Reading Response 1: Are Drugs necessary? A Personal View on the topic.

Giovanna Riccio

West Virginia University

The variable that underlies the recent and steep rise of children diagnosed

with ADHD, as proposed by many psychologists, is that ADHD was often confused
with hyperactivity, simple laziness, or just unwillingness to perform tasks like

homework, reading, or sitting still at the dinner table. Since ADHD has been

increasingly recognized as a behavioral disorder, the use of medication to treat such

behavior has also increased. Some suggest that the use of medication is necessary;

others believe that other means can be used such as behavior modification therapy.

The article (Lee, M. (2007). Point: Safe, Effective, and Life-Changing Medication.

Points of View Reference Center, p2-2. Retrieved February 9, 2008, from EBESCOhost

database) underlines the necessity of medication, as well as behavior modification

therapy in order to treat ADHD. However, the article does seem to favor the use of

medication more than that of therapy. My opinion lies with those that state that

medication is an easy fix that is used to benefit parents and peers more than the

patient himself.

Before living in West Virginia I lived in Naples, Italy where I worked at the

NAVY Elementary School as a teachers’ assistant. Many times I supervised children

with ADHD and autism. Firsthand experience has shown me that children with

behavioral disorders suffer emotionally in that they “perceive” they are different,

and socially in that they are “treated” different by peers and teachers. I have

observed the instant change in behavior when a child was on or off their

medication, as well as witnessing the persistent feeling of inadequacy in their

behaviors whether they were on their medication or not. More often than not,

teachers incorporated behavior modification therapy when the child was on

medication; when not on medication teachers were more likely to openly release

their frustration and impatience on the child. Many children in the school in which I

worked suffered from ADHD. I assume that moving to foreign countries and having

to continuously familiarize with new people and cultures (typical military lifestyle)
may cause stress to a child and could possibly become a trigger for such disorder

(in some cases). Sometimes the use of medication is unavoidable. However, the fact

that children affected by such disorder are treated as if they were the disorder

rather than affected by a disorder may contribute to their social inadequacy.

 References

Lee, M. (2007). Point: Safe, Effective, and Life-Changing Medication. Points of View
Reference Center,
p2-2. Retrieved February 9, 2008, from EBESCOhost database.
Reading Response 1: Are Drugs necessary? A Personal View on the topic.

Giovanna Riccio

West Virginia University