CHILDREN AGED 3 GIVEN DRUGS TO MAKE THEM BEHAVE

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Feb 23, 1997 | by Tracy Schaverien

Troublesome children are being given drugs...to stop them misbehaving.

Even three-year-olds are being prescribed the stimulant Ritalin, or the cheaper alternative, Dexamphetamine.

But one expert warned: "It can make them irritable and often knocks them out completely.

"And when the drugs wear off, the child can be even worse," added Professor John Pearce, a child psychiatrist at Nottingham's Mapley Hospital. "It's very difficult to stop once they are on it."

The drugs are given to children suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). An inability to concentrate and failure to control impulses makes the children restless, resulting in disruptive behaviour.

Ritalin boosts concentration levels, and helps to control impulses.

Some experts say one in 20 children suffer from some degree of ADD.

Consultant child psychiatrist Dr Patrick Cosgrove prescribes the drugs to around five new child patients every week at his practice in Bristol.

He charges pounds 200 for a consultation, which is followed up with advice by phone, for which there is also a fee.

"Dr Cosgrove said: "When I diagnose children I go straight for the Ritalin, just as you prescribe drugs for a child who has epilepsy or diabetes. If the brain is dysfunctioning you can't treat it with therapy."

If children suffer the side-effects often associated with stimulants, such as appetite loss and sleeplessness, Dr Cosgrove prescribes another drug that acts as an antidote.

He said: "There are no harmful side-effects and the drugs often prevent children becoming delinquents and ending up in prison later in life."

But Professor Pearce said: "There's no doubt that drugs can be very helpful but the problem with Ritalin is that it only deals with the symptoms and doesn't address the underlying problem.

"Of course some parents like their children to be zonked out - they're easier to deal with.

"But the way to help them is to give them the routine they need plus more affection, more discipline and more supervision. The younger a child is, the better they respond. But some doctors prescribe Ritalin to children as young as three."

Gill Mead, who runs a helpline for parents of hyperactive children, saw Ritalin transform her daughter Lee-Erica, but she believes the drug is used on too many children. "Drugs are being prescribed more and more frequently, said Gill, from Westbury, Wiltshire. "It's not unusual for three or four children in a class to be on Ritalin and for teachers to be administering it.

"Doctors prescribe it because they are aware of the pain and damage caused by this condition. Ritalin can in some cases be the lesser of two evils

"Just 20 minutes after taking Ritalin, my daughter was a different girl - it was amazing. She had been like a two-year-old in a teenage body but all of a sudden she grew up. Now she has a job and friends.

"But I do feel that if children with ADD were given support by schools and other professionals, many would not need Ritalin."

Anne Blackie, from Glasgow, says Ritalin helped her nine-year-old son Andrew who not only used to bite his mum, but once tried to stab her.

Anne said: "Ritalin hasn't stopped the problem completely. He will probably need to go on other drugs. Obviously it's not ideal for children to be on drugs.""

Children whose behaviour is far from extraordinary are also being considered for the medication.

One Sunday Mirror reader was astonished when a child psychiatrist suggested it might help her nine-year-old son, who was having trouble concentrating at school, had a short temper and low self-esteem.

A spokesman for the Royal College of Psychiatrists said: ""We don't have a uniform view on this. Doctors have different opinions. We can't impose our opinion on them.""

A Government spokesman said: "Our guidelines say children with special needs should receive the education for their needs. It is up to the local authorities to decide how that is done."

But Tory MP Sir Rhodes Boyson, a former headmaster, said: """It's a load of codswallop. There are a very small number of children with real problems. But these days you have fancy names given to what boils down to a lack of discipline.

"All kinds of people are building empires around these children. They don't need drugs. The main thing is to get them in the classroom, sit them down facing the blackboard and get on with the job."