The summer is quickly drawing to a close and thoughts of the new school year are on the horizon. Just as parents are beginning to make their back-to-school lists, drug companies are placing advertisements for medications that are designed to treat ADHD in magazines like Ladies' Home Journal. It seems that in recent years, behavior-modifying medication has become a back-to-school essential.

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a medical condition characterized by inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity. Today, ADHD affects approximately three to five percent of school-aged children, with boys being diagnosed three to four times more than girls.

Since The Journal of the American Medical Association released a report last year that noted a disturbing rise in prescriptions for stimulants and anti-depressants for children under the age of five, concern has been expressed that kids across the United States are being over-diagnosed with ADHD.

According to Lenny T. Winkler, a nurse and state representative of Connecticut, "Before they came out with these, how did we grow up? If a child has a problem and it's diagnosed properly, I support that. But I think teachers are far too quick to blame the problem on attention deficit, and say to parents, 'This is what needs to be done.'" (The New York Times)

Last month, Minnesota became the first state to ban both schools and child protection agencies from telling parents they must put their children on drugs to treat ADHD. And in October, Connecticut will enforce legislation that will prohibit any school staff member from discussing drug treatments for disorders like ADHD with parents. This will ensure that such discussions only occur with a child's physician.

Today, doctors are writing almost 20 million prescriptions for drugs like Ritalin, which treat ADHD, per month. Many advocates of the Connecticut legislation maintain that an excessive reliance on behavioral/emotional treatment drugs is driving parents away from traditional forms of discipline.

Are parents relying on behavior-modifying drugs to take the place of discipline? Should advertisements for drugs that treat ADHD be targeted to consumers? Are drugs, such as Ritalin, over-prescribed in this country? Should teachers be allowed to tell parents that their child needs to be put on medication for ADHD?

Carolyn Lastowski, Editor