ADHD sometimes needs medicating.(Letter to the editor)

The September 17 article "Behavior Worth Medicating?" by Gregory A. Hession, J.D., has a number of inaccurate statements.

I am an educator who has worked with children K-12 for over 20 years. While I agree that many children are drugged who are not truly ADHD, there are some who are legitimately ADHD who need the medication.

How do I know this? From professional and personal experience. I was diagnosed ADHD as an adult. In addition, tests indicate that my serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels are lower than normal. I take three medications that correct the ADHD and raise the level of the three chemicals that my brain needs. Without them, I cannot focus. If I do not take them, I have emotional swings from elation to deep depression. In short, I cannot function as a normal human being without them. To give a blanket condemnation of medication and psychiatry is just plain wrong and as intolerant as Tom Cruise and Scientology.

Yes, I have seen parents who think that Ritalin or other drugs are a panacea for bad behavior when the roots of the problem were elsewhere. Some kids are "diagnosed" as ADHD who are really just B-A-D. However, a small number of children are legitimately ADHD. These children cannot function normally without medication.

I taught a student who, without his medication, was a danger to himself and others. If he took his medication, he was a bright, happy, intelligent young man. On the days when he forgot his medications, he became agitated and violent. On several occasions, he was removed by the police for his own safety as well as the safety of his classmates.

In the state of Mississippi where I live, if the school district tries to force the parents to medicate their child, the district is ...