Originally Posted by hot dragon

this is a dangerous trend, but it is more widespread than just drugging kids (as if that was not enough). there is an increasing trend in every part of society that where there is a problem, there is a simple solution, often a pill, to fix it without you having to do it. this seems to parrallel an increasing lack of individual accountability in daily life.

the inappropriate drug argument applies to adults too, and increasingly to other parts of life and things for which there are other, better, answers. the rate of antidepressant use in adults has risen hugely, eveyone who has any kind of difficulty in their life can pretty much be assured of being diagnosed with depression and prescribed something. we used to call it life, now we call it depression. a recent (drug company sponsored) study found 50% (!) of people in the community were clinically depressed. this ludicrous finding was slammed as the blatant "disease mongering" it was.

same in children. we used to call them energetic, busy or just a handful, now they are sick. we used to be able to manage the problem with good parenting, discipline (without violence) and appropriate direction, now it is somehow the doctors responsibility to prescribe them into good behaviour without the parents or the child having to take anything on board themselves, other than pills.

this trend is spreading to areas like obesity and smoking. it is not your responsibility to quit or diet, but your doctors responsibility to prescribe you good health.

the pharmaceutical industry has not, i think, produced this trend, but it has certainly encouraged it and profits from it. the trend was there before, and other people (eg lawyers) also profit from it.

i think this is the same trend that encourages people to sue at the drop of a hat and parents to expect the school to raise their children. the prevailing ideology is that nothing is your fault or your responsibility, there is always someone else who is expected to step in and fix it for you, instantly, without fuss or expense, and without you having to actually do anything yourself.

dangerous and pervasive.