The Ritalin Fact Book: What Your Doctor Won't Tell You

Rating:
Summary: Truth that many don't want to hear
Review: After reading the two previous reviews, I had to say a word in defense of Mr. Breggin.

No, Mr. Breggin is not a mainstream practioner. But if you do a little research (try finding Breggin's website) you will find that his credentials are certainly nothing to brush off. This guy is actually pretty phenomenal. He has studied this subject a lot longer and in much greater depth than your average Doctor Schmoe. And if you know anything about psychiatric drugs and the medical field, you will also realize that the average mainstream doctor got all he knows about these drugs from the drug companies themselves. The drug companies are the ones providing most of the education and nearly all of the research that our average family doctors rely on. So you've got to figure that the mainstream may not have a clear and unbiased picture. Add to that the fact that insurance companies are crazy about psychiatric drugs. Why? Because they sure are cheaper than paying a psychologist or counselor! And they are quick, effective and easy to document. Drugs are big money, and parents and teachers love them! (See reviews below).

If you are really genuinely worried about your child's health, then you have got to be aware of the other side of the story regarding ritalin (and other psychiatric drugs). Dr. Breggin isn't the only person out there with a negative view of these drugs. If you look, you will find that this stuff is well backed-up. One of the earlier reviewers called Breggin arrogant, cold, and cruel. The person states with sarcasm:
"Now, let's all go off medication together, have a jump in school failure and expense, increase aggressive and suicidal behavior, fill the ER's with children who ran into traffic. Let's have the child get punished and put down all day again. Let's disrupt all the classes these children attend, as the teachers try to get them down from the window sills."

Do you really have such little faith in our children?? They are people, not monsters.

My question is where were all these kids fifty years ago? In the days before Ritalin? Why weren't they jumping out of windows and running into traffic? Are you going to tell me that our genes have changed? That is highly unlikely. What has changed in the last fify years is not our genetic make-up. Our kids do not have brain disorders. Look at our society and our families. Look at ourselves as parents. And look at the demands being placed on children. I am not saying all these kids are angels, but even being a brat does not qualify as a brain disorder. Dealing with a kid with bad behavior takes work. Dealing with a kid who can't handle sitting at a desk all day long takes some thinking outside of the box. Hyperactivity is sometimes a way that children (and adults) deal with stress and problems they don't know how to handle. Sometimes it is a defense. Pills offer a quick, easy and guilt-free solution, and too many parents are taking advantage of that. When you go into a classroom and know that half of the kids are on ritalin (which is an occurence popping up more and more often around the country), there is no denying this.

Maybe you won't agree with the style in which Breggin writes, but I am glad he is out there. This is a subject that needs more attention.

Rating:
Summary: Hysterical Garbage
Review: Contrary to his press release, Breggin is not a mainstream practitioner, but a charlatan exploiting the fears of millions of Americans. His findings have been directly contradicted by the American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health and the American Psychiatric Association. The book is written in an hysterical style that makes it hard to take seriously and undermines his claims to legitimacy.

Rating:
Summary: The Importance of Critical Thinking
Review: I completely agree with everything the reader from New Mexico says.

I disagree completely with the reader below his response. Are you a doctor or biochemist? DO you know the difference between a central nervous stimulant and antibiotics!?! Obviously you do not know the differences between them and their side effects.

People need to be educated about these issues, but the majority of people are too lazy to do research, but instead get their information from friends, television, or any other 'easier' method of obtaining information.

If the parents and teachers of these children are actually willing to blame themselves for these problems (take a behavior modification class at your local college as a non-degree seeking student!), instead of LABELING the children with some disorder, then will these problems slowly "spontaneously disappear".

Thank you for reading this.

Rating:
Summary: help the children!
Review: I completely agree with everything the reader from New Mexico says.

I disagree completely with the reader below his response. Are you a doctor or biochemist? DO you know the difference between a central nervous stimulant and antibiotics!?! Obviously you do not know the differences between them and their side effects.

People need to be educated about these issues, but the majority of people are too lazy to do research, but instead get their information from friends, television, or any other 'easier' method of obtaining information.

If the parents and teachers of these children are actually willing to blame themselves for these problems (take a behavior modification class at your local college as a non-degree seeking student!), instead of LABELING the children with some disorder, then will these problems slowly "spontaneously disappear".

Thank you for reading this.

Rating:
Summary: The Arrogance, the Coldness, the Cruelty
Review: Ritalin lasts for 4 hours. Everyone stops taking medicine once they feel better. Even doctors who should know the course of antibiotics for a strep throat is 10 days, stop after 5, once they feel better. The reason people take medications, such as Ritalin, is that the symptoms return if they do not. These symptoms are unbearable and harsh. They include hard outcomes such as self-injury and accidents from impulsity. Parents, children, and teachers continue it because the life of the child is improved.

Peter Breggin believes he knows what is good for all the millions of people on Ritalin, each with unique circumstances and challenges. He believes he knows what is best for the individual child better than those who know him a lifetime and care about him the most. My doctor informs patients of most of the information in that book.

Now, let's all go off medication together, have a jump in school failure and expense, increase aggressive and suicidal behavior, fill the ER's with children who ran into traffic. Let's have the child get punished and put down all day again. Let's disrupt all the classes these children attend, as the teachers try to get them down from the window sills.

Rating:
Summary: The Importance of Critical Thinking
Review: You should check out the quackwatch website, where you can find a lot of interesting information about the book and the author (e.g., the truth about Breggin's resume posted on his website), in addition to a critical review of Breggin's view written by Dr. Russell Barkley, a leading expert on ADD/ADHD. For instance, according to the website, judges found Peter Breggin untrustworthy and incompetent as an expert witness in three of the legal cases that he mentions in the introduction (some cases were dismissed and others were withdrawn before the publication of this book, though, interestingly, Breggin does not mention the fact). One of the judges even states that he believes he can almost declare Breggin "a fraud" who has written "outrageous books" and made "outrageous statements" despite the fact that he (Breggin) is "untrained" and has no proper academic competence/credential.

Now, itÕs good to be skeptical and critical when it comes to health science. You should examine any claim rigorously, including those made by pharmaceutical companies, major medical associations and research institutions. But please use the same standard to judge all claims, including those made by Breggin in this book. You owe it to yourself, your loved ones, and other ADD sufferers.

Instead of this book, I recommend Driven to Distraction by Hallowell and Ratey. They are not only competent doctors with the proper credentials but also fellow ADDers.