Ritalin Abuse Essay Example for Free

Ritalin Abuse Essay The pharmaceutical industry, working with the government and organized psychiatry, claim that such drugs as Ritalin, are a safe treatment for ADHD. School systems and courts have pressured and even forced parents to give stimulant drugs to their children. But hidden behind the well-oiled public relations machine is a potentially devastating reality. The problem with ADHD or ADD is already not whether or not ADHD is a subtype of ADD, but rather the problem is whether or not we should be medicating our children with drugs such as Ritalin. Questions like the following often arise when discussing the issue: Are the side effects worth getting our children under control? Are all the children who are on Ritalin on it for just cause or are the drugs being abused? What does the future hold for these children who are using Ritalin and other stimulants? All these questions leave parents wondering if they should put their young child on medications and what it will do to their future. Millions of children are prescribed the stimulant drugs such as Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta and Metadate for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the hope of controlling behaviours described as hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. These medications decrease restlessness, improve attention span, increase the ability to focus, decrease aggressive outbursts and improve social interaction. They are thought to work by adjusting the brains chemical balance and reversing under-arousal, possibly by increasing the availability of certain neurotransmitters. About 75 % of children with ADHD respond well to stimulant medication with improved attention at school and increased academic productivity (Kidd, 2000). Ritalin, the most commonly prescribed stimulant for ADHD, peaks 1 to 2 hours after its taken and effects last about 4 hours. For maximum benefit its taken three times a day, seven days a week in order to sustain home as well as school interactions. (Some find that although the afternoon dose eases home relationships, it may exacerbate side effects such as poor appetite and insomnia. ) A slow-release form taken in the morning may last the day (at least 6 to 8 hours). A few develop drug tolerance and need increasing doses to suppress symptoms. (High amounts may have some growth-retarding effect, requring a drug change. ) Side effects of Ritalin can include headaches, insomnia, reduced appetite and weight loss, stomach aches, occasional tics (grimaces, nail biting), a zombie-like stare, obsessive over-focussing (becoming over-engrossed) and emotional constriction (for instance shown by drawings where everything is miniscule or shoved tightly into a corner). Omitting the 4 p. m. dose might overcome the sleep problems but at the cost of disrupting home and family life. Most side effects can be avoided by giving smaller doses. Some children object to the roller-coaster feeling while on the drug, and want to feel normal again, leading to a drop-off in drug-taking. Some hate the idea of having their behaviour controlled; and some parents oppose the idea of mind-altering drugs for their kids (Kidd, 2000, p. 20). In any case, there are always some ideals that do persuade parents into giving their children stimulants. The one of the appeals, and usually a selfish one, is that the drug gets their child under control. Parents who are fed up with their child and their behavior think that there is no other way of getting their child to behave and automatically look for a drug to get the situation changed sometimes when the child hasnt even been diagnosed with disorder yet. The appeal greatens when guilt settles in. Parents sometimes feel responsible for their childs outbreaks and by giving him or her a drug it makes the parents feel as if something chemically is wrong, and isnt because of the childs upbringing (Brink, 2004). Besides short-term benefits for Ritalin, some studies show that there are some long-term ones as well. In 1988 scientists found improvements in cognitive functions in reading performances. Though it wasnt positive, and is also very controversial if the drug itself was creating the improvement or if it was the drugs ability to reduce the disorders symptoms, which helps the child focus, but in the end, there still was an obvious increase in learning. Though frustration of child obedience, previously mention guilt, and hope for better grades often play a vital role in the decision of whether or not to put ones child on medication, there are some outstanding negatives that also make an impact on parents choices on the matter. One of the major problems with Ritalin is the side effects the medication causes its users. As mentioned before, these include effects as minor as stomach pains, sleep loss, loss or appetite and irritability. But side effects can be as serious as facial tics, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. (Hancock and Wingert, 1996) Other sever symptoms include increase in blood pressure, nausea, hypersensitivity, and temporary decrease in bone growth (White and Rouge, 2003). In February of 1996, the Food and Drug Administration released a study done on mice that showed that Ritalin might even have the ability to cause a liver cancer (Hancock and Wingert, 1996). It is being feared by many physicians that Ritalin is being