Ritalin: our society's answer to the most prevalent pseudo disorder

Ritalin remains the leading drug prescribed in the United States for the treatment
of Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD).
Since the debut of Ritalin in 1956, numerous doctors began prescribing it because of its
calming effect on hyperactive children. ADD and Ritalin continue to rise each year and
now the United States consumes ninety percent of the world’s Ritalin. In fact, today,
more than two million kids take Ritalin on a daily basis. Could the US be plagued by ADD
or has our society’s insatiable desire for success pushed for a quick fix to an ambiguous
unproven disorder?

In order to examine the deluge of Ritalin into the United States, one needs to
understand ADD or ADHD. Symptoms of ADD include, lack of attention, forgetfulness,
lack in listening, and disorganization. Imagine a fourth-grader in class, trying to read
along with the book but simply looks outside and sees someone ...