Is Ritalin the Answer?

How America Has Been Brain-Washed About ADHD

NOTICE: The following message includes extensive research taken from numerous resources (books and the internet).  Footnotes were not included in this message; however, we want to make a note that much of the information was derived from an article regarding ADHD posted on www.Christian-parenting.org

TEXT: Proverbs 22:6 = "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

INTRODUCTION:

• How many of you have heard about a drug called Ritalin?
• How many of you know someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder)?
• How many of you know someone who has been placed on Ritalin or a drug like Ritalin?

In the year 2000, in the United States alone, nearly twenty million prescriptions were written for Ritalin and other drugs to treat what has been called Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. This was a 35 percent increase since 1996 (a 4 year span).

Most of these prescriptions are for boys younger than twelve.

I believe this is an epidemic of disastrous proportions to the children of America.

In some elementary schools and middle schools, as many as 6 percent of all students take Ritalin or other psychiatric drugs according to the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration. In some classes, as many as 20% of the students may be taking Ritalin.

But what concerns me the most, as a Pastor, is to see and hear of many “Christian” parents putting their children on drugs such as Ritalin for behavior problems. Why would Christian parents put their children on mind-altering drugs?

I believe that this shows the lack of spiritual training the parents are receiving in the church on how to rear their children spiritually as the Bible commands. Our text, Proverbs 22:6, says: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

It has been my observation that many Christian parents do not understand Biblical child training or have rebelled against it.

Proper Biblical child training takes time, patience, prayer, and understanding that our life is to be guided by the Word of God and not the world's standard. Many Christian parents are so busy they do not find or make the time to train their children as our Lord intended.

Ephesians 6:4 = "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord".

All too often parents find it easier just to put a child on drugs rather than consistently deal with behavioral problems!

Unfortunately, as we watch these children the thought comes to mind they have never learned or will learn to obey authority as God has intended.

Ephesians 6:1 = "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right".

If a child never learns to obey his or her parents, they of course, will never learn to obey God or any other authority. This child will not have his heart prepared to submit to God and be saved.

Also, the child will always believe they have a problem for which they should not be held accountable. Therefore, they have an excuse for their behavior now and, as they grow older, they will have an excuse for their behavior or lifestyle.

Many of these children have no appetite and in many instances act like zombies. It is a shame and disgrace what the parents, the public education system, and the psychiatrists of America are doing to these kids!

Today I want to challenge you to ask and answer some basic questions regarding this issue. 

• Is there ever a reason to put a child on mind-altering drugs?
• Is Ritalin the answer?
• Is there even such a thing as ADHD?
• If Ritalin is not the answer, then what is the answer?

OPENING ILLUSTRATION: I want you to imagine with me a little, brown-haired boy. We’ll call him “Little Bob”. He’s at times a little mischievous. “Little Bob” is seven-years-old and has already had to repeat a grade. He has an imagination that puts others to shame, but nothing seems to hold his attention for more than five minutes. He’s very intelligent, but he can’t seem to sit still in class. His teacher recommended that he be tested so his parents felt like they had to go along with it. “Little Bob” was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or what we call ADHD. Now the administrator of the school has met with the parents and told them, "If you do not medicate your child, he cannot be in the classroom". The parents really don’t know much about all this, but they go along with it – they certainly can’t afford to put their son in a private school. So their son starts a life-long journey on Ritalin – or some other drug or anti-depressant that they experiment with until they think it’s working just right.

NOW…I want you to imagine this exact same scenario playing out over 4 million times in the last 10 years!!  This is what is happening to America’s kids – especially to America’s boys!

STATISTICS:  In 1985, there were about 500,000 people diagnosed with ADD, Today…a total of 5-7 million people have been diagnosed as ADHD. According to the CDC, nearly 4 million U.S. children under age 17 had been diagnosed with ADHD by 2004 – the vast majority of these are on a drug called Ritalin.

STATISTICS: Presently, over 6 million children are taking some sort of psychotropic drugs daily.

5% of all American children are on Ritalin – including 12% of all boys.

KEY HISTORICAL FACT: On September 29, 1970, the Committee on Government Operations of the U.S. House of Representatives voiced their concern that already (in 1970) 200,000 to 300,000 children were already being drugged, and the committee correctly surmised that eventually the figures would soar. The committee noted the irony that “each and every school child is told that 'speed kills,'” while many children are being forced to take speed in the form of Ritalin. It warned about the effect of this on “our extensive national campaign against drug abuse.” Testimony was received about a pattern of teachers and school administrators intimidating parents into giving Ritalin to their children.

WHAT IS RITALIN? Ritalin is in a class of drugs called Methylphetamines. These types of drugs are also called Central Nervous System or CNS stimulants. They affect our central nervous system that controls everything from thought process to everyday breathing.

