Why would anyone want to give drugs that affect the brain to children?
The main reason would be to increase the child’s sustained attention so they can learn. No one would suggest trying medical treatments before the non–medical interventions are used in very mild ADHD. It is similar to diabetes in that way. If you have a type of diabetes that is not severe, your doctor may first suggest you try diet control. If that doesn’t work then the doctor will consider medical treatment. If your diabetes is severe, you would start on a diet and medication right away. In other words, if ADHD is severe sometimes we use medical and non–medical treatments together from the start.
The main reason would be if the non-medical interventions are not working. No one would suggest trying medical treatments before the non-medical interventions are used. It is similar to diabetes in that way. If you have diabetes which is not severe, your doctor will first suggest you try diet control. If that doesn’t work, only then will the doctor consider medical treatment. In some situations, a child is very ill, has numerous disorders or there is some urgency. For example, a child has multiple anxiety disorders and depression and is either in the hospital or unable to go to school. Then I consider medications as a first line approach along with other interventions. If the drug works, how will my child be different? In cases where the drugs work very well, a child will be able to speak in more public situations, do more adventuresome things without fearing embarrassment and humiliation, and have less anxiety in general. Children are usually more carefree, enthusiastic, and less depr
In cases where the drugs work very well, the three core symptoms of ADHD (inability to pay attention to things they aren’t interested in, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness) are brought down to a level which is close to the average for their age group. As a result, people are usually more successful socially, academically, and there are less family problems. Usually a person’s self esteem improves. When these drugs work right, the change can be quite amazing. When children take these drugs, in 75 % of the cases they are indistinguishable from normal children and nothing else is really necessary, that is, very few of these other interventions will be needed.
