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Rampant distraction, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity curtailed my education performance. The classic symptoms of ADHD occurred in the classroom from 1967-1982, at a time when school officials and teachers had limited, if any, knowledge of the condition. I do not recollect any of my classmates receiving an ADHD diagnosis, but a few of them remain in my memory vault because of their ADHD-like behavior.

Fast-forward twenty-five years to a time when one out of three elementary school age Caucasian males receive an ADHD diagnosis. During a quarter century, ADHD went from an unknown and morphed into a condition that now appears blatantly over diagnosed. The over diagnosis of ADHD has led to an explosion of ADHD medication prescriptions.

Over diagnosis is the symptom of a greater problem: America's drive to achieve success by any means available. Pressure to excel in educational and professional milieus has led to a new American pastime called cutting corners. Parents and their children desire achievement in the classroom. Teachers want their students to score higher on tests. Doctors desire successful medical practices that "help" children overcome perceived distraction, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. The pharmaceutical industry gladly keeps the drug pipeline churning out dollar bills.

Until the latter half of the 20th century, treating childhood behavior problems with medication was an almost nonexistent practice. The current American proclivity toward psychiatric drug therapy for behavior challenged children began in the 1960s. The American medical profession deemed it acceptable to use psycho stimulants, especially the potent drug methylphenidate, to ameliorate symptoms associated with ADHD. America leads the world in stimulant medication prescriptions for ADHD. The next country is not even close.

Over the last three decades, the rate of drug treatment for behavior problems has increased exponentially, culminating in the prescription of ADHD drug treatment for at least 6 million American children per year. The high rate of prescription for Ritalin and expensive brand-name drugs such as Adderall and Concerta reflect a reliance on psychotropic drugs in American healthcare practices. In 1998, pediatricians mentioned psychotropic drug treatments an estimated 85.8 million times during 36.7 million office visits, averaging 2.3 documented references to psychotropic drug treatment per physician visit.

The unprecedented level of drug treatment for child behavior

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