Ritalin

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Term Paper Title	Ritalin
# of Words	2676
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	10.7

Ritalin

Ritalin

     The parents of six year old James Patrick Smith receive a phone call
from the school guidance counselor informing them of their child's recent
hyperactive behavior. After a short conference, the guidance counselor suggests
to the parents a solution for young James' problem; as a result, the family
visits their family doctor and the doctor diagnoses James with Attention Deficit
Disorder (ADD) during a one hour appointment. To remedy the disorder, the doctor
prescribes the "savior drug" for ADD patients; children are almost always fed
the drug Ritalin, a prescription medicine that packs a strong euphoric punch
(Machan 151).  The preceding hypothetical situation commonly occurs in the
United States at a growing rate which may be too fast for the nation to contain.
The over-prescription of the drug Ritalin to correct ADD produces many negative
side effects upon patients and society.
     In the vast market of prescription drugs, Ritalin, one of the most
highly used drugs, also carries with it some of the greatest medical drawbacks.
ADD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) stands tall as America's
number one psychiatric disorder (Hancock 52).  Estimates suggest that more than
two million children live with the disorder; in addition, according to Dr.
Daniel Safer of Johns Hopkins University, over 1.3 million regularly consume
Ritalin for treatment of ADD (Hancock 52).  Ritalin appears to be a popular
choice for doctors, but the daily effects of the drug, which family physicians
do not see, creates questions as to how well the drug actually works.
Scientifically know as methylphenidate, Ritalin stimulates the central nervous
system with similarities to amphetamines in the nature and extent of its
effects; furthermore, it supposedly activates the brain stem arousal system and
the cerebral cortex (Bailey 3). The key factor remains that doctors and
researchers are not sure of what precisely occurs when Ritalin invades the human
body.  Hancock notes that no definite long-term studies exist to assure parents
that Ritalin does not cause more or less havoc in their child, nor does any
disease accompany prolonged usage (52).  Testing results released by the Federal
Drug Administration (FDA) in February 1996, show a study of mice in which a rare
form of liver cancer arose as a result of Ritalin; however, the FDA still
regards Ritalin as "safe and effective" (Hancock 56).  Offering almost as many
side effects as the number of people who take t...

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