ADHD drugs reduce criminal behavior

[Tallpine]

I thought violent crime was about the same then, and the high point was the 70s and 80s.

I'm not sure what the deal is with "crime rates" 

Supposedly it was worse back then when everybody felt a lot safer than today. 

So anyway, I guess if we dope up all the schoolkids then in a few years we can lay off all the cops and close all the prisons 

[RoadKingLarry]

As to crime stats, do a search on falsified crime stats. Remember, the same people that are telling us the Ft. Hood massacre was "work place violence" also tell us the crime rates.

When we have the schools "diagnosing" (mostly male) students with ADHD we have a problem.
Yeah it's anecdotal but I've seen two cases where the teacher decided the student had ADHD when it was far more a case of the kid being bored to tears in the classroom in large part because by 3rd-4th grade they were smarter than the teacher.

[ArfinGreebly]

Pulled our kids out of public school when a panel of teachers -- not a doctor among them, and no doctor anywhere on campus -- adjudicated that our daughter would "require medication" as a remedy for her stubbornness.

[MicroBalrog]

Supposedly it was worse back then when everybody felt a lot safer than today. 

"Feeling" safer is entirely different from being safe, as you well know.

And there is an entire set of industries entirely revolving around making us feel less safe.

[MicroBalrog]

I thought violent crime was about the same then, and the high point was the 70s and 80s.

I have checked and you are right. Only murders were then more common.

[kgbsquirrel]

Pulled our kids out of public school when a panel of teachers -- not a doctor among them, and no doctor anywhere on campus -- adjudicated that our daughter would "require medication" as a remedy for her stubbornness.

WTF? Seriously, what the flippity hell? I... I can't wrap my head around this. I'm smarter than the average bear when it comes to medical stuff and I know that I have absolutely NO business diagnosing physical/psychological issues and then prescribing medications for anything. How the hell does a group of non-physicians get off thinking they can do such by committee?

[Tallpine]

"Feeling" safer is entirely different from being safe, as you well know.

And there is an entire set of industries entirely revolving around making us feel less safe.

Or it could be that crime back then was limited to certain locales so most people really were safer. 

Or it could be that I'm just a lot smarter than I was back then 

[MicroBalrog]

WTF? Seriously, what the flippity hell? I... I can't wrap my head around this. I'm smarter than the average bear when it comes to medical stuff and I know that I have absolutely NO business diagnosing physical/psychological issues and then prescribing medications for anything. How the hell does a group of non-physicians get off thinking they can do such by committee?

"We were following protocol so it is okay."

[Jamisjockey]

WTF? Seriously, what the flippity hell? I... I can't wrap my head around this. I'm smarter than the average bear when it comes to medical stuff and I know that I have absolutely NO business diagnosing physical/psychological issues and then prescribing medications for anything. How the hell does a group of non-physicians get off thinking they can do such by committee?

At our school the teachers aren't allowed to make any suggestions related to medication.  We keep our son's teachers in the loop with his medications, as they are a good source of information on how his attention is and what our goals are with his behaivor, but that's it.

[MillCreek]

At our school the teachers aren't allowed to make any suggestions related to medication.  We keep our son's teachers in the loop with his medications, as they are a good source of information on how his attention is and what our goals are with his behaivor, but that's it.

This is pretty much the same protocol my wife the elementary school teacher follows.  If a parent asks her if the child may benefit from medication, the only answer they give is that the parent should discuss medical concerns with the child's medical provider.  She does say that she can tell if the parents are non-compliant with giving the child the prescribed meds, especially if the child has been on them for a while.  She says the behavior and academic changes are striking when they go off them.