Ritalin poses child crime risk

By Kate Sikora
July 26, 2007 12:00am

CHILDREN who use Ritalin for a long period of time could be more at risk of delinquency and substance abuse, a study has found.

Doctors are suggesting children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) should take a break from medication after three years of use.

An American study - published in the Medical Observer _ has found that while drugs such as Ritalin can initially help sufferers, the benefit of prolonged use is in doubt.

Some children stay on medication until they reach 18, but researchers believe it may not protect them from all the symptoms.

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The US Multimodal Treatment Study of Children revealed the more days of prescribed medication, the more serious delinquency became.

In a cohort of 500 children with ADHD - followed for 36 months until they were 12 - researchers found 27 per cent were at a greater risk of committing crime, compared with 7 per cent among "normative" children.

Substance use also increased to 17 per cent in ADHD children - almost double the normal rate.
More than 30,000 children in Australia take Ritalin or a similar drug.

Jill Sewell, Associate Professor of the Royal Australian College of Physicians, said evidence suggested a break from medication was beneficial.

"Evidence shows that there is very clear benefit of taking medication for 12-18 months, but after three years it is not so clear," she said.

"Often in medications you do have to stop for a period of time to see if it is still effective."

Belrose mother Leanne Komaromi said she took her son Dominic off Ritalin after four months.

"It made him a completely different person - it shut him down," she said.

"It was like someone had drawn the blinds on him."

The nine-year-old now uses the Dore program, which relies on exercise to treat symptoms.