The National Institute for Mental Health puts out a periodic report called The DSM which purports to describe children’s behavior which would qualify them for the appellation of ADD or ADHD and therefore would qualify them for the taking of Psychiatric Drugs as an antidote to these behaviors But “what could be more absurd than a guide for tagging children as mentally ill simply because they act like […]
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks speaks at The Jewish Federation of North America:
The application of Ritalin to hyperactive children is leading to a situation in which social problems are increasingly defined as medical ones…There is a tendency not to look for the solutions to complex social problems in the behavior of individuals in the surrounding environment. Thus the unruly child at school and at home is perceived as in need of medical attention. Peer groups, parents, teachers, and administrators thereby […]
Documentary by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association (theanti-drug.com) :
Dr. Peter Breggin writes: What is called “spontaneous” behavior, including exploration and novelty-seeking, is at the heart of normal functioning for animals and humans. Any animal, including monkeys, rats, mice, or pigeons, has a natural curiosity or tendency to explore its environment. These animals also have a natural tendency to congregate and to relate to each other. Their investigative or exploratory drives, as well as their social drives, […]
In a study led by Herbert Rie from the Ohio State Department of Pediatrics, Rie found no objective evidence for improvement from Ritalin on any of a series of tests for learning or performance. The children exhibited “typical suppressive behavioral effects”. The children became: “distinctly more bland or “flat” emotionally, lacking both the age-typical variety and frequency of emotional expression. They responded less, exhibited little or no initiative […]
In 1977, a Norwegian team of researchers led by D. Daarskog demonstrated abnormal growth hormone responses to clinical doses of Dexedrine and Ritalin: The findings indicate an acute and probable long-term effect of dextroamhetamine and methylphenidate on the homeostasis of growth hormone. The possible long-term effects of these drugs on the growth of children indicates the need for caution in the widespread use of these agents. *********************************** In […]
If a parent forced a child to take alcohol, a depressant, in the mistaken belief that he was curing a chemical imbalance in the child’s brain, we would not hesitate to have the child removed from home Yet millions of children are forced to take mind-altering drugs in the equally mistaken belief that depression and other mental illnesses are biologically caused, for which there is not a shred […]
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks speaks at Berkeley Law School:
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks speaks at Kings College, London, on The Relevance of the Bible for Law and Ethics in Society: