Ritalin is Like Cocaine :: Drugs Addiction Essays

What is methylphenidate?methylphenidate, or methylphenidate, is a stimulus derived from the same family as cocaine. Manufactured by the Ciba-Geigy Corporation, a division of Novartis, Ritalin gross revenue suck up increased by 700% since 1990. The United States market accounts for over 90% of the sales (Breggin, 1998). Ritalin is dispersed in pill blueprint in vary amounts, either for short or long effects the short-term form lasts 3-5 hours while the long-term form whitethorn last 6-8 hours. (SR) Ritalin is the muted release form that lasts longer. Ritalin, like other stimulant medications, works by increasing the production of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and norepinephrine, in the brain. (Reif, 1998) Who uses Ritalin?Doctors generally prescribe Ritalin as their first choice in treating attention deficit disorder, or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Approximately 3-5% of children in the founding have ADHD, of those, about 4 million take Ritalin (Breggin, 1998). It is notion that ADHD may occur from low levels of dopamine and epinephrine in the brain although that is a highly controversial topic, it makes Ritalin an obvious treatment.(http//www.restores_homepage.com/the_ritalin_generation.htm) What is ADHD?Many psychologists regard ADHD as a state deficit, where children atomic number 18 highly aroused to compensate for the bodys feeling of nether arousal. (Kerns, Eso, Thomson, 1999) Three main features of ADHD are 1.Impulsivity, the children often act in front they consider consequences 2.Hyperactivity, the children struggle to sit still 3.Inattentiveness, the children have difficulty focal point on a subject be puzzle of the overload of stimuli in the environment. Research may indicate that ADHD has biological origins and set symptoms, such as fidgeting, unreasonable talking, difficulty maintaining concentration, impulsive behavior, lack of focus and messiness. (http//www.mnsi.net/collinsw/ritalin.htm) According to the Center for th e analyse of Psychiatry and Psychology, in a recent conference held by the NIMH, internal Institute of Mental Health, the validity of the diagnosis of ADHD was held in question. (www.breggin.com) The cause of ADHD is unknown as of yet, and speculation is all psychologists have to distinguish and treat patients. The DSM-IV has categorized ADHD by the three dimensions listed above and include 18 symptoms under the three categories, which include some listed above. ADHD has undergone substantive renaming and evaluation since the last publication of the Diagnostic Statistic Manual. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity, was referred to as ADD or sometimes ADD-H, Attention Deficit Disorder with hyperactivity. (www.journals.cup.org) Who Advocates Ritalin?Teachers, parents and doctors continue to advocate Ritalin despite the claims made by antagonists of the stimulant treatment.