Mike Duvos writes:
Inventing mythological ailments and "politicizing dissent" has other disadvantages as well. Little Johnny's perfectly valid criticisms of the local NEA stormtrooper can be easily dismissed by an explanation that Johnny has "Authority Defiance Disorder", or some other convenient thing that permits Johnny to be tranked senseless whenever he might say something awkward in public.
The abuse of psychiatry as an instrument of opression is not new, of course. The Soviet Union used it regularly. However, if anything, Ritalin gives a person with ADD the tools with which to more effectively subvert authority. Its very hard to smash the state, or even plot to get even with your boss, when you can't concentrate sufficiently to execute your plans. It may be true that someone will be less likely to impulsively act out against authority under its influence, but such impulses rarely actually produce any sort of lasting impact -- they only get one in trouble. By contrast, effective subversion requires patience and self discipline, which is precisely what an ADD sufferer does not have. In short, if one really was trying to narcotize a troublemaker, tranquilizers and the like are probably far better than Ritalin and other amphetamines, which, in spite of Tim's pronouncements, do not act as tranquilizers.
Did you listen to that guy at all? He was in pain and anguish over the fact that his life was totally screwed up in spite of his best efforts to make a go at work he loved. Now he can function. You want him to be "diverse" and go on not functioning. He doesn't want that. Who are you to tell him how live his own life?
The human body is a homeostatic system. Let's see what this guy's mood looks like in 30 years and see how he feels about Ritalin taking then. By that time, he may be taking the same dose he is today just to feel as rotten as he did before he started taking it at all.
Actually, some ADD sufferers actually need less medication with time, as the ability to concentrate for prolonged periods gives them the chance to work on non-drug based coping strategies which are difficult to work on without the meds. Perhaps you ought to examine the scientific literature rather than simply deciding to guess. Perry