As I watched the Colbert Report tonight, I was thinking about an episode of his that I saw about a year ago or so on this very subject. I decided to head over to comedy central's Motherload to see if it was still in their archives. It was...and it's still hilarious to listen to. For fun, with some facts included to enhance the experience, I'm embedding the clip into this post, with some commentary placed below the clip.
I must say I'm pretty impressed with the writers - they really did their research! Armed with the April 23 U.S. News & World Report, of which the cover story is "Speed Freaks," I've learned a few more factoids about stimulant over-use in the US (particularly caffeine) which are relevant. In addition, that article is the subject of a coming post. I was mortified when I read it, but that will wait for later. Enjoy! :)
"They've got all these fun activites that they don't allow the kids to do."
Just minutes before starting this clip, he mentioned that dodgeball has pretty much been banned from schools. Sad! It was a staple of my grade school gym experience! What's wrong with an occasional nosebleed, or even a scratch or bruise?!? Nobody can have fun anymore.
Once again, trial and error have been pulled out of the system because the schools are afraid of nosebleeds (getting crucified by parents). Sure, the kid might get sucker-smacked in the face once or twice, but next time...he'll know to duck. That is, assuming he doesn't get distracted by someone's glinting watch...
"...there was enough [children's medications] to feed an army; or, at least, increase an army's attention span."
A factoid I didn't know until I read the U.S. News article: "The U.S. military issued amphetamine tablets to soldiers during WWII to prevent fatigue."
"It's a darn good thing more kids are getting medicated. The article says they're...[written: teenagers]"
This is a valid criticism/concern - my view is to medicate when/as needed, and not more. This could still mean being medicated every day is quite beneficial - as I learned AFTER graduating college...go figure. Still, as long as the student can pass without meds, *and also feels happier off them*, I believe it should be their choice. As I've said before - even though I was diagnosed in 2nd grade, I didn't medicate until 7th grade (when I nearly flunked out of a gifted math class).
"Instead of spanking their butts, we're spanking their brains."
I've read pretty much every opinion about how much schools/parents/doctors are over-prescribing the meds, and I'm not quite sure who's really the most accurate. Really, it depends on who you ask, and how involved they are in the real diagnosis process. Personally, I trust the opinions of psychologists with ADHD the most.
One new thing that has surfaced over the last few years is the changing view of the role teachers play in diagnosing it. The best description I've heard boils down to this: Teachers are in the best position to spot ADHD in children, because they see enough students to recognize who stands out. Coupled with a psychologist's examination, this is very powerful evidence towards an accurate diagnosis.
"Having a kid on meds is like having a kid with adjustable knobs."
While I don't have anything funny to say, I can verify from experience that the stimulant meds really do act like a kind of knob. Off meds, I constantly have some sort of 'chatter' going on in my head - either music, fleeting thoughts, or a conversation with myself. Meds turn down the internal volume, helping me to concentrate.
"Now, I'm no doctor - I don't know the long term effects..."
I got a really good laugh the first time I heard this - the caption at the end of that sentence pretty much says it all. There still isn't much out there yet; I'm guessing we won't get more conclusive info for another 3-5 years.
However, Dr. Amen has talked in his books about the effects a lot of long-term caffeine exposure has on the brain (this is one form of self-medicating, as is nicotine; i.e. ways people undiagnosed with ADHD who may have it treat their 'sloppiness' or 'laziness,' whatever) ...essentially, caffeine shrinks the brain slightly over time. Interestingly, he does not believe the prescription stimulants do this.
"...but I do know the long term effects on the pharmaceutical industry: fantastic."
I don't really have much to say about this, except that I learned last week at a conference that for treatment options, stimulants alone worked way better than behavior therapy alone. If you need the meds to scrape through, by all means use them!
Random fact - and the real reason I posted this quote: a new stimulant med is being developed that will only activate if absorbed through the stomach - and not through snorting. I personally find it kind of funny and sad at the same time, that this is going to be its selling point.
Never snorted my Adderal/Ritalin, and never sold it to anybody else either. As another matter of fact - 3% of all college students have taken prescription stimulants that weren't prescribed to them, and that number is growing pretty fast. I do NOT recommend selling your prescriptions to others...it could get pretty ugly if something bad happens.
That's all for now! Keep posted for more info coming soon.
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1 comment:
hm. You said, "Teachers are in the best position to spot ADHD in children, because they see enough students to recognize who stands out." ...As a homeschool kid, I clearly did not have this advantage. My brother's ADHD is so obvious that it would be hard to miss, so he's an exception, but what I'm wondering is how many homeschool kids have ADD/HD but either never get diagnosed or are diagnosed much later in life. I believe the portion of students being homeschooled has been increasing a good deal over the last 5-10 years, too. Interesting, huh.
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