Ritalin has been recommended as a treatment for functional behavior problems since the 1960s. When CIBA first suggested this in 1961 they were initially turned down by the FDA, but in 1963 approval was given for this use of the drug.

SIDE EFFECTS OF RITALIN: I would encourage any Christian parent to realize that these are mind-altering drugs! These drugs have serious and in many instances permanent side effects – some of which have not yet been discovered!!

Ritalin's major side effects influences the cardiovascular system (palpitation, tachycardia, and increased blood pressure), the central nervous system (psychosis, dizziness, headache, insomnia, tic syndromes, attacks of Gilles de la Tourette), gastrointestinal system (anorexia, nausea), and the endocrine/metabolic system (weight loss and growth suppression) because Ritalin can disrupt the cycles of growth hormone released by the pituitary gland.

When children are put on mind-altering drugs at such a young age, what types of effects are being caused to a young child's brain that is not fully developed?  (Who really knows?)

According to Breggin, the drug routinely causes gross malfunctions in the brain of the child. There is research evidence from a few controlled studies that Ritalin can cause shrinkage (atrophy) or other permanent physical abnormalities in the brain. And studies of amphetamine show that short-term clinical doses produce brain cell death.

RITALIN IS BEING ABUSED:  Ritalin is now the drug of choice at many high schools and college campuses. Several large universities are issuing warnings and believe we have an epidemic on our hands. Many college and high school students are now crushing and snorting Ritalin for recreational purposes. They also crush and snort Ritalin for homework and test purposes (to help them focus).

STATISTICS: From 1993 to 1994 the number of high school seniors admitting to having abused Ritalin doubled, representing about 350 thousand students nationwide.  In 1990, there were 271 estimated emergency room mentions for methylphenidate in DAWN (Drug Abuse Warning Network). In 1998, there were 1,727 mentions for methylphenidate in DAWN of which about 56 percent were for ages ten to seventeen.

When crushed and snorted, the drug mimics the effects of cocaine --- more energy, heightened pulse and blood

pressure. In high doses, it can even cause hallucinations.

ATTENTION PARENTS: Ritalin is nicknamed “Vitamin R,” “The R Ball,” “The Smart Pill,” “Skittles”, “Smarties”, “T's and R's,” “T's and Rits,” “One and Ones,” “Crackers,” and “Set”.

Ritalin abuse often starts much earlier in elementary school and middle school. Some children have died from Ritalin abuse.

Children across the country have been expelled or suspended for buying, selling, and abusing Ritalin.

• At a middle school in Durham, North Carolina, 10 children were caught snorting the drug.
• At a middle school outside Chicago, 15 students were disciplined for selling or abusing Ritalin.
• At an elementary school in Florida, an eight-year-old was caught handing out Ritalin on a school bus. Two children were taken to the hospital after swallowing the pills.

This type of thing is happening all over the country.

According to Gretchen Feussner, who is a pharmacologist with the (DEA) Drug Enforcement Agency, Ritalin is now on the DEA top 10 list of the most stolen medicines. She says, "kids as young as grade school and as old as college students are using Ritalin as a recreational drug". According to Feussner, "Ritalin is a highly addictive drug, as addictive as cocaine".

From January 1996 to December 1997, about 700,000 dosage units of methylphenidate were reported to their drug theft database.

WHY IS RITALIN EASILY ABUSED?  Ritalin is a Methylphetamine (closely related to the amphetamine family, such as cocaine).

Someone posted a question on Drug InfoNet (April 5, 2000):

Question: What family is ritalin in? I heard it may be in the speed and/or cocaine family. Is this true?

Answer: Yes, it is a Sympathomimetic which belongs to the class of drugs that amphetamine belongs to.

Psychologist John Breeding refers to Ritalin as “kiddie cocaine”!

RITALIN CAN LEAD TO OTHER DRUG ABUSE:  Most websites will flatly deny this!  Did you know that there are studies such as the Berkeley Study that contends that Ritalin and other stimulants further raise the risk of drug abuse? From the Wall Street Journal, Monday, May 17, 1999 by Marilyn Chase: "Nadine Lambert, a professor of education, followed almost 500 children for 26 years. She argues that exposure to Ritalin makes the brain more susceptible to the addictive power of cocaine and doubles the risk of abuse."

RITALIN CAN BE DEADLY:  Between 1990 and 2000 there were 186 deaths from methylphenidate reported to the FDA MedWatch program, a voluntary reporting scheme, the numbers of which represent no more than 10 to 20% of the actual incidence.

RITALIN USERS CAN BE DANGEROUS: In 1995, Denmark's Cooperative Institute for Medical Drug Dependence reported the following withdrawal symptoms from psychotropic drug dependence: “Emotional changes: fear, terror, panic, fear of insanity, failing self-confidence, restlessness, irritability, aggression, an urge to destroy, and, in the worst cases, an urge to kill.”

