In 1995, I published a booklet which estimated the number of United States children on Ritalin to be 1 million. In the first edition of this book, realizing that I had under-estimated, I put the number at 2 million. In this second edition, I use the conservative figure of 4 million. The Drug Enforcement Agency reports a six-fold increase in Ritalin use since 1990. A tripling of prescription rates from 3,144,000 to 9,399,000 between 1990 and 1994 indicates that as many as 5 million or more children are now being prescribed Ritalin.* And that is only one of several psychiatric drugs used on children. We are at or very near the point where more children than adults are on psychiatric drugs in this country. The most fragile are being drugged with the greatest abandon.

Even the most ardent Ritalin/ADHD enthusiasts find absolutely no positive long-term outcomes on anything in their research reviews. Short-term, there is only one -- conformity in the classroom. The human brain is awesome, its intricacy and complexity beyond our ability to fathom. No drug improves its function; all psychiatric drugs work by producing brain malfunction. Ritalin, like other stimulant drugs, works by turning curiosity, exploration and socializing (expansive attention) into isolated, repetitive, stereotypical behavior (narrowing of attention). This has been demonstrated repeatedly in animals. Now, in the United States, we use the drug to control millions of our children, an estimated 10-12% of boys ages 6-14.

As our modern education system evolved, we at first hit our children to control them, or we shamed them severely. If these tactics didn't work, we kicked them out. Today, we don't like to hit our children. We are mandated not to exclude them, so it's not an easy option to kick out the unruly ones. Today, we are controlling millions of our young people with toxic drugs. It is scary that it is so effective and so well-sanctioned by our society. I see it as modern, institutionalized child abuse on a massive scale. This book is for parents and other adults who know that we and our children deserve so much more.

*Peter Breggin's new book, Talklng Back to Ritalin, provides the latest data on the use and effects of Ritalin.