UK ‘NICELY’ CONSIDERS RITALIN
Tuesday October 31, 4:29 am Eastern Time Britain to issue guidelines on Ritalin use LONDON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Britain's drug watchdog the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) will issue guidelines for doctors on Tuesday on the use of the drug Ritalin for treating hyperactive children. Ritalin, a stimulant which acts on the central nervous system, is designed to improve concentration levels in children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But some psychiatrists say the drug, a so-called psychoactive treatment, is overused and turns children into ``zombies''.
[Dr Baughman:
There being no proof that ADHD is other than a faux disease,
a bill-able diagnosis, having no confirmatory physical or chemical
abnormality, their Ritalin-induced zombie state, sleeplessness, loss
of appetite, headache, involuntary movement, their cardiac arrhythmias,
including cardiac arrest and death, and their insert-listed side effect,
represent their first and only bona fide disease. Again, with no
verifiable disease on the risk side of the risk/benefit equation, none
of it is a legitimate medical endeavor and none of it is ethically or
morally justifiable. Until we bring ourselves to believe that
someone--doctors at that--would actually do such a thing, the epidemic
will continue to worsen]
Ritalin, made by Novartis AG , is widely used in the United States, where more than a million children
[Dr Baughman:
5 million, conservatively]
and adults take thedrug. A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year found the number of children in the United States aged between two and four taking stimulants such as Ritalin had more than doubled between 1991 and 1995.
[Dr Baughman:
The authors were Zito, et al, in JAMA in about February.
In not a single patient, in this or any age group, is it justifiable, or
can it be called legitimate medical practice. None in this age group
and none in any age groupk-12, adolescents or adults, have a defined
disease. On the risk side of the equation there is no disease , while
on the benefit side of the equation there is Ritalin and there are
amphetaminesall of them addictive, dangerous and sometimes deadly. We
here in the US and Canada too, have been massively deceived and fail to
see the horrible things we do to our children in the name of help. I
urge those of you in the UK, to open your eyes and see the fraud of
biological psychiatry before you follow our footsteps]
In Britain there has been concern at the use of psychoactive drugs among children, and media reports ahead of Tuesday's decision suggested NICE would place strict controls on the use of the drug.