Children not overmedicated?

There is a general concern that children are overmedicated, especially with psychotropic medication such as Ritalin. While in South Africa, the dosages used are typically lower than in the U.S.A., the same concern exists here. Judith Warner, columnist for the New York Times, started investigating this issue six years ago. Whereas she started out biased against the use of medication for childhood developmental disorders, against expectations she had to change her mind.

Here are some excerpts from a review of her book, We've got Issues:
Children and Parents in the Age of Medication:

"A couple of simple truths have become clear,” she writes with the passion of a new convert. “That the suffering of children with mental health issues (and their parents) is very real. That almost no parent takes the issue of psychiatric diagnosis lightly or rushes to ‘drug’ his or her child; and that responsible child psychiatrists don’t, either. And that many children’s lives are essentially saved by medication, particularly when it’s combined with evidence-based forms of therapy."

and

"But the big picture is far brighter than its components. Ms. Warner argues that child psychiatry is actually one of the major public health success stories of our time. As one expert tells her, when it comes to mental health, “the horse is out of the barn by adulthood.” Treating troubled children is more than symptom management for a calmer classroom: the medications seem actually to change the structure of the brain, helping it develop in what all evidence indicates is the right direction. More children in treatment should spell the beginnings of a healthier adult world."

Warner's conclusions are interesting and one has to recognize her intellectual honesty in coming to change her mind. One has to, however, recognize that her "research" method was not much more than the collection of anecdotes. For a more critical review of her book, read Alison Gopnick in The Slate.