The rise of Ritalin came at the same time as the demise of corporal punishment. It has to be said that some of these children on this drug would be impossible to deal with without it. It is being issued with absolute agreement from the parents as well because they cannot cope with their own children either. We have now been informed in schools that ADHD is to be treated as a disability and so medication will probably continue and even increase. After all Ritalin is a marvellous substitute for discipline.

judy, Liverpool, england

bringing up children properly, diet, discipline etc would alleviate the need for this and enable the NHS to spend the money on better cancer treatment for patients who ARE ill.

john turner, leicester,

The only reason for taking behaviour modifying drugs is if a physiological problem has been identified in the individual's braiin.
I suspect that this is not the case. What has been identified is behaviour that does not fit with a post-feminist society. I suspect most of these children are boys who behave like young males and society wihses them to behave like young females.
This is, almost certainly in the vast majority of cases, an illness society has inflicted upon itself. The fact many parents aren't going to be bullied in changing their children's state of consciousness says more about the human spirit than human intelligence.

eddie reader, birmingham, uk