Frank Granett clarified to Lon Woodbury, talk show host for the Struggling Teenager's regular L.A. Talk Radio program, that the major factors why ADHD and depression have actually become an epidemic in this country are because of negative environments, poor nutrition, and physiological predispositions. He thinks that one causative factor behind this preponderance of neurotic kids is that we are overmedicating our youth.
About Frank Granett
Frank Granett is a Board Certified Pharmacologist with over 25 years of consultative pharmacy work in the area of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and psychiatric medications. In his publication "Over Medicating Our Youth: The Public Awareness Guide for A.D.D. and Psychiatric Medications", he summarizes how careless diagnostic procedures are harming the long-term wellbeing of our youth. He is the creator of the Coalition Against Overmedicating Our Youth (CAOOY).
For What Reason Are We Overmedicating Our Youth?
The guest talked about the reasons why ADHD appears to have reached epidemic proportions. In the last five years alone, 12 million young people in the U.S.A. have actually been diagnosed as having ADHD. This is three times greater than for other children around the world. However, this high number could be due to the way ADHD is identified, which is based upon behavioral assessments instead of looking at organic predispositions. The outcome of this sort of quick analysis is that we are over medicating our youth.
The response to this epidemic" has been overmedication, with millions of children being put on antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic drugs. Even children as young as three to four years are being put on these drugs. Moreover, this overmedication has created another alarming statistic: the number two cause of death of college students is suicide.
Granett discussed how the conditions for this perfect storm has actually been brewing over the past 40 years, when ADHD was first diagnosed. His study has actually led him to conclude that poor nutrition, as well as the rash, often superficial analysis that passes for diagnosis is responsible for the epidemic. He outlined some of the most effective methods mothers and fathers, teachers, instructors, and counselors could find out more about the real facts behind ADHD. He also recommended a dietary change to help youngsters suspected of ADHD. He suggested the use of enzymes, as well as avoiding foods which triggered hypoglycemia and behavioral aberrations due to a spike in adrenalin.
Granett also explained the role CAOOY, an organization he founded which provides physicians, parents, and educators the knowledge they need to make informed decisions regarding the use of stimulant and psychiatric medications in children, and will unite parents, educators, and physicians to lead this reform.
Conclusion
The guest emphasized just how crucial it is to do a bio-assessment prior to providing a prescription. This was a more accurate method than simply permitting therapists to continue basing their decisions on behavior outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Handbook. Just doing an assessment based upon acting-out behavior has resulted in a dramatic increase in medicating children. While a behavioral diagnosis might offer a short-term solution to inhibit visibly disruptive behavior, research is starting to show how overmedicating our youth has a long-term unfavorable impact on their future.
About Frank Granett
Frank Granett is a Board Certified Pharmacologist with over 25 years of consultative pharmacy work in the area of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and psychiatric medications. In his publication "Over Medicating Our Youth: The Public Awareness Guide for A.D.D. and Psychiatric Medications", he summarizes how careless diagnostic procedures are harming the long-term wellbeing of our youth. He is the creator of the Coalition Against Overmedicating Our Youth (CAOOY).
For What Reason Are We Overmedicating Our Youth?
The guest talked about the reasons why ADHD appears to have reached epidemic proportions. In the last five years alone, 12 million young people in the U.S.A. have actually been diagnosed as having ADHD. This is three times greater than for other children around the world. However, this high number could be due to the way ADHD is identified, which is based upon behavioral assessments instead of looking at organic predispositions. The outcome of this sort of quick analysis is that we are over medicating our youth.
The response to this epidemic" has been overmedication, with millions of children being put on antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic drugs. Even children as young as three to four years are being put on these drugs. Moreover, this overmedication has created another alarming statistic: the number two cause of death of college students is suicide.
Granett discussed how the conditions for this perfect storm has actually been brewing over the past 40 years, when ADHD was first diagnosed. His study has actually led him to conclude that poor nutrition, as well as the rash, often superficial analysis that passes for diagnosis is responsible for the epidemic. He outlined some of the most effective methods mothers and fathers, teachers, instructors, and counselors could find out more about the real facts behind ADHD. He also recommended a dietary change to help youngsters suspected of ADHD. He suggested the use of enzymes, as well as avoiding foods which triggered hypoglycemia and behavioral aberrations due to a spike in adrenalin.
Granett also explained the role CAOOY, an organization he founded which provides physicians, parents, and educators the knowledge they need to make informed decisions regarding the use of stimulant and psychiatric medications in children, and will unite parents, educators, and physicians to lead this reform.
Conclusion
The guest emphasized just how crucial it is to do a bio-assessment prior to providing a prescription. This was a more accurate method than simply permitting therapists to continue basing their decisions on behavior outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Handbook. Just doing an assessment based upon acting-out behavior has resulted in a dramatic increase in medicating children. While a behavioral diagnosis might offer a short-term solution to inhibit visibly disruptive behavior, research is starting to show how overmedicating our youth has a long-term unfavorable impact on their future.
About the Author:
Find out more about Struggling Teens. Lon Woodbury has the recorded the entire interview on his L.A. Talk Radio show for people to listen to at any time.
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