They don’t call it kiddie cocaine for nothing—Rehab for Ritalin: Life-threatening addictions

The US Drug Enforcement Administration classifies Ritalin and other ADHD drugs in the same class of highly addictive drugs as cocaine, mophine and opium—Schedule ll drugs, with the highest potential for abuse. In addition, 31 drug regulatory warnings and 20 studies have confirmed that ADHD drugs such as Ritalin, Adderall and Concerta, prescribed to 5 million American children, can cause heart problems, stunted growth, drug dependence, suicide, violence, depression, mania, psychosis, hallucinations and death.

The Irish Times—Psychiatric diagnosis not scientific but subjective

Because psychiatric diagnoses are based on the subjective interpretation of behaviour by third parties. A psychiatrist may be highly trained but their diagnosis is still subjective.

How often do they get it wrong? Unlike in most other areas of medicine, where misdiagnosis is taken seriously, nobody knows very much about the extent of it in psychiatry. It has been very poorly studied.