Psychotic episodes and violent behavior are also associated with chronic Ritalin abuse. Even the manufacturer warns in its information leaflet, “frank psychotic episodes can occur” with abuse.

·         November 20, 1986: Rod Mathews, 14, beat a classmate to death with a bat in the woods near his house in Canton, Massachusetts. Rod was put on Ritalin when he was in third grade.

·         February 19, 1996: Timmy Becton, 10, grabbed his three-year-old niece as a shield and aimed a shotgun at a sheriff's deputy who accompanied a truant officer to his Florida home. Becton had been taken to a psychiatrist in January to cure his dislike of school and was put on a psychiatric drug, Prozac. His parents said that when the dosage of the drug was increased, Timmy had violent mood swings and that he would “get really angry…”

·         May 21, 1998: Kip Kinkel, a 15-year-old at Thurston High School in Springfield, Oregon, murdered his parents and then proceeded to school where he opened fire on students in the cafeteria, killing two and wounding twenty-two. Kinkel had been prescribed both Ritalin and Prozac.

·         April 16, 1999: Shawn Cooper, a 15-year-old-sophomore at Notus Junior-Senior High School in Notus, Idaho, was taking Ritalin when he fired two shotgun rounds, narrowly missing students and school staff.

·         May 20, 1999: T.J. Solomon, a 15-year-old at Heritage High School in Conyers, Ga., was being treated with Ritalin for depression when he opened fire on and wounded six classmates.

RITALIN DOES NOT EVEN WORK!!

Ritalin use is up 500% over the past six years, yet it does not cure the problem, it only masks symptoms, and there are several disadvantages: children don’t like taking it, children use it as an "excuse" for their behavior ("I hit Ed because I forgot to take my pill."), and there are many indications that it may be related to later substance abuse of drugs like cocaine.

Another research study, the Satterfield study (1987), states, “We found juvenile delinquency rates to be 20-25 times greater in our hyperactive drug-treated only group than in the normal control group.” In the “Delinquency outcome for the drug-treated group,” the results were: of 61 boys, 46% were arrested for one or more felony offenses before age 18; 30% were arrested for two or more felony offenses; 25% were institutionalized.… Studies of the long-term effectiveness of drugs have been consistently discouraging.

DISTURBING FACTS ABOUT RITALIN: Here are some facts that are being withheld from parents that could possibly alter their life decisions and outcomes.

FACT: Did you know that schools receive additional money from state and federal government for every child labeled and drugged? This clearly demonstrates a possible "financial incentive" for schools to label and drug children. It also backs up the alarming rise/increase in the labeling and drugging that has taken place in the last decade within our schools.

·         In 1991, eligibility rules changed for federal educational grants, providing schools with $400 in annual grant money for each child diagnosed with ADHD. The same year, the Department of Education formally recognized ADHD as a handicap and directed all state education officers to establish procedures to screen and identify ADHD children and provide them with special educational and psychological services.

·         Dr. Fred A. Baughman, Jr., a California pediatric neurologist, says that the frequency with which learning disorders and ADHD are diagnosed in schools “is proportional to the presence and influence within the schools of mind/brain behavioral diagnosticians, testers, and therapists.”

Today, American schools spend a combined $1 billion a year on psychologists who work full-time to diagnose students. As of 1996, $15 billion was being spent annually in the U.S. on the diagnosis, treatment and study of these so-called “disorders.”

FACT: Did you know that parents receiving welfare money from the government can get additional funds for every child that they have labeled and drugged? In this way, many lower socio-economic parents (many times single mothers) are reeled into the drugging by these financial incentives waved in front of them in hard times, making lifestyle changes possible.

·         In 1990, the doors were opened to a lucrative cash welfare program to low-income parents whose children were diagnosed with ADHD. A family could get more than $450 a month for each ADHD child. The impact was telling. In 1989, children citing mental impairment that included ADHD, made up only 5 percent of all disabled kids on the program. That figure rose to nearly 25 percent by 1995. To obtain the payout, some parents actually coached their children to do poorly in school and to act weird.

FACT: Did you know that by labeling your child with ADHD, you are actually labeling them with a mental illness listed in the DSM-IV, the unscientific billing bible for psychiatry?

FACT: (SPECIAL NOTE: This might have changed as of this writing.) Did you know that a child taking a psycho-tropic, psycho-stimulant drugs like Ritalin after the age of 12 is ineligible for military service?

FACT: Did you know that the subjective checklists that are being used as criteria for diagnosis are very similar to the checklists used to determine Gifted and Talented Children? These two checklists are almost identical.