overly prescribed to children. Some doctors are seeing patients that have been told to have ADHD, but in reality have other problems such as learning difficulties or depression. Parents often even ask doctors for Ritalin, even when their child does not have a need for it, but the childs parents want to see his or her grades rise. Some doctors even admit to giving children the drug without doing much background checking of the child or any psychological tests that may prove the child has other problems. (Hancock and Wingert, 1996). ADHD is diagnosed without much hoop jumping. There are sixteen different symptoms that ADHD is connected with, and if the child has eight of them then all too often he or she is automatically considered to have ADHD; often without taking any other disorders or problems into consideration such as anxiety or depression (Donnelly, 1998). It seems as though parents are able to get their children the drug almost at demand. If they feel their child is in need of the stimulant, there is little stopping them from receiving it. Skepticism of ADHD and stimulants continue getting more serious when taking in some of the statistics. One fact that may change someones thoughts on the disorder is that 8 in 10 children with ADHD are boys (Donnelly, 1998) But does anyone put into consideration that girls develop and become mature faster than boys? Or is it being forgotten that kids are just kids and are not always going to act as teachers and parents desire? Another issue relating to Ritalin is the possibilities of unknown long-term effects that have not yet been discovered. There have not been any long-term studies done on children who have taken Ritalin. Since ADHD cannot be tested by blood tests or any other kind of testing, there is always the chance that children are being misdiagnosed and receiving stimulants for a disorder that they do not have (Hancock and Wingert, 1996). Children sometimes have symptoms that seem like ADHD but arent at all. The child can have problems such as chronic fear, mild seizures or even chronic ear infections, all of which may make adults assume the child has the disorder, but in reality has something completely different. Often problems at home make children act up as well. There maybe an abusive parent at home that makes a child be difficult in the classroom. In cases like these the child is not in need of drugs, but needs counseling (White and Rouge, 2003). The concept of ADHD and its medications are really hard to justify. There are some very valid reasons for putting children on the drug, especially helping them pay attention in school and having the same opportunity as the rest of the children in their classes. But the side effects are just mind boggling. I think even the slightest chance of some of these side effects mentioned would want parents to search for alternatives for their children and keep them away from the drug. Another problem about ADHD is the fact that doctors cannot find anything psychically different from the children diagnosed with the disease from those that are normal. Dr. Thomas Millar, a retired Vancouver child psychiatrist, goes as far as to say that ADHD is a mythical disorder(Donnelly, 1998, p. 2). He also says that the problem is not hyper children, but rather its poor parenting. Children that act as children do- easily excited, short attention spans, and hyper (all symptoms of ADHD)- are not considered to be acting as normal children, but rather as children with a disorder . I think Dr. Millar put it best when he said, If Tom Sawyer was around today, hed be Ritalin, as would any other normal boy in literature. Today, parents dont have any idea of what child behavior ought to be. Parents who start giving their children this drug at ages as earlier as two, I think, are looking for quick fix and are being lazy. How can parent decide that a two year old is being hyperactive (White and Rouge, 2003)? Most two year olds are active and have little to no attention spans. I think this only teaches children that drugs are the answer to all our problems. By putting a child on a mind altering drug at such a young age, when he or she has not even started school yet, it leaves a parent with very little evidence or reason for their action. The child does not have schoolwork yet, and has little need for paying attention for long periods of time, so what does this child need the drug for? Because the child is difficult and more active than a parent wishes? It almost seems as if parents want to change their childs personality and make their childhood less interesting. I think its very important that parents do not view Ritalin as the first and only way of calming their child down. All in all, Ritalin is a very controversial drug in our country because of its side effects and the insecurities of diagnosing ADHD. The drug carries very important help for children who are struggling to pay attention and without a doubt do have a disorder. But the number of children who are on the drug for the wrong reason is a scary thought. Are we become so impatient with our children that we do not want to take the time to discipline or help them through their problems? Have our children become so bad that we are willing to risk their health so they calm down and do not embarrass us? Our society needs to learn more about this drug that too many of us are so quickly giving to our children.

