Pubdate: Mon, 18 Jul 2005
Source: Springfield News-Leader (MO)
Copyright: 2005 The Springfield News-Leader
Contact:  http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1129
Author: Ruben Navarrette Jr.

REAL DRUG WAR NOT A BATTLE ON STREETS

Welcome to the real drug war. And the front line may be as near as
your medicine cabinet.

A new study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
finds that the number of Americans who abuse prescription drugs nearly
doubled in just over a decade -- from 7.8 million in 1992 to 15.1
million in 2003. That more recent figure exceeds the number of
Americans estimated to be abusing cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants
and heroin -- combined.

You might be shocked to hear that. But something tells me that Tom
Cruise isn't so surprised. You'll recall that the movie star recently
got into a rhetorical shoving match with, well, just about everyone
over whether prescription drugs should be used to treat mental illness.

A recent column on the subject brought a tremendous reaction from
readers, including many parents determined to keep their kids off
Ritalin and other medications.

It also brought a gentle scolding from a child psychologist who, in a
lengthy phone conversation, insisted that the media missed the real
story.

She said that while the Tom Cruise story was about -- or rather had
become about -- whether psychiatrists (and these days, increasingly
also psychologists) overprescribe drugs, mental health professionals
were getting a bad rap.

It's not that there isn't prescription abuse going on, she said. It's
just that psychiatrists and psychologists aren't the ones who are
doing most of the abusing.

It is, she said, a well-known fact within the medical profession that
general practitioners, family doctors and pediatricians are really
quick on the draw when it comes to writing prescriptions.

That makes sense. These are the entry points into the health care
system, where people first go when they suspect something is wrong.
And, she said, the problem is that these kinds of doctors usually
don't have the training or expertise to diagnose conditions such as
Attention Deficit Disorder. So you end up with a lot of kids being put
on drugs when they may not really need them.

But even that isn't the real story, she said. The real story is that
we wouldn't have so many prescription drugs if so many people in our
society weren't so darn eager to take them -- and, in some cases, even
ask for them by name, often after seeing them advertised in television
commercials.

That's the key. Like so many other things that leave Americans feeling
perplexed and helpless -- from illegal immigration, to our society's
declining moral values, to the challenges that come with raising
children -- this is one of those areas where Americans could easily
find the culprit if only they would look in the mirror.

But let's be honest. A big part of the problem is that too many
Americans want quick and easy solutions to all their problems -- and
that includes their health problems and those of their children.
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