FACT: Did you know that groups like CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder) and others available to parents are being supported financially by pharmaceutical companies?

·         The manufacturers spend millions of dollars to sell parent groups and doctors on the idea of using Ritalin.

·         CH.A.D.D., with six hundred chapters and 35,000 members in America, has received $748,000 from Ritalin's manufacturer — a Swiss-owned company formerly known as Ciba-Geigy and recently renamed Novartis — in the period 1991 to 1994 alone.

·         In return, CH.A.D.D.'s message to the public unfailingly portrays that ADHD is a real disease, “like a brain tumor or diabetes,” and Ritalin is “safe and non-addictive”.

·         Sales of Ritalin have increased from $109 million in 1992 to $336 million in 1996.

ARE OTHER (SIMILAR) DRUGS ANY SAFER?

Usually, stimulants (such as Ritalin) are used to treat ADHD.

• There are at least 11 other stimulant drugs that are now being used.
• Adderall is probably the most commonly prescribed new stimulant.
  • Doctors wrote more than 5.6 million prescriptions for Adderall (a drug used to treat ADHD) during the first six months of 2005.
  • That's a 15% increase over the same period a year before, according to IMS Health, a pharmaceutical information and consulting company.

In 2003, doctors started using non-stimulants as a treatment.

• An example of this is “Statera”
• Statera is marketed primarily to adults.
• It is not a stimulant
• At least two people have already died with liver disease from it. 
• The company that makes it added “suicide” to the list of side effects.

Also, they will use antidepressants to treat ADHD.

Here’s a list of common stimulants being used:

WHY ARE THEY PUTTING THESE CHILDREN ON THESE DRUGS?

Because the children either can’t sit still OR they stay still too much!!

It’s officially called Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.  It used to be just ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder); but it was renamed in 1994 to ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)

There are 26 million articles on the WEB regarding ADHD so it would be impossible to research everything about this so-called disease…. BUT if your child can’t sit still OR they stay still too much they are susceptible to being tested for and labeled with this “brain disorder”.

BY THE WAY… what is ADHD anyway?

According to the medical view, ADHD is a syndrome characterized by a variety of symptoms, such as distractibility, a short attention span, poor concentration, daydreaming, restlessness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.

THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM!!  The syndrome has changed names at least twenty-five times in the past 120 years. During the 1930s and 1940s, up to about 1957, this syndrome was known as “hyperkinesis,” a rare phenomenon with an incidence of perhaps one out of two thousand individuals. These rare individuals seemed to be driven by an inner whirlwind, not just in school, but constantly. They were always moving, climbing and knocking things over, and were in constant danger of injuring themselves or others.

Even as early as 400 B.C. Socrates complained about teenagers who “love luxury, have bad manners, have contempt for authority, disrespect their elders, and love to chatter in places of exercise.”

Problems with children are not new, but since the late 1960’s psychologists and psychiatrists have started to attribute what used to be viewed as “common problems” to biochemical or neurological abnormalities and to describe these affected children as victims of a medical syndrome or mental disorder!

There are officially 3 types of ADD or ADHD.  They will generally divide it into one of two categories – depending upon the symptoms OR a combination of the two.

1.)    A child who is hyperactive and impulsive and/or distractive

2.)    A child who is sluggish or inattentive.

3.)    A child who is a little of both.

How is ADD diagnosed?

1.      Because everyone shows some of these behaviors at times, the diagnosis requires that such behavior be demonstrated to a degree that is inappropriate for the person's age.

2.      The diagnostic guidelines also contain specific requirements for determining when the symptoms indicate ADHD. The behaviors must appear early in life, before age 7, and continue for at least 6 months.

3.      Above all, the behaviors must create a real handicap in at least two areas of a person's life such as in the schoolroom, on the playground, at home, in the community, or in social settings. So someone who shows some symptoms but whose schoolwork or friendships are not impaired by these behaviors would not be diagnosed with ADHD. Nor would a child who seems overly active on the playground but functions well elsewhere receive an ADHD diagnosis.

4.      The behaviors must also not be linked to stress at home. Children who have experienced a divorce, a move, an illness, a change in school, or other significant life event such as the death of a parent or grandparent; parents' or a parent's job loss may suddenly begin to act out or become forgetful. To avoid a misdiagnosis, it's important to consider whether these factors played a role in the onset of symptoms.

5.      Also, other medical problems need to be examined and eliminated first:     

                                                              i.      Undetected seizures, such as in petit mal or temporal lobe seizures

                                                            ii.      A middle ear infection that causes intermittent hearing problems

                                                          iii.      Medical disorders that may affect brain functioning

What do the scientists and sociologists say causes AD(H)D?

One of the first questions a parent will have is "Why? What went wrong?" "Did I do something to cause this?"

