The film Generation Rx is a thought provoking film dedicated to uncovering some of the causes and consequences of American society overly medicating its children. This film states that before the onset of mood altering drugs prescribed to children the pharmaceutical companies saw children as an untapped market. Because of their efforts to market, drugs to children the U.S. saw a 400% increase in mood altering drugs prescribed and according to the film, the U.S consumes 90% of the world’s supply of Ritalin. In fact, 69 billion dollars went to pharmaceutical companies to drug American children. Generation Rx takes an in depth look at how this happened and what some of the consequences have been.
Allen Frances, who is responsible for getting Asbergers into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), described in an article that this is a slippery slope and that although real childhood disorders do occur, over diagnoses and overtreatment will occur which can open the door for many fad diagnoses. (Spiegel, 2010) The film claims that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been diagnosed in epidemic proportions since entrance in the DSM and availability of drugs for children. Psychological disorders rely solely on reports from patients or people around the patients, such as parents and teachers, therefore when one child is diagnosed with something like ADHD parents and teachers begin seeing the same symptoms in other children causing a cluster of diagnosis in certain areas. (Minyard, 2010) This phenomenon is described by Minyard in the article The Autism Information Epidemic.
Generation Rx describes the advertising campaigns that were intentionally developed with children in mind, such as coloring books and cute little rocks taking drugs. All of these things and others lead to the on slot of children on drugs such as Ritalin and Prozac. According to the film, the consequences of this have been astronomical.
The film claimed that the consequences of these drugs have been great. These drugs have caused neurological imbalances in otherwise healthy children. The film points to these drugs as causing violent outbursts in children and suicides. In fact, many of the infamous school shooters were taking some of these mood-altering drugs. Many other physical side effects were also described in the film.
As the film began to look at how this epidemic had happened, they found that there were no scientific consistent tests available for ADHD and that many of the prescribing doctors themselves could not describe the characteristics of ADHD. They found no research that could prove that these drugs significantly increased the quality of life for children. They found that exceptionally gifted children and children young for their grade often exhibited ADHD behaviors. However, what was probably the most disturbing finding reported by the film was that 100% of the panel members responsible for mood disorders in the DSM were financially affiliated with the pharmaceutical companies. In addition, the FDA knew about the increase in suicide due to Prozac and like drugs, but still approved its use in children.
This film clearly points to the multiple conflicts of interest and blatant disregard for the well-being of America’s children for financial gain. It sheds a new light on the perpetuation of the increase in ADHD in children and really questions the validity of using these drugs on children.
To research this further it would be interesting to see the effects of taking these claimed ADHD children and putting them in a different kind of school system, such as one that teaches through hands on experience. I suspect that in a different school format the number of teacher reported cases of ADHD would drastically decrease.
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