According to Dr Griffith, depriving kids of legalized speed leads to every sin known to man. "With untreated ADHD,” she told the panel, “we see higher rates of school and occupational failure; greater rates of incarceration; juvenile delinquency; substance abuse; teen pregnancy; sexually transmitted diseases; more problems with depression and self esteem and, finally, greater numbers of automobile accidents and fatalities."
This is a drama all right, but it's the other way around. A study in the February 2006, Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, examined data from a 2002 survey of about 67,000 households, and reported that more than 7 million Americans have misused ADHD stimulant drugs, and “substantial numbers of teenagers and young adults appear to show signs of addiction, according to a comprehensive national analysis tracking such abuse.”
The researchers found that in one 12-month period, about 1.6 million teens and young adults had misused the drugs and that 75,000 showed signs of addiction.
In addition, for years there have been reports of suicide and violence in persons on ADHD drugs. For example, back on January 30, 1999, Adderall use resulted in the death of 5-week-old, Tyra Ehlis, in Grand Forks, North Dakota, when Ron Ehlis killed his daughter ten days after his doctor wrote the a prescription for Adderall.
In this case, Ron had been on Ritalin as a child, and when he went to a psychiatrist at age 26, because he was having difficulties with his college studies, without conducting any tests whatsoever, the doctor prescribed Adderall.
A few days later, Ron doubled the dose per his doctor's instructions, and he began experiencing delusions, hallucinations, and out-of-body experiences, including talks with God and his dead grandfather.
Shortly thereafter, acting under a belief that he was carrying out God’s orders, Ron shot Tyra, and then himself in the stomach, but he survived.
Ron went on trial for the murder of his daughter, but the charges were dismissed after several doctors testified that Ron suffered from an Adderall-induced psychosis. The infant’s mother also testified that Ron had not acted like himself from the first day that he began taking the Adderall.
Adderall also caused the violent death of 8-year-old, Jessica Curry, in Spokane, Washington. In late September 1999, she was a happy little third-grader sitting on her mother's lap in a Mustang convertible telling mom what she wanted to wear for Halloween.
After saying she wanted to be a princess, Jessica's mother, who was on Adderall at the time, stabbed her daughter 5 times and then stabbed herself. Here too, the mother lived but child did not. A short time later, a policeman came across mother and daughter still sitting in car in the driveway all covered in blood.
Jessica’s mother was also found not guilty by reason of insanity brought on by the Adderall after doctors for the prosecution and the defense agreed that her mental state was so acute that she could not have distinguished right from wrong at the time that she killed her daughter.
The death of 3-year-old Nathaniel Branson must also be classified as an Adderall fatality. On March 18, 2000, Nat's mother Dawn was driving in Scottsdale, Arizona with her son in the car when she suffered a psychotic episode while under the influence of Adderall.
According to court documents, Dawn heard a voice saying: "Let go of the steering wheel and gas. God will drive the car don't you trust him?"
Dawn did as she was told and a car accident caused the death of her son and serious injuries to herself. She had never been psychotic before taking Adderall and she has had no more psychotic episodes since she quit taking the drug.
So when the FDA reported that the agency had received hundreds of reports of aggressive behavior in children taking ADHD drugs, and up to 20% resulted in a significant injury or hospitalization, this was not news either.
Experts say to expect more of the same as the prescriptions for these drugs continue to multiply. At the advisory meeting, Dr Gelperin noted the expansion of the customer base stating: "Drug treatment of ADHD is increasing in all age groups ... and also drug treatment for ADHD can now potentially be life-long."
