Ryan+M’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2017

Absent minded, impulsive, hyperactive, excitable. These words are all used to described ADHD and for the majority of my life me. Ever since I was diagnosed with ADHD in Kindergarten it has been a part of my identity. I’ve always been the hyperactive kid, the kid that never stops moving, the kid who can’t pay attention to save his life. Shortly after my diagnosis I, like countless children with the same condition, was put on medication. Medication is a common route for many doctors, just a simple prescription for Ritalin and BAM the hyperactive, boisterous, out of control child in your class is now a respectful orderly student, easy right? Except giving children with ADHD medication is a lot more complex than that.

You see a large part of ADHD is the number of neurotransmitters in your brain. People with ADHD tend to have lower levels of dopamine receptors in the brain leaving many with this condition to be bored with tasks that “normal” people would find stimulating. To counteract these many physicians give their patients stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall that release extra dopamine into the brain, which increases the chances of it binding to the fewer receptors.

Now, this all sounds fine and dandy, but these medications can have serious consequences on a personal and societal level. Ritalin or methylphenidate, the medication I was given as a child, is chemically similar to cocaine and Adderall another common ADHD medication is a simple methyl group away from methamphetamine, a horrific drug, which is actually prescribed to people with more severe symptoms under the name Desoxyn.

While the long-term effects of Ritalin are not yet known, it has been shown that children that are put on the drug as a child are more likely to develop a coke addiction in the future, and more potent medications have addictive qualities as the euphoria and crash after coming down from these drugs can lead to serious abuse. The societal perception of these medications has labeled them as “focusing pill”, which has caused a wave of college students to use these drugs as a means to get ahead at school and give them a concentration boost during late night cramming sessions, and as the stress and competition of college have risen in past years, so have incidents of ADHD medication abuse.

The America I want to grow up in is not one where these medications are illegal or impossible to be prescribed, in fact, for many with ADHD other treatment options simply aren’t enough, and they needed these medications to be a healthy, happy, and functioning member of society. The America I want to grow up in is one where alternative treatment options are the norm for the thousands of ADHD children out there just like me. The America I want to grow up in is one where twenty-something-year-olds aren’t abusing harsh stimulants just to obtain an academic edge, and lastly the America I want to grow up in one where all mental health issues are treated more effectively and with no stigma around them. Thank you.