WSJ's Zaslow: What If Einstein Had Taken Ritalin?

[question everything]

The Wall Street Journal

February 3, 2005

MOVING ON
By JEFF ZASLOW


What If Einstein Had Taken Ritalin?
ADHD's Impact on Creativity
February 3, 2005; Page D1

In American schools these days, countless class clowns are sitting down and shutting up. In chemistry labs, students who used to mix chemicals haphazardly, out of an insatiable curiosity, now focus on their textbooks. In English classes, kids who once stared out the windows, concocting crazy life stories about passersby, now face the blackboard.

Ritalin and other drugs for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder have helped many children improve their focus and behavior -- to the great relief of parents and teachers. But ADHD support groups offer long lists of out-of-the-box thinkers who had classic ADHD traits such as impulsivity, a penchant for day-dreaming, and disorganized lives. Among those who are believed to have had the disorder: Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Salvador Dali, Winston Churchill.

The question is whether the Ritalin Revolution will sap tomorrow's work force of some of its potential genius. What will be the repercussions in corporations, comedy clubs, and research labs?

(snip)

This concern comes as more parents are being forced to weigh the sometimes dramatic benefits of ADHD drugs against the unknown that accompanies any new generation of treatment. As many as 12% of kids today have been labeled with ADHD, and the number of kids' prescriptions for ADHD drugs, including Strattera and Adderall, rose 23% between 2000 and 2003, according to the latest figures from Medco Health Solutions Inc. ADHD drug prescriptions for pre-schoolers were up 49%.

(snip)


• E-mail: [e-mail]1. Read Moving On columns at CareerJournal.com2.

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB110738397416844127,00.html

[NuckinFutz]

1. Think not of how they may have been hampered,

But of how much more they might have accomplished, with just a bit better focus applied.

[atommom]

2. Having some experience with this myself, I wouldn't be too alarmed.

Meds (the correct meds, in the proper amount) do not take away an ADD person's creativity, genius, or even all of the disorganization. Although an ADD comedian might well decide that he doesn't need any additional focus and opt out of meds. They're only a tool, and they're not necessary for everyone.

[ihaveaquestion]

3. My son has ADD and ...

decided on his own (he's 21) to avoid any drugs for just this reason. He likes his creativity and doesn't want to ruin it's development. He wants to do something in film and is in college now. He does struggle with his focus at times, but is learning to cope on his own.

He did take ritalin for a few years in elementary/middle school and it helped him get through the public school system. If he had been in a more progressive school situation, I would have taken him off it post haste. As it was, I took him off it when he was 13 because the side effects began to outweigh the benefits. He had a bit of a struggle for a couple of years, but he managed and is much better adjusted because we worked through that time.

I'm very very proud of him! (can you tell?)

[thebigidea]

4. he would've spent months cleaning a kitchen cabinet over and over again

"still... dirty... still dirty..."

[NuckinFutz]

5. That's OCD, not ADHD........n/t

[thebigidea]

6. having taken ritalin and adderal for adhd...

... I think I'm qualified to comment on the relentless focus on meaningless tasks they seem to cause.

for a while its great, you're focusing on work and things of importance - suddenly you're realphabetizing cds for the 324720947th time.

they may be prescribed, but uppers are uppers.