Preying for Profit
By Nicholette Lindsay

When is it declared too soon to prescribe mind and mood altering drugs to children? Doesn’t a child have to experience a traumatic incident to need the use of an anti-depressant or anti-psychotic? Not according to the meaning a very common condition known as Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) states: ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity). It seems with the description given any person could be diagnosed with having ADHD. Is this not the typical behavior of a toddler or a young adolescent child?

As a first time parent, I too, like many other parents before me was preyed on for profit. There were many developmental miles stones to make note of over the following months and eventually years. My toddler did not seem any different from the rest of the children at daycare, in fact, he was said to be ahead of his peers when he attended pre-school. As early as age three my son began to show “inattentive and restless behavior” as one teacher put it and asked for my consent to administer an assessment test. I agreed and the test results revealed that my son was already performing on a five-year olds comprehension level. However, due to my son’s age and school requirements he was not permitted to begin kindergarten as recommended by his teachers. It was therefore deemed that my son was simply bored. The same behavior was prevalent at age five in his kindergarten class. This time, my child was repeatedly sent to the principal’s office and made to sit alone in the classroom apart from his classmates. His teacher told me she believed my son had ADHD and I should look into