More on the issue of Ritalin
Recently the subject of Ritalin has been dealt with again by
Yated, in both feature articles and Letters to the
Editor. As a parent of a child being treated by Ritalin, I
was sorry to read the conclusion reached by one of the letter
writers, as if the truth lies somewhere in the middle ground,
between the supporters of Ritalin and its opponents.
My son has suffered from various and peculiar problems for
some years, it being unnecessary for me to add that all those
around him have suffered along with him. He was not
hyperactive in the least and was doing well in his learning;
however his Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) interfered with
his functioning, both with his peers and in the classroom and
it was getting steadily worse. We tried all kinds of things
to help him, from psychotherapy to kinesiology, as well as
all types of educational techniques, but to no avail. The
child was in distress and all those who had been dealing with
him were ready to give up. Every time I met the principal of
my son's cheder, his face would fall.
One day my eyes fell upon a (professionally written)
newspaper article which described similar symptoms to those
we saw in our son. We contacted the author who referred us to
appropriate professional literature. In the end we arrived at
the Keshev Institute in Bnei Brak, our son was given a TOVA
with the results indicating no signs of ADD. Despite this,
after a further assessment in the form of a personal
interview, it was decided to try Ritalin. I showed my son's
rebbe the conclusions of the TOVA which excluded the
possibility of ADD, while we began concurrently to give my
son Ritalin without telling the rebbe or the staff of
the talmud Torah.
After a week I paid a visit to the talmud Torah. The
principal greeted me warmly, and joyfully informed me that
the child had improved tremendously on all counts. He seemed
to be on the right path and a letter with the good news about
his positive developments had already been written to us. I
spoke to the rebbe who confirmed the news with
amazement. He started to question me closely as to if I had
an inkling as to what had caused the change in my son, who
had become a different child altogether. It was only at that
point that I revealed my secret, that he was being treated
with Ritalin.
Since then my son has continued to thrive, and we thank
HaKodosh Boruch Hu for His kindness to us.
Neurologically-based ADD is neither an emotional problem, nor
one of health. It is a disturbance to the ability to function
when concentration is required (mostly studying, but not just
that). When the deficit is filled by Ritalin, the child (or
adult) can behave like everyone else. Additionally, Ritalin
is nonaddictive. Withholding it from someone who requires it
is like withholding glasses or a vitamin supplement from a
person who is in need of them.
Ritalin is a safe, recognized drug (it has minor side-effects
which pass with time), but its use is accompanied by
disproportional fears and concerns. Likewise, its
distribution at the pharmacy is complicated and bureaucracy-
ridden. A foremost Bnei Brak pediatrician (I have not asked
him for permission to publicize his name) explained to me
that the fear of Ritalin is irrational, with its roots in the
Scientology cult in the United States, which for some reason
sees Ritalin as a government means to enslave the masses or
something similar. Public opinion in the USA has been
influenced by the vocal opposition of this cult. In this way
the limits on Ritalin use have come about there and have
infiltrated into other countries.
I call upon all those suffering from ADD to consult qualified
professionals.
Sincerely, D.S. Bnei Brak
Ritalin — Proceed with Caution
BeDerech Hamelech is an internationally known chareidi
institute with a part of its specialization and programs
including a weekly surveillance of worldwide studies and
articles on the topics of ADD, hyperactivity, dyslexia and
giftedness. We have been closely following Rabbi Chaim
Walder's articles, in his weekly column (in the Hebrew
Yated Ne'eman) In Front of the Mirror in which
he alerts the readers' attention to the advantages of
Ritalin, including its use with children suffering from
ADD.
Ritalin is a powerful tool which acts to greatly improve
concentration amongst both children and adults. The use of
Ritalin is most certainly recommended for children with great
difficulties in concentration, but it is important to note a
number of points.
1. There are other conditions with similar symptoms to ADD,
for example: children with nutrition problems, a blood sugar
imbalance, dyslexia, visual and auditory processing
disorders, mild epilepsy, sleep disturbances and children
from difficult or tension-filled backgrounds. These children
are treated with Ritalin only because they have symptoms
similar to children with ADD. The majority of children who
suffer from a number of problems such as gifted children, who
also have a blood sugar imbalance and impaired vision,
neither use learning techniques especially designed for them
nor eat a suitably-planned diet.
Instead they receive drugs to relieve the symptoms of
outbursts and mood swings. These problems do not cure
themselves and there is a desperate need to deal with the
cause at the same time as prescribing drugs for the symptoms.
A person who takes paracetamol for chronic pain certainly
functions better without the pain. However, no-one would
consider continuing to take it for years without dealing with
the root of the problem.
Statistics gathered by the American National Alliance on
Mental Illness prove that the appropriate counselling,
together with Ritalin is far more effective than Ritalin
alone. A child treated only by drugs remains with most of the
disturbances he had before (such as social problems, mood
swings, outbursts of rage, anemia, hearing, vision and sleep
problems etc.) the moment the drug is stopped. In addition,
these problems worsen in the teen years. At that age it is
already extremely difficult to effect changes.
2. Ritalin (or Adarol, Stratara, Concerta etc.) does not cure
ADD, hyperactivity or dyslexia. In addition one should be
aware of the advanced medical studies carried out in the USA
and Europe which emphasize the importance in having
comprehensive, especially cardiac, testing done, even for
healthy children, before beginning the use of Ritalin. The
various drugs will shortly have warning labels by order of
the American Health Care Organization.
3. A child who takes Ritalin, but does not acquire the skills
to deal with his difficulty and does not obtain the proper
treatment for the problem which caused the Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) will grow up into an adult who
does not behave properly, ch'v. Once they leave home,
most of the adolescents and many of the adults refuse to take
the drugs, although they are aware that they were helped by
them in the past. Unfortunately they then continue to
experience learning and social disabilities.
There are other problems which are misdiagnosed as ADD, but
require completely different treatment.
Sincerely,
A. Reznick
Principal, BeDerech Hamelech Institute
The Loudest Opponents
During the past weeks there have been several articles and
Letters to the Editor on the topic of Ritalin. I would like
the opportunity to set matters straight.
The main and loudest opponents are members of the Scientology
cult who has declared a "holy" war against psychiatrists.
They base their facts on some rationale that Ritalin appears
in the Drugs Registry.
A Lev L'Achim representative took part in discussions on the
issue held by the Knesset Drug Committee. There were experts
in the field from hospitals, professors involved in the
matter from the Health Ministry and the Chief Pharmacist,
amongst others. The prevalent attitude of the experts there
was that there are the same percentages of problematic side-
effects from a Ritalin pill as there are from a paracetamol
pill.
Ritalin has existed for some eighty years with an endless
number of studies about it.
Most of those who scream out against it are members of the
Scientology cult. This cult is reported by world experts to
be full of lies, deception and unreality.
To my great anguish there are chareidim who go to
organizations which belong to the cult, about which a
psak has been released that it is avoda
zora.
With wishes for good health,
Rabbi Zev Shteiglitz
Lev L'Achim
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