Just Say No to "Academic Doping"

Ritalin, Concerta, Adderall.

These are some of the brand-name central nervous system stimulants that Yuppie parents seek for their underacheiving kids. That’s according to a Sept. 7 article by Victoria Clayton at MSNBC. She refers to it as "academic doping," following in the tradition of doping athletes, race horses, etc.

The real dopes are the parents who want Concerta for kids falling behind in school and who may not get into the college of their (or their parents’) choice. These drugs, prescribed for kids who actually have ADHD, are supposed to enhance concentration and performance. They also can cause a slew of side-effects, writes Clayton. They include "difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, irritability, stomachaches, headaches, blurry vision, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness and tics and tremors. There have been concerns that ADHD medication temporarily delays growth, and one study found that up to 5 percent of children experience tactile hallucinations, often involving a sensation that bugs or snakes are crawling on their bodies. The FDA recently announced that certain ADHD drugs should caution users about the risks of serious heart problems and psychotic behavior."

These are a small price to pay as long as Johnny gets into Stanford.

As a parent who agonized over giving Ritalin to my ADHD son as he began kindergarten 16 years ago, I find this both horrifying and ludicrous.

Read the rest in the "Hyper Essays" section on my web site.