College Athletes Deserve To Be Paid Essay examples -- Essays Papers

College Athletes Deserve To Be Paid College athletics are some of the biggest and most popular events in the country today. There are many people that make significant amounts of money from college athletics. However, the athletes themselves do not make any money from playing. If college athletes were paid it would solve a lot of the problems that the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) faces every year as well as improve play and make college athletics stronger. Throughout the past few years, the NCAA, which was previously viewed as the top basketball organization other than the NBA, has taken a backseat to the professional leagues of Europe. In the 2001 NBA draft of the first eight people selected only two of them had ever played a day of college basketball. The main difference between the players of the European leagues and NCAA athletes is that professional European players are paid. These European leagues, that have produced some of the top young players in the world the past few years, have players as young as 14 years old playing in them. Paying their athletes would bring the NCAA to a level even with European leagues and close the gap with the NBA. Today major college athletes are required to work all year for their sport. The season does not start with preseason practice and end when their last game is played, athletes train 365 days a year for their sport. Their main purpose upon coming to college is to play basketball. What normal college student would devote more than 20 hours per week all year outside of school at something that they did not get paid for? The NCAA has a strict policy that no athletes are to receive any kind of payment or... ...was the most widely followed sports in the world. The NCAA and especially it’s basketball has seen a sharp decline in the number of athletes that go to the professional level, as well as the number of people that follow the sport. Paying its athletes would not immediately fix the problem but it is the first step in the right direction. Times have changed since giving an athlete a scholarship for four years would be all that they wanted or the best offer that they could get at that time. Now some college athletes are world famous and they know that there are offers that are better for them and their families out there besides staying in college for four years. The NCAA is a great organization, but all the great organizations over time have adapted with the times to keep them on top and at the forefront of the competition. The NCAA needs to do a little bit of updating.

Collaboration And Professionalism And There Use In Educational Strategies

Collaboration, audience, engagement ; these are words used within educational schemes and enterprises but what do they all intend? Do they mean the same thing? Collaboration normally means to work with person to accomplish something. Consultation means a treatment between people or groups before they make a determination. Engagement means the procedure of taking portion in something. ( Encarta Dictionary: English ( UK ) ) With mention to their dictionary significances, coaction, audience and engagement are really much linked together, but what has that got to make with instruction? Harmonizing to Head ( 2003 ) , coaction is valuable on a personal degree, it enhances moral support and assurance ; on a professional degree it provides improved effectivity, self-reflection and instructor acquisition, through sharing good pattern. Teachers and schools are all on the job towards the same ends. Effective schools need effectual communicating and coaction amongst staff, other agents, parents and students. ( Head, 2003 ) Christie et Al, ( 2007 ) , suggest it is good documented by ( King, 2002 ; Loughran, 2003 ) , that take parting collaboratively with a scope of other practicians allows cognition to be produced which goes beyond the limitations which affect the professional position. ( Christie, D.et Al, 2007 ) Without effectual communicating and coaction, instructors in schools can be incognizant of the cognition that exists between themselves ; as a consequence, they can non portion and pull upon that cognition. The formation of new cognition and improved patterns for instructors can non be left to opportunity or to establishments of instructor instruction in universities. Knowledge creative activity and airing are embedded in synergistic acquisition, processes which are shaped by structural and institutional agreements. ( Hargreaves. D, 1999 ) Hargreaves argues there are turning attempts to construct an effectual professional ethos of coaction to develop common ends, to get by with ambiguity and complexness. ( Hargreaves. A, 2000 ) In malice of this, if collegial methods merely back up coaction with other instructors and non signifiers of collaborative partnership with other people and professionals, instructors may go stray, which could convey about damaging effects in footings of cut downing their professional cognition and curtailing their ability to objectively knock policy and pattern. ( Christie.et al, 2007 ) Cordingley et Al. ( 2005 ) , cited by Forde et Al. ( 2006 ) , suggest coaction between instructors is about seeking out new thoughts, which helps to alter pattern and secures a instructor ‘s committedness within the school. Barth ( 2001 ) says that the key in learning-rich-schools is about instructors larning together. Some schools are developing professional acquisition communities where leading is seen as whole school instead than led merely by the Headteacher. Schools where this construct is taking topographic point have improved the ability to convey about better public presentation, higher degrees of motive and sustainable development. ( Forde et al. 2006 ) In Scotland, the McCrone Agreement places a duty on instructors to work together with co-workers and other people and professionals to prosecute the overall aims of the service. Teachers besides have a professional committedness to develop their accomplishments and expertness through an in agreement programme of go oning professional development ( CPD ) through an extra contractual 35 hours of CPD per twelvemonth. ( SEED, 2001 ) CPD plays an of import function in determining professional individuality, along with collegiality and coaction ; nevertheless, some award-bearing classs such as the Chartered Teacher ( CT ) can do struggle and bitterness, with some co-workers unwilling to collaborate. ( Forde et al. 2006 ) The traditional position of professionalism Centres on the categorization, organisation and occupational function, nevertheless, the construct is more complex in that, there are peculiar important characteristics which are often referred to. These normally include specialist cognition, liberty and duty. Therefore, Professionalism implies that such features are apparent in an person ‘s work. ( Kennedy, 2007 ) Forde et Al, ( 2006 ) suggest that teacher individuality is non ever closely connected to the function of being a instructor ; a individual ‘s values, beliefs, attitudes, feelings and apprehensions besides play a major portion in organizing professional individuality, as does personal history, ethnicity and civilization, hence, personal individuality besides plays a portion. Collaboration and engagement can intend different things to different people at different times. Williams, et Al ( 2006 ) discusses coaction between kids as a agency of larning and as an indispensable facet of pedagogical quality in educational scenes. Harmonizing to the surveies of Damon and Phelps ( 1989 ) , peer coaction is necessary for several accomplishments such as kids ‘s apprehension of justness, growing of self-pride, willingness to portion and attention, and ability to manage symbolic thought, every bit good as the fosterage of communicating accomplishments and the development of creativeness and critical thought. They besides suggest that coaction motivates kids to larn new accomplishments. Williams, ( 2001 ) found that immature kids collaborated constructively when there was a common job to be solved. This can be related to theories of acquisition ( Piaget, 1959 ; Sa?ljo? , 2000 ; Vygotskij, 1978, 1986 ) which show that kids learn and develop through coaction and togetherness. ( Williams. P, et Al, 2006 )

