is now getting to be a debate in the Australian Government. I urge the Medical Community in Australia, as well as the parent support groups to step forward and break down these wrong ideas.

Ritalin doesn’t cause brain injury. Generally, it is not overprescribed. Research shows that treating with Ritalin (or other ADHD medication) actually reduces aggression and criminal acts, and doesn’t cause this.

I have submitted a comment to this newspaper article posted above. They have to approve the comment. It will be interesting to see if they do. I am posting it here for you to see my response, and I will come back and let you know if they do allow this comment to go on their website.

Dr. Kenny

Here is the comment I entered into their site:

I am sorry to see that such a controversy is going on in Australia over medications for ADD/ADHD.

It has been clearly studied and documented that Ritalin does not in fact cause brain injury. I reference Dr. Castellanos’s research from the American NIMH, which documented no change in children’s brains with the ADHD medication.

Ritalin, however, when taken, can significantly improve the risk of impulsivity, which can often be the cause of criminal behaviour.
Although I don’t know details of this 20 year old’s actions, the facts are that about 70% of kids and teens with ADHD, still have it when they are adults. If he wasn’t taking his medication, then his ADHD was uncontrolled, and this could have been a contributing factor to his criminal behaviour.

Ritalin was not the causal agent for this man’s criminal acts, but it could have been a factor to prevent that from happening.

I urge scientific facts to enter this controversy in Australia, rather than ill informed opinions.
Please visit my blog to learn more about ADD/ADHD: www.ADDADHDBlog.com

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Written by Dr. Kenny Handelman - The ADHD Doctor


To find get a FREE special report on ADD/ADHD Medication, visit: Medication Mastery

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