The Drugs Don't Work!

Studies have found that children who take amphetamine-type or other prescribed, mind-altering drugs do not perform better academically. In fact, children who take these drugs fail just as many courses, and drop out of school just as often, as children who did not take the drugs.⁴²

• The U.S. National Institutes of Health Conference on ADHD in 1998 found that kids taking prescribed, mind-altering drugs still have a higher level of some behavior problems. As noted in the 2000 NIH ADHD Consensus Statement: "…stimulant treatments may not 'normalize' the entire range of behavior problems, and children under treatment may still manifest a higher level of some behavior problems than normal children. Of concern are the consistent findings that despite the improvement in core symptoms, there is little improvement in academic achievement or social skills.⁴³

• Recent studies show that children who take psychiatric stimulants for "ADHD" are 46% more likely to commit one felony, and 36% more likely to commit two or more felonies.⁴⁴ Instead of overcoming supposed learning difficulties, these children are at risk of moving toward a life of crime.