Essay about Psychology Theories - 1100 Words

I chose Gestalt Psychology for my first perspective, it is how people experience objects and perceive things as a whole. Gestalt allows us to look at everyday objects and distinguish them from their surroundings. Without the Gestalt Theory people would see every atom that made up a whole object. As I look at my computer screen, I do not see every little atom, I see the screen as a whole. From this perspective, learning objects as a whole instead of each individual part is beneficial because it allows us to open our minds for new learning experiences. However, there may be things in life that do not provide enough visual clues to determine what it is supposed to be. The Functionalist Theory is based on behavior and mental life. It†¦show more content†¦This allows us to be able to avoid waling into a hole or hitting our head on a door. Humanistic Personality Theory is more of a behavioral theory. I can say they both deal with the â€Å"here and now† issues though. The Functionalist Theory however is associated with the Humanistic Personality Theory because they are both behavioral and mental theories. Functionalism is based on experiences and how it affects our current behavior. With the Humanistic Theory and its beliefs of dealing with the present functionalism allows you to retrieve memories to help you make your decision. I believe that functionalism also contributes to self worth. My whole life I have been achieving accomplishments, whether big or small, and it gives me a self worth to look back at all of them. â€Å"Cognitive theory is focused on the individuals thoughts as the determinate of his or her emotions and behaviors and therefore personality. Many cognitive theorists believe that without these thought processes, we could have no emotions and no behavior and would therefore not function. In other words, thoughts always come before any feeling and before any action.† (Cognitive theory in, 2004) Cognitive theory could have an effect on Gestalt Psychology because if a person has a learning disorder is can change how they perceive things. They may not be able to distinguish every day objects for what they truly are. My six year old cousin has down syndrome.Show MoreRelatedPsychology Theories And Theories Of Psychology984 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many theories and beliefs about where psychopathology originates from, that is the beauty of psychology. We can have different views that match or mismatch-specific clients and the services they are seeking, but each approach is beneficial one way or the other. To me, psychopathology originates from our thoughts. The causes of human suffering are problematic thoughts or beliefs. Our thoughts play such an important role in our behaviors and actions. 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