Ritalin, Prozac and Our Children

The purpose of this bill is to stop teachers, school personal, and school districts from pressuring parents to put their child on psychotropic prescription drugs. Ritalin and Prozac are two examples of drugs commonly prescribed. School districts qualify for additional money for children who are on psychotropic drugs.

Some school personnel tell parents that their child has to be on drugs in order to attend school. This may happen even when the family physician believes it is not necessary or appropriated. In our nation we have over five million children on these drugs, 80% of them are boys now on prescribed mind-altering drugs primarily for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

There is no medical procedure or blood test that helps to diagnosis ADHD. Children are identified by a combination of symptoms that many very active, bright boys have, who are not being sufficiently challenged in school. Other children with hidden minor motor coordination problems, and who are slow with their schoolwork, and suffer frustration from these maladies, might be misdiagnosed as needing psychotropics. Children who are slow in emotional maturity may often have symptoms that cause them to be misdiagnosed as needing psychotropics. Studies have shown some children exhibiting this hyperactive behavior are merely allergic to dyes commonly put in foods.

The National Foundation for Women Legislators cites the over prescribing of these drugs as a national problem. Senate Bill 1289 is a non-partisan bill. Because Senator Haynes is in the minority he will need strong grass roots support for his bill.

This bill will be going into the Senate Education Committee for a hearing in the middle of March. It is important to write to the committee indicating support of the bill. Address your letter to Senate Education Committee, State Capitol, Room 2083, Sacramento, CA, 95814. The consultant handling the bill is James Wilson, his phone is (916) 445-2525; fax is (916) 445-7799, e-mail is jim.wilson@sen.ca.gov, put all communications to his attention. If you are a professional, represent an organization, or have a business, please use that letterhead on your letter. Always put your actual home address and zip code in order to be counted.

See www.citizenshealth.org/letter.htm for guidelines on writing representatives. You can simply state, "I urge you to vote yes on Senate Bill 1289 -- Children and Psychotropic Drugs" and add some of your other comments if you wish.

SB 1290, the second bill that Senator Haynes has authored would require a physician to obtain a properly signed informed consent form from a child's parent or legal guardian before prescribing, dispensing, or furnishing a psychotropic drug to a child for the treatment of a behavioral disorder. This bill would also require the informed consent form to include information about possible adverse effects of the psychotropic drug.

This bill is going to the Senate Business and Practice Committee in early April. Letters of support should be sent to Senate Business and Practice Committee, State Capitol, Room 2053, Sacramento, CA, 95814. You can also send a Fax to (916) 324-0910, or E-mail to bill.gage@sen.ca.gov. Put "Attention: Bill Gage", as he is the Committee Consultant. Always put your actual home address and zip code in order to be counted.

A provocative testimony by Peter R. Breggin, M.D. given before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Committee on Education and the Workforce on ADHD can be viewed at www.citizenshealth.org/adha.htm

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Ritalin and Prozac, as well as various combinations of similar stimulants and antidepressants, are being prescribed together for an increasing number of children. According to a new study, 30% of children taking Prozac or other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are also taking Ritalin or related drugs, presumably for ADD/ADHD.

Additionally, 8% of children taking Ritalin or similar drugs were also taking an SSRI. Most SSRIs are prescribed for disorders such as depression, school phobias, bed wetting and eating disorders.

These findings are in addition to the overall trends showing a steep increase in the number of children taking either drug type from 1990 through 1998. As of 1998, 10% of children aged 6 to 14 years were on Ritalin or stimulants and 2% were on SSRIs. Among children aged 1 to 5 years 1% were on Ritalin or stimulants and 0.1% were on SSRIs.

Combined annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies and the American Academy of Pediatrics

But in his Siloam Press book, "Maximum Solutions for ADD, Learning Disabilities and Autism," Broer says there is more hype than truth drawn from the statistic. "Millions of American children start their day with prescription drugs that are so powerful and dangerous that they are banned from the streets by federal drug and narcotics agencies," Broer writes.

"Millions more don't receive drug therapy, but they are doomed to carry the weight of a negative psychiatric or psychological 'diagnosis' that forever labels them as damaged goods and defective persons among their peers," he adds. "Many may never recover from the long-range effects of such social stigmatizing."

In his book, Broer talks about the differences between ADD, learning disabilities and autism, offering practical ways to improve a child's ability to learn. A licensed nutritionist since 1986, Broer discusses how diet and nutrition directly affect behavior.

"It often seems more convenient for overwhelmed parents to feed their kids the high-sugar, high-fat, low nutrition fast foods that 'everyone else eats,'" Broer says, noting that children react to sugar 10 times more than adults. "It has become the American way, a trend that helped launch an epidemic of physical and behavioral problems that threaten to sink our tottering educational system."

Recognized as a leading health and nutrition expert, Broer's education includes a doctorate in science and a master's degree in business administration, as well as degrees in biology, chemistry, psychology and exercise physiology.

He is also a popular seminar speaker and regularly shares the platform with former President George Bush, former first lady Barbara Bush, radio personality Paul Harvey, Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Christian author Zig Ziglar, Secretary of State Colin Powell and TV talk show host Larry King. He has written several popular books including "Maximum Energy" and "Maximum Fat Loss."

For more information about maximum solutions for ADD, Learning Disabilities and Autism," go to: http://www.handle.org.

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