ADHD and Ritalin

ATTENTION DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AND RITALIN

Why do doctors over prescribe Ritalin and why do they prescribe Ritalin more than any other medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? This paper will discuss ADHD and the possible reasons Ritalin is so popularly used in this disorder.

Attention deficit disorder (ADD), or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can be debilitating and is widespread. For the most part, this condition is considered a childhood disorder. Most of the research involves children but more attention is now being given to older adolescents and adults. It is thought that ADHD lessens as children grow into adulthood. To a certain extent this is true but not in all cases.

Many adults today suffered with the problems of this disorder their whole lives. They did not know the causes of their impairments because the prevalence of this condition was not known then, and they were not diagnosed. Salter (1995) argues that "one of the main problems with ADD in adults is that cases rarely look alike--and the condition frequently looks like something else" (p. 8).

Attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has many different features and can appear in all age groups. It is treated in a number of different ways, one of the most popular being the stimulant drug, Ritalin.

Barabasz, et al (1996) provide an excellent definition of the disorder:

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Category: Psychology - A