Reuters reported today that two studies performed by the Massachusetts Medical School/University of Wisconsin and Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital have both concluded that “there is no firm evidence that giving hyperactive children stimulant drugs such as Ritalin leads to drug abuse later in life”, a conclusion that is absolutely true considering that the children used in the study were clinically diagnosed with hyperactivity disorders.

The real problem is whether or not improperly diagnosed cases of ADHD that are treated with stimulats such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) are suspect to future substance abuse. Contrary to the article, Ritalin holds chemical similarities to methamphetamines, not cocaine. While only 3-5% of all American schoolchildren are affected by ADHD, a staggering 10% of the school population is on some form of stimulant therapy for a problem they may or may not have. Add to the fact that there are some localities that have upwards of 30% of their schoolchildren on stimulants, and you can see where the potential (and actual) problems are.

Ritalin – like cocaine – increases the brain’s dopamine receptors much in the way that a ‘runners high’ does. The problem is that you can become psychologically addicted to a dopamine high. When you introduce chemicals into the mix, you pose a problem of adding a potential chemical addiction as well. To date, there just isn’t sufficient evidence to determine whether Ritalin can be harmlessly prescribed, or whether the addictive properties of methylphenidate are to be considered when prescribing Ritalin as a cure-all for hyperactivity.

To be sure, if you need Ritalin to counter the chemical imbalance that causes ADHD, then there should be no problems and there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the studies. But if you don’t need Ritalin, studies show that the effects are just the opposite, actually inducing ADHD and potentially causing substance abuse problems for the future. Additionally, you can overdose on Ritalin, and if one is addicted to methylphenidate, you will go into a coma and die. Studies additionally show that methylphenidate is more addictive than cocaine, and hardly the harmless drug that the article seems to indicate it to be.

The proper solution is to accurately diagnose ADHD. Often times hyperactivity that is induced by environment, family problems, or other unnoticed actualities get lumped together as ADHD, a decision that only covers symptoms without finding cures. ADHD is real, but it should be a diagnosis of last resort, not a first line of defense against hyperactive children.

In short, Ritalin is not soma. It is a drug just like any other, and can be abused if improperly prescribed.