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.
Frank Granett
Frank Granett is a Board Certified Pharmacist with over 25 years of consultative pharmacy experience, specializing in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and psychiatric medications. In his book "Over Medicating Our Youth: The Public Awareness Guide for A.D.D. and Psychiatric Medications", he outlines how careless prescriptions are creating harmful long-term effects on children. He is the founder of the Coalition Against Overmedicating Our Youth (CAOOY).
So Why Are We Overmedicating Our Youth?
Granett talked about just how ADHD grew to such epidemic proportion. 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 the rest of the kids in the world. Nonetheless, this higher number might be due to the very way ADHD is detected, which is based upon a behavioral analyses rather than looking at original biological factors. The outcome of this kind of quick assessment is that we are overmedicating 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 talked about just how the problem has increased over the past 40 years, when ADHD was first diagnosed. His study has led him to conclude that poor nutrition, along with the rash, shallow analysis and diagnostic procedure are the chief reasons behind the epidemic. He discussed in great depth about the most effective method for informing parents, teachers, and therapists about the real facts behind ADHD. He also recommended measures like boosting a child's nourishment, suggesting the use of enzymes to improve digestion. He also suggested decreasing sugar and simple carbohydrates because it could induce hypoglycemia, which in turn caused behavioral problems arising from an increase in adrenalin.
In addition, Granett discussed the mission of CAOOY, an organization he started to give doctors, parents, and instructors the know-how they need to make informed decisions about the best medications for kids, and he is inviting parents, educators, and doctors to lead a reform.
Final Thoughts
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.
Frank Granett
Frank Granett is a Board Certified Pharmacist with over 25 years of consultative pharmacy experience, specializing in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and psychiatric medications. In his book "Over Medicating Our Youth: The Public Awareness Guide for A.D.D. and Psychiatric Medications", he outlines how careless prescriptions are creating harmful long-term effects on children. He is the founder of the Coalition Against Overmedicating Our Youth (CAOOY).
So Why Are We Overmedicating Our Youth?
Granett talked about just how ADHD grew to such epidemic proportion. 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 the rest of the kids in the world. Nonetheless, this higher number might be due to the very way ADHD is detected, which is based upon a behavioral analyses rather than looking at original biological factors. The outcome of this kind of quick assessment is that we are overmedicating 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 talked about just how the problem has increased over the past 40 years, when ADHD was first diagnosed. His study has led him to conclude that poor nutrition, along with the rash, shallow analysis and diagnostic procedure are the chief reasons behind the epidemic. He discussed in great depth about the most effective method for informing parents, teachers, and therapists about the real facts behind ADHD. He also recommended measures like boosting a child's nourishment, suggesting the use of enzymes to improve digestion. He also suggested decreasing sugar and simple carbohydrates because it could induce hypoglycemia, which in turn caused behavioral problems arising from an increase in adrenalin.
In addition, Granett discussed the mission of CAOOY, an organization he started to give doctors, parents, and instructors the know-how they need to make informed decisions about the best medications for kids, and he is inviting parents, educators, and doctors to lead a reform.
Final Thoughts
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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