He says: ‘Why am I like this mum, I don’t want to feel like this, I don’t want to be like this, you know, help me’… Well.. unfortunately the problem is your parents. If your were to wean from the deliberate poisoning of your system, life would blossom before you.

To say there are “no beneficial effects of the medication” appears misleading as there is plenty of evidence to support improvements in concentration, focus and mood with ADHD medications.

Earlier articles by Pelham have stated that, “Thirty years of research show that ADHD drugs used alone do not help children avoid long-term outcomes that are a hallmark of the disorder — substance abuse, domestic problems, school dropout, delinquency and criminal behaviors. More parents would opt out of using medication as the first line or sole treatment if they were provided with this information, and if physicians didn’t opt for medication first.”

As a parent, I am personally more interested in helping my child sit still in the classroom and be able to concentrate and learn, than I am in worrrying about potential domestic problems in 20 years. To say these drugs have no beneficial effects ignores this whole short-term issue. I do concur that these drugs are not appropriate for everyone, should not automatically be considered first-line therapy, are not risk free, and are not a substitute for teaching effective behavioral and coping strategies.

Perhaps the BBC article missed the point of the study which was reflected in the following NICE statement: “The National Institute of Clinical Excellence in England (NICE) has advised that drug therapy should only be part of a comprehensive treatment programme that includes a range of social, psychological and behavioural interventions” and “Careful, informed clinical decision-making, involving the parents and child should involve discussion of the benefits versus the risks of all interventions.”