Should psychopharmaceutical treatments be used as often as they are?

Treatments of Mental Illness & Emotional Problems

While I would agree that psychopharmaceuticals have been a godsend they have also become overly relied upon for treatment. For example, the prescribing of medication for ADHD has proven to be a positive measure in many cases but I also believe that these medications are overprescribed. I believe that there must be more testing done in this area, but I am convinced that numbers such as 13% of the population having ADHD are ridiculous. If this were true then this would mean that ADHD was approaching epidemic proportions. Consumer report did a study of ADHD medications and found that 65% of the children who are diagnosed with having ADHD are taking drugs such as Ritalin. The report also stated that many children were being prescribed this drug without clinical diagnosis. The report went on to warn parents that any diagnosis of ADHD should receive a second opinion because of the complex nature of the disorder (Consumer Report, 2005).

“The evaluation can’t be done in the 15-minute office visit,” says Mary Solanto, PhD, a researcher and head of the ADHD program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. “At the same time, a lot of kids who need it are not getting it,” adds Solanto, who says she has consulted for three ADHD drug manufacturers and conducted industry-funded research (Consumer Report, 2005).”

References

Consumer Reports. (2005) CDC. Marvin M. Lipman, professor of medicine, New York College of Medicine. Mary Solanto, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

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