Here is the answer that they will receive: “There is little compelling evidence at this time that ADHD can arise purely from social factors or child-rearing methods. Most substantiated causes appear to fall in the realm of neurobiology and genetics. This is not to say that environmental factors may not influence the severity of the disorder, and especially the degree of impairment and suffering the child may experience, but that such factors do not seem to give rise to the condition by themselves. The parents' focus should be on looking forward and finding the best possible way to help their child. Scientists are studying causes in an effort to identify better ways to treat, and perhaps someday, to prevent ADHD. They are finding more and more evidence that ADHD does not stem from the home environment, but from biological causes. Knowing this can remove a huge burden of guilt from parents who might blame themselves for their child's behavior.”

They also claim that several things may have caused their child’s “biological problem”:

1.      Genetics

2.      Smoking or alcohol during pregnancy

3.      Brain injury

4.      premature birth or low birth weight

5.      undetected epilepsy

6.      vaccinations

7.      Some studies have even suggested a link between excessive early television watching and future attention problems.

NOTE: Parents should follow the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) guidelines, which say that children under 2 years old should not have any "screen time" (TV, DVDs or videotapes, computers, or video games) and that kids 2 years and older should be limited to 1 to 2 hours per day, or less, of quality television programming.

In other words scientists and researchers claim that everything else causes it except how the parent raised the child!!

Isn’t this amazing!  No one’s at fault. The parents didn’t do anything wrong.  Their child simply was born with a “disorder”!!!

OTHER COMMONLY DIAGNOSED “DISORDERS”:

Oppositional Defiant Disorder: (ODD)

As many as one-third to one-half of all children with ADHD—mostly boys—have another condition, known as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). These children are often defiant, stubborn, non-compliant, have outbursts of temper, or become belligerent. They argue with adults and refuse to obey. 

Symptoms associated with ODD include the following: often loses temper; often argues with adults; often actively defies or refuses to comply with adults' requests or rules; often deliberately annoys people; often blames others for his or her mistakes or misbehavior; is often touchy or easily annoyed by others; is often angry and resentful; and is often spiteful and vindictive.

Conduct Disorder: (CD)

About 20 to 40 percent of ADHD children may eventually develop conduct disorder (CD), a more serious pattern of antisocial behavior. These children frequently lie or steal, fight with or bully others, and are at a real risk of getting into trouble at school or with the police. They violate the basic rights of other people, are aggressive toward people and/or animals, destroy property, break into people's homes, commit thefts, carry or use weapons, or engage in vandalism. These children or teens are at greater risk for substance use experimentation, and later dependence and abuse. They need immediate help.

IF YOU THINK THIS IS WEIRD LISTEN TO THESE OTHER “DISORDERS”:

(Excerpt from article posted on “Christian-Parenting.org”)

Under the heading, “Don't Stop the Insanity (my therapist needs the money),” Mark Syverud, editor of The Daily Messenger, comments in a tongue-in-cheek manner on the untenability of this kind of diagnostic practice:

“Beware, a new book shows that an epidemic of mental illness is sweeping the nation. Does your 10-year-old dislike doing her math homework? Better get her to the nearest couch because she's got No. 315.4, Developmental Arithmetic Disorder.

“Maybe you're a teenager who argues with his parents. Uh-oh. Better get some medication pronto because you've got No. 313.8, Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

“And if your wife won't tell you that she snuck out to the outlet mall last Saturday, then she's definitely got 313.2, Selective Mutism. Omigosh! My family is full of psychos. Trust me, I'm not making this up. (That would be Fictitious Disorder Syndrome.)…

“Only a decade ago, psychiatrists said one in 10 Americans had a mental illness. Now, according to the manual, half of the population is mentally ill. How the other half stays sane remains a mystery. The manual will have to be updated annually because mental health professionals and defense lawyers keep discovering new illnesses. Just since the beginning of the year the experts have unearthed these new disorders:

Lottery Stress Disorder (or LSD): A London psychiatrist discovered the outbreak among losers who experienced “definition of mood and feelings of hopelessness” when their numbers didn't come in.

Chronic Tax Anxiety Syndrome (CTAS): A Washington psychotherapist specializes in treating couples who suffer from excessive worry, sleeplessness and marital squabbling every April.…

“I know there are some cynics out there who will scoff at these new diagnoses. Maybe you think it's all psychobabble, just a gimmick to make money for the therapists. You wouldn't be caught dead on a psychiatrist's couch. You people are in serious denial. As a matter of fact, your unwillingness to seek professional help is itself a symptom of a serious mental problem. It's right here in the book: 15.81 Noncompliance with Treatment Disorder.³

WHAT IS THE DSM? The book or manual Mark Syverud is referring to is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), the bible of psychiatrists, psychologists and related specialists. The DSM is a catalogue, created by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), listing all the mental disorders with their various criteria that mankind can supposedly suffer from. It was originally compiled and used for billing purposes.

