A bill was passed by the U.S. House this week to prevent schools from forcing kids who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to take medication to be able to go to school.

The bill’s main sponsor, Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., has stated that ‘Sometimes officials even attempt to force parents into choosing between medicating their child and allowing that child to remain in the classroom. This is unconscionable’.

Consumers Union (publisher of Consumer Reports magazine) reported in September that medications for ADHD are over prescribed to kids that don’t really need it.

According to the CDC, 4.4 million children - aged 3 to 17 - have been diagnosed with ADHD and that close to 65% of those take stimulant medication to treat it. It is suspected that many of these kids do not really have ADHD.

Side effects of stimulants used to treat these children include sleeplessness, appetite loss, stomach pain, headaches and possibly even psychotic episodes and suicidal thoughts!

I’m glad this bill was passed! I wouldn’t have a child of mine taking a drug like this unless it was a really extreme circumstance!

What is your opinion? Do you think kids are falsely being diagnosed with having ADHD? Are we getting to the point where doctors are diagnosing and medicating personality differences?