Medicating Your ADHD Child: April 7

The National Institutes of Health has estimated that between 3-5 percent of all children suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) . The diagnosis of ADHD has never been without controversy. The discussion often focuses on the drugs used to most commonly treat the disorder, which are amphetamine derivatives. These drugs act non-specifically, which some point to as a problem in and of itself. These prescription stimulant drugs for ADHD also carry a risk of abuse and addiction . If your child is diagnosed with ADHD, how do you decide if you should medicate your child?

Our topic for this week's HealthyPlace Mental Health TV show , airing live on our website, April 7th (5:30p PT, 7:30 CT, 8:30 ET), is "The Pros and Cons of Medicating Your ADHD Child". While the decision to medicate your child for ADHD is extremely personal and best discussed with your child's physician, we hope the show and HealthyPlace.com's Medical Director, Dr. Harry Croft, will give you several key points to consider when facing the decision (read Dr. Croft's blog post on treating ADHD children ).

Joining Dr. Croft on our show is Kristy. Kristy is a mother of three. She was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult. Kristy made the decision to take ADHD medication for her disorder, but when her oldest son, Connor, was diagnosed with ADHD, she decided NOT to medicate him. Kristy has several interesting reasons for her decisions that she'll be sharing with us during the first half of the show.

During the second half, you'll have the opportunity to ask Dr. Croft any mental health question you have in the popular 'ask Dr. Croft' portion of the show (just type it on the chat screen or email me). You can also participate in the show by creating a youtube video and emailing me: Producer AT healthyplace.com . I enjoy hearing all your comments and questions and I look forward to your participation!