Foes Clash in Washington over Ritalin Use in Kids (Yahoo News Sep 26 2002)
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Foes Clash in Washington over Ritalin Use in Kids
Thu Sep 26, 5:33 PM ET
By Todd Zwillich
WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - Adversaries in the debate over widespread
prescribing of Ritalin ( news - web sites) and other stimulants to children
squared off on Capitol Hill Thursday, only to arouse the ire of lawmakers who
accused them of serving as fronts for the drug industry and religious groups.
A parade of witnesses came before the House Government Reform Committee ( news -
web sites) to tell lawmakers why an estimated 3 million to 6 million US children
are currently on Ritalin and other drugs used to treat attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Committee members voiced concern that doctors are
too quick to diagnose the disorder and prescribe strong drugs in children who
may not actually have a mental disorder.
Chief among the drug's detractors were three witnesses from the Citizen's
Commission on Human Rights, an anti-psychiatry watchdog group. The organization
points out that scientists have no reliable way of confirming a child's ADHD
diagnosis and that teachers have too much sway in convincing doctors to medicate
unruly children.
In addition, parents are rarely informed about the possible side effects of
Ritalin and similar drugs like Adderall before agreeing to give the drug, said
Bruce Wiseman, the group's US president.
ADHD is now diagnosed in 3% to 5% of all US children, most of them boys,
according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Lawmakers said that federal agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (
news - web sites) should do more to inform doctors and the public about
potential side effects, including heart irregularities, eating disruption, and
psychosis.
But Rep. Constance Morella (R-MD) pointed out that the Citizen's Commission for
Human Rights (CCHR) was founded in 1969 by the Church of Scientology, a
religious group known both for attracting celebrity members and for vehement
opposition to all of psychiatry.
Morella read a statement from Jan Eastgate, the organization's international
president, which calls psychiatry a "malignant disease" that "threatens society
and ultimately mankind."
Wiseman said he agreed with that view, and said that his group maintains an
independent tax status from the Church of Scientology.
Morella also challenged Dr. Mary Ann Block, a board member who treats ADHD
children with nutritional and anti-allergy interventions instead of drugs. Block
accused psychiatrists and other doctors of prescribing ADHD drugs for financial
gain.
"You'd probably gain a little bit too if people were scared away from
psychiatric drugs," Morella said.
The committee also heard from Children and Adults with Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), a group that defends the widespread
treatment of children and adults diagnosed with the disorder.
The CEO of CHADD, E. Clarke Ross, told the committee that ADHD may be
underdiagnosed in US kids and that more doctors should be aware of professional
guidelines governing the identification and treatment of the disease.
Ross, whose 11-year-old son Andrew has a severe attention disorder and anxiety,
told the committee that drugs have helped his child.
"My son's problems are neither 'lies' nor 'frauds' nor the 'failures of his
parents,"' he said in a statement. A few minutes before, committee member
Benjamin Gilman (R-NY) told witnesses that federal researchers must do more to
uncover possible causes of attention disorders, including poisoning with lead or
mercury from vaccines.
Gilman also attacked Ross's group for promoting stimulant drugs on behalf of
their makers.
Gilman quoted a Drug Enforcement Administration study concluding that Ritalin
maker Ciba-Geigy, now known as Novartis, had given CHAAD over $700,000 in grants
over five years in the 1990's. The agency expressed concern in the report that
CHAAD and similar groups serve as front organizations for drug makers.
"Here we have a drug company that is influencing a parental group, and that drug
company has a strong financial interest," Gilman said.
Psychiatrist David Fassler told lawmakers that drug treatment "can be extremely
helpful" in treating ADHD but that "medication alone is rarely the appropriate
treatment."
"Medication should only be used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that
will usually include individual therapy, family support and counseling and work
with the schools," said Fassler, who heads the American Academy of Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry.