adderal was only given license to be an ADD drug in 1996. so it hasn't been around that long. second, SOME hyperactivity is normal...a LOT is not. The children I have seen put on the drug not only had problems in school, it carried over to home as well, and parents were unable to control them. Now these children are well attended at school, sitting for what can be several hours at a time, and still not fidget and still learn what they are supposed to learn. They come home, do their homework, and do not create more havoc in the home. They become pliable in the teacher's hands, and become good students, and responsible adults. You cannot equate a few children who just always are getting into trouble and say they have ADD. They have to be tested, talked about between teachers and parents, and then it is up to the parents to either put their children on Ritalin, Adderal, Concerta or Strattera, or find an alternative way of addressing ADD concerns, such as naturopathic remedies that have been proven to help. Yes, the diagnosis is being more readily given, but that is only because more parents AND teachers are seeing it more. If my daughter was not on Ritalin, she would not be functioning in 8th grade at a B level. She would be down in the Ds and Es. If you ask me, and you may, it isn't even that the squeaky wheel that gets the grease because there are so many squeaky wheels today. And where would parents be if there had not been the diagnosis of Aspberger's on the Autism spectrum? There would be a whole lot of children who would be put into institutions or in sheltered workshops because they were not properly diagnosed. Those children are learning to overcome vast difficulties because parents, teachers and physicians gathering together to figure out what was going on inside so they could best help each child unlock their inner mind and give to those around them. So before we start bashing those families who have found new hope by putting their child on Ritalin, Adderal, Concerta or Strattera, and helping other families who do not stand such a good chance of getting their children tested, and have them suddenly find a new student in the making. Some of these children outgrow the need for medicine, but there are plenty of adults on the medicines to say that it is just being overused these days. And the reason there is more than one ADD/ADHD drug is that no drug works on EVERY person. And sometimes there is the need to use two at the same time to address different areas of the brain. So let's just suffice it to say that yes, there are more children on ADD/ADHD meds, and leave it at that. The storm can be overwhelming if you don't know the specifics of the process it takes to even put a child on the drug in the first place.

Jewels