After the first DSM was published in 1952, four further editions followed: DSM II, DSM III, DSM III-R, and DSM IV. In each new edition, the list of psychiatric disorders continued to become longer and longer.

·         The first edition defined 112 mental disorders, including brain disorders, psychotic disorders, neuroses of various sorts, personality disorders, and sexual deviation (including homosexuality).

·         In 1968, the manual was revised and called DSM II. It listed 163 “mental” disorders – including a whole new category of “Behavior disorders of childhood and adolescence” (which listed 7 new disorders for kids)

·         In 1980 the number of mental disorders reached the total of 224 in DSM III.

·         Seven years later, in DSM III-R, it was increased to 253

·         DSM IV, released in 1994, brought the number of mental diseases to the grand total of 374!

NOTICE: DSM III (printed in 1980) was the edition that took out homosexuality as a mental disease and added the infamous ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).

Is there even such a thing as ADD or ADHD???

MY BELIEF: There are no bad kids --- just bad parents and bad teachers!  Every time you have a child that is supposedly ADD or ADHD, it can be connected to a lack of proper discipline and a structured home life!!

1. There is no biological proof anywhere that ADHD is actually a disease.  All of the diagnosis is based on   

    subjective questions.

2. The concept that some normal children are “brain-damaged” comes from a group of German scientists

    employed during the late 1930s at the Wayne Country Training School in Northville, Michigan, a school for

    educable mentally retarded (EMR) children. These evolutionists came up with the concept that brain-damage

    can appear in otherwise normal children. … In time, however, the term “brain damage” was changed to a less

    harmful syndrome called “minimal brain dysfunction.” A few years later, this term also fell into disfavor in

    educational circles, and in 1963 the term “learning disabilities” (LD) was adopted. By 1980, the term ADD

    was established to refer to the “learning disability” that afflicts children who cannot pay attention, who

    fidget, and who do not listen when spoken to.

3. Although there are very rare cases of what used to be called “hyperkinesis” and although some children do 

    indeed have legitimate “learning disabilities”, the vast majority of children being labeled as AD(H)D are

    completely normal (neurologically-speaking). Their main problem is called “parental failure”.

I firmly believe that ADHD is used as an excuse for a failing public school system and, even more so, an excuse for failing parents.

HISTORICAL FACT: In the 70’s and early 80’s, (when this thing about ADD was just starting) middle-income parents did not want their child labeled as having a “learning disability” or “special needs” – so their psychiatrists came up with the perfect solution: a “disease” which would not blame the parents or damage their child’s self-esteem: ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).  This “disease” finally made it into the psychiatrists billing handbook in 1980.

The first thing that these behavior therapists will assure the parents when they go in for therapy with their child is this: “You’re not a bad parent.  You haven’t failed. This is all a biological /neuro-chemical problem – and your child just can’t help themselves for being what they are…”

Should we turn to drugs to control our children? 

Should we excuse ourselves by saying our child has a “disease” or “disorder”?

Should we blindly go along with a system that is NOT working – and is actually destroying our children?

NO… there is a better (Biblical) way to help a child!!

WHAT ARE SOME ALTERNATIVE ANSWERS?  A lot of parents say they would take their kids off of Ritalin if they just had an alternative… BUT they don’t know what will work…. 

Here are some of the most common ideas that are being suggested by therapists and counselors who, although they do not advocate Biblical concepts as we do, they do agree that children should NOT be treated for behavior problems with drugs.

These are some suggested ways to help your child without putting them on drugs:

1. Change of Diet (eliminating sugars)

BEWARE: We recently read about a mother — she is also the president of a support group for parents with hyperactive children — who is spending her life trying to find the food and/or food additives that are responsible for her three “hyperactive” boys' poor behavior. While she is fanatically searching for the answer, the two elder boys, respectively eleven and eight, are physically assaulting each other and their three-year-old brother, and have even tried to set their thatched-roof house on fire. They set all their teddy bears alight, as well as lighting fires on the carpets. While shopping with their mother some time ago at a grocery store, they threw whatever they could lay their hands on at other customers. The youngest, it seems, has the habit of perching himself on the balcony of their triple story home. Frankly, we would prefer not to be around when these boys reach puberty. We shudder to think what they will probably be like as adults.

2. Eliminate stress factors

3. Find creative study habits that work for each person

4. Eliminate B vitamin deficiencies: Many experts believe that one of the main causes for inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, temper tantrums, sleep disorders, forgetfulness, and aggression are caused by faulty neurotransmissions a problem with the neurotransmitters in the brain. Vitamin B-6 is a necessary vitamin used in the making of neurotransmitters that affect behavior. A lack of this vitamin or really any other vitamin can cause a child to act inappropriately.

