Deaths in Children Possibly Linked to ADHD Drugs
A story in the Washington Post reports on a study which found a possible link between the stimulants used to treat ADHD (such as Ritalin) and sudden deaths in children.
The study only evaluated a small number of cases so a definite cause and effect between the medications and the deaths could not be made. But it was found that children on stimulant medications for ADHD were many times more likely than other children to die suddenly. The article states that FDA officials say that the benefits of the drug outweigh the risks of sudden death which occur in fewer than 1 in 10,000 children. But I really have to question that.
I see so many children in my practice that are anxious due to exposure to trauma or a dysfunctional or stressful home life. The anxiety symptoms in most of these children; inability to sit still, inability to concentrate, nervous activity, making careless mistakes in their schoolwork, being easily distracted, inability to complete tasks, forgetfulness, nervous chattering, difficulty in playing quietly or being calm and being constantly on the move are diagnosed with ADHD and placed on stimulants. In some cases, these medications help to stimulate the frontal cortex which allows the child to use that part of the brain to control the anxiety in the limbic system, but at what cost? This does not treat the actual problem. When these same children are taught calming skills and allowed methods of expressing their stress and trauma they also calm down, without potentially dangerous medications.
I keep advocating that children be evaluated for trauma and stress and that their homelife and parental functioning be part of their evaluation. So many children are brought in as the “identified patient” when it is actually the dysfunctional parents who really need treatment. Children are extremely susceeptible to absorbing the emotions of the adults around them and they act these emotions out. It’s important to look at the whole picture and not merely accept the parent’s assessment that the child is the problem.
See the Washington Post article, “Study Shows Possible Between Deaths and ADHD Drugs “.
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