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> March 3, 2000:
Hour One: Medicating Preschoolers/ADHD
Last week, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article including statistics that showed a 200-300% increase in the number of prescriptions issued to preschoolers for psychotropic drugs such as Ritalin and Prozac. Those findings, based on an analysis of prescription files from two Medicaid programs and one HMO, touched off a firestorm of comments.
Some physicians called the findings troubling, saying that "there are valid concerns that such treatment could have deleterious effects on the developing brain." At the same time, however, other physicians were quick to point out that in some cases, medication really does seem to be an effective, even miraculous means of treating complex problems such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD).
On this hour of Science Friday, we'll talk about the rise in prescriptions for troubled tots. Who are these young patients? Why are they receiving such powerful medications -- and what are the potential benefits and risks of using these drugs at such an early age? Call in with your comments and questions for our panelists as we discuss this complex issue.
We'll also take a look at some new findings in the search for life on Mars. This week a team of scientists report in the journal Nature that the atmosphere of Mars appears to be a good place for some chemical reactions involving the element sulfur to occur. Some researchers had been hoping to use variations in the ratios of certain sulfur isotopes as markers for living things on the Red Planet. Now, they may have to rethink that strategy. The finding may also put another nail into the coffin of the once-famed Martian Meteorite ALH84001, once proposed by NASA researchers as containing possible evidence of otherworldly life. We'll find out more.
Guests:
Marsha Rappley
Pediatrician, Department of Pediatrics and Human Development
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan
Michael Lewis
University Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry
Director, Institute for the Study of Child Development
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Peter Jensen
Former Associate Director for Child and Adolescent Research
National Institute of Mental Health
Ruane Professor for the Implementation of Science
Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute
New York, New York
Mark Thiemens
Dean, Division of Natural Sciences
Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of California at San Diego
San Diego, California
Books/Articles Discussed: | "Diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Use of Psychotropic Medication in Very Young Children" by Marsha D. Rappley, MD; Patricia B. Mullan, PhD; Francisco J. Alvarez; Ihouma U. Eneli, MD; Jenny Wang, PhD; Joseph C. Gardiner, PhD. In Archives of Pedicatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Vol. 153 No. 10, October 1999.
"Trends in the Prescribing of Psychotropic Medications to Preschoolers" by Zito JM, Safer DJ, dosReis S, Gardner JF, Boles M, Lynch F . JAMA, Vol. 283 No. 8, February 23, 2000. | | Related Links:
NIMH - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder NIH Consensus Statements: 110. Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder NIMH MULTIMODAL TREATMENT STUDY OF CHILDREN WITH ADHD New Scientist: Too young? American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry CHADD: Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder CHILDREN WHO CAN'T PAY ATTENTION ABCNEWS.com : ADHD Not Just a Boy Problem Salon | Readin', ritin' and Ritalin
Infofax - Ritalin
This segment produced by:
Charles Bergquist
Web producer:
Charles Bergquist |