NOTE: Excessive amounts of vitamins can be toxic to the body and may cause the same ADHD like symptoms. It is possible to overdose when taking vitamins so make sure you contact a physician and check for vitamin deficiencies before taking extra vitamins.

5. Check for Iron deficiency: Iron is an essential component of hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying pigment in the blood. Iron is normally obtained through the food in the diet and by the recycling of iron from old red blood cells. The causes of iron deficiency are too little iron in the diet, poor absorption of iron by the body, and loss of blood. It is also caused by lead poisoning in children.

6. Check for food allergies, hidden food sensitivities, preservatives & food dyes (particularly red dyes).

7. Check for hearing problems like middle ear infections or auditory processing disorder. AND for vision problems.  Children who have had a history of ear infections or chronic middle ear fluid are at a higher risk for having difficulties in auditory perception and processing.

8. Check for vision problems.

9. Use therapeutic soft (Christian) music in your home

10. Check for genuine dyslexia (which is now commonly misdiagnosed as ADHD)

11. Utilize handwriting exercises  (See www.retrainthebrain.com)

12. Create a daily routine for your child which includes plenty of sleep.

NOTE: Every child CAN be taught to sit still if you will start at a young age and sit them down by themselves with only 1 toy for “quiet time”. Start out for 1 or 2 minutes and gradually increase the length of time that the child is expected to sit quietly. Make this time special; instead of using it as a punishment!

KEY POINT: Is it any wonder that children don’t want to sit still when they have been programmed with the idea that “time-out” is a punishment?!

13. Help your child organize –even by using homework notebooks, etc.

14. Eliminate distractions – especially the TV

15. Wean your child off of video games and television. Parents are actually training their children via electronic stimuli to have poor attention spans!

16. Use goals and rewards systems

17. Limit choices to two things

18. Help your child develop a talent and be successful at something

While I do believe that the above 18 things can help eliminate the so-called symptoms of ADD/ ADHD, please listen to the following four (4) Biblical principles for rearing children…

I believe these 4 Biblical principles will guarantee any parent that their child will turn out well!

How do you raise good, Godly children? (4 things guaranteed to turn out a healthy, self-disciplined child)

1. Consistent, firm discipline

NOTE: Studies reveal that up to 80 percent of the time, children labeled ADHD do not appear to show symptoms of this disorder in several different real-life settings.

·         First, up to 80 percent of them don't appear to be ADHD when in the physician's office. They also seem to behave normally in other unfamiliar settings where there is a one-to-one interaction with an adult.

·         Second, they appear to be indistinguishable from so-called “normals” when they are in classrooms or other learning environments where children can choose their own learning activities and pace themselves through those experiences.

·         Third, they seem to perform quite normally when they are paid to do specific activities designed to access attention.

·         Fourth, children labeled ADHD behave and attend quite normally when they are involved in activities that interest them and/or are novel in some way, or that involve high levels of stimulation (such as video games).

·         Finally, some of these children reach adulthood only to discover that the symptoms related to ADHD have apparently disappeared.

EXAMPLE: Isn’t it amazing that when that child wants to sit still and watch TV or play for hours on a video game, they can?!

IN OTHER WORDS: The problem is NOT that the child can’t sit still or concentrate; the problem is with their will to do so!!

·         This is why every child MUST have consistent, firm discipline!

·         This is why every child MUST have their will brought into submission to their parent’s will.  Parents MUST break that child’s will without breaking their spirit – which can only be accomplished through loving discipline.

·         This is why firmness and consistency is so important when disciplining a child.

Look at what God’s Word says about consistent, corporal discipline:

1. Proverbs 10:1 = “The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.”

2. Proverbs 13:24 = “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”

                                                              i.      Do NOT spare the rod – that’s NOT the way to show real love.

                                                            ii.      “Betimes” = properly, (figuratively) be (up) early at any task (with the implication of earnestness); by extension, to search for (with painstaking):--(do something) early

3. Proverbs 19:18 = “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.”

                                                              i.      Discipline should NOT be out-of-control

                                                            ii.      Discipline should be in the proper place

                                                          iii.      Discipline should hurt

                                                          iv.      Discipline should start early

1.      50% of a child’s character is formed by age 3

2.      75% of a child’s character is formed by age 5

4. Proverbs 22:15 = “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”

                                                              i.      Yes, your child was born with a disorder / disease!! It’s called a sinful nature!!!

                                                            ii.      Look for problems and dangers.

                                                          iii.      Demand “prompt obedience with respect” – every single time!!

5. Proverbs 23:13-14 = “Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.”

                                                              i.      Proper discipline enables a child to respect and submit to authority

                                                            ii.      Proper discipline prepares a child’s heart to accept Christ as Savior.

6. Proverbs 29:15 = “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.”

SPECIAL NOTE: We do not advocate child abuse in any form (verbal or physical)!! However, we do not believe that spanking properly (without anger) is child abuse. A parent needs to calmly administer corporal discipline along the lines of the following procedure:

1)      Deal with any infractions consistently and immediately. A parent wants to discipline the child as close to the time of the infraction as possible – except when out in public.)

2)      Take the child aside from the family.

3)      Talk to them and explain exactly what they did wrong.

4)      Show them from God’s Word why this behavior is wrong and unacceptable.

5)      Administer corporal disciple – without anger.

6)      Pray with your child and have them pray.

7)      End this “session” with a hug.

2. Daily, Bible instruction

1. This includes daily devotions; BUT is not limited to that.

                                                              i.      Deuteronomy. 6:6-7 teaches that we are to teach our children about God’s view of things at all times – in every normal aspect of life

                                                            ii.      This implies that we are spending lots of time with our children.

                                                          iii.      This implies that we are talking to our children.

                                                          iv.      This implies that the things of God are important enough to us (personally) that we want to talk about them ALL the time!

EXAMPLE: Do you know how vaccinations work?  If a person is getting vaccinated against the mumps or the measles, they take a weakened form of that disease and inject it into you so that your body will form antibodies to fight it off.

In just the same way, many parents are vaccinating their children against Christianity!!!  We inject them with some weakened form of hypocritical so-called “Christianity” – and it’s just enough to turn them off from it for the rest of their lives!

2. Teach your children to honor and respect the Word of God
3. Instill God’s Word into their hearts!
4. Create a system of Bible memorization for your children.  They should learn 100s of verses!

EXAMPLE: Josephus reported that Jewish children in his day would be able to read the Bible by age 5, study theological works by age 10, and quote the entire Book of Deuteronomy by age 15.

IN CONTRAST: Children today can’t hardly even read at age 10 – and can’t figure out what the Bible says at any age. BUT…between the ages of 4 and 14 the average child today has watched 20,000 hours of television.

3. Hard work
   1. Don’t raise soft kids

                                                              i.      Don’t coddle them

                                                            ii.      Don’t run every time they cry

2. Don’t raise lazy kids
3. Teach your children the joy of honest work and the value of money.
4. Every member of the family should have assigned chores simply because they are part of the family – not related to any type of allowance.
5. Allowances can be utilized for extra work.

Spurgeon = “If you want to prevent his being useful in the world, guard him from every kind of toil; do not suffer him to struggle; pity him when he ought to be punished; supply all his wishes, avert all disappointments; prevents all troubles and you’re surely tutor him to be a reprobate to break your heart.”

4. Lots of family fun time together

NOTE: It’s is NOT normal or healthy for children to come home and lock themselves up in their room away from their parents and family OR to spend the rest of the day texting or IMing their friends!

EXAMPLE of John R. Rice: A very well-known preacher wanted to meet with him in an “emergency-type situation”.  Dr. Rice said “No, because he had a very important appointment that he couldn’t break.”  This other preacher happened to ride by Dr. Rice’s house later on that evening and saw him out in the yard playing with his kids.  Later, he accused Dr. Rice of lying to him about having an appointment.  Dr Rice answered, “I did have an appointment. My appointment with my kids is the most important appointment I have of the week”

REMEMBER THIS:  “Love without discipline makes a brat; BUT discipline without love makes a rebel”

You must show love. You must spend time together as a family!  You need to have fun together!

4 Biblical Things Every Child Needs:

1. Consistent, firm discipline

2. Daily Bible instruction

3. Hard work

4. Lots of family fun time together

CONCLUSION: Do you remember our opening illustration about the 7 year-old boy named “Little Bob”? I want you to grasp how this scenario is going to play out in the next 10 years. 

“Little Bob” has been diagnosed with ADHD – and for the next 10 years he’ll be on some sort of mind-altering drugs.  His doctors will have changed his medicine several times.

His mom has started to go to church now and she wants to take her son off those drugs. (I say it’s his mom that wants to do this because his mom and dad split up and he lives with his mom now.) They try it for a few days – and “Little Bob’s” mom is scared to death. She forgot what his personality was like – and now he’s too big to control. He never learned to control himself.  The drugs have only masked the problem for all these years. “Little Bob’s” NOT little anymore. She doesn’t know what to do.  The drugs were supposed to help – but they didn’t. Now there’s no choice left but to put him back on drugs for the rest of his life.

What “Little Bob’s” mom would tell you today is this: If you don’t raise your children God’s way – with these 4 things – you’ll regret it forever!!