Rethinking ADHD: Beyond Ritalin

A few years ago, I was teaching a class of nineteen-year-old boys at an educational institution. During the lesson, one student chatted with his friend, and despite my request for him to stop disrupting, he cheekily responded: "I'm diagnosed..." He was soon joined by a chorus of voices declaring, "Me too... Me too... Me too..."

In this context, the student's claim of being "diagnosed" implied a lack of medication like Ritalin to calm him, essentially signaling, "I have a condition! I'm hyperactive!"

These were entirely typical students. In some respects, they were above average compared to the general Israeli population. Yet a significant number identified as "diagnosed."

Modern diagnostics hold great importance, but the high number of diagnosed students might give the impression that being assessed is the norm, leaving those undiagnosed feeling sidelined.

Some might say it's exaggerated, and they could be right. Still, concerning diagnoses that dictate whether a student needs Ritalin, there's room for reevaluation.

No doubt, medications for attention, concentration, and hyperactivity issues, like Ritalin and Concerta, aim to create a calm atmosphere where teachers can teach, and students can learn. It seems a sensible goal, yet it may not truly address the root issues behind a child's behavior.

One alternative treatment is the Bach Flower method. Dr. Edward Bach, its founder, began as a conventional physician, practicing in early 20th century England. Bach was among the first to acknowledge the body-mind connection and the link between negative emotions and disease.

Disease denotes an imbalance that can initially manifest mentally and potentially affect the body. Bach classified behaviors into thirty-eight types to help identify personal and others' traits. Treatment post-diagnosis occurs on two levels: administering essences to balance the type and fostering awareness.

Yoni (an alias), a thirteen-year-old, consulted me labeled as having behavioral issues. Despite his talents, he faced significant discipline problems and often had extreme reactions toward classmates. He occasionally even left school without permission.

This behavior negatively impacted his social standing in class, led to frequent punishments, and consequently dropped his academic performance. This caused significant stress at home. Various diagnoses were made, with the typical recommendation of Ritalin.

Yoni's parents opposed giving him Ritalin and sought alternatives, eventually finding me.

Talking with Yoni revealed him as a pleasant and open, mature young man. I asked him to describe his feelings before outbursts. He recounted several events at school or the neighborhood triggering extreme reactions, leaving class mid-exam, or even leaving school entirely.

I asked if he felt he lost control or if he maintained some during incidents. Yoni claimed control, stating his reactions felt justified regardless of teacher or administrator presence.

From our conversation, it became clear Yoni struggled with authority and boundaries acceptance. It's likely that while he claims post-hoc control, during the incidents, he is oblivious to their implications. With greater understanding and internalization of authority and boundaries, he might avoid such situations altogether.

Post-assessment, I identified personality traits needing balance via specific Bach essences, designed to address his behavioral imbalances.

His treatment involved Bach Flower remedies and awareness practices. Essences addressed traits like distrust and vengefulness, impatience with delay, principle-driven rigidity, courage and charisma, and swift-thinking actions. Finally, I included an essence for those fearing behavior control loss, prone to sudden outbursts.

Parallel to essences, I helped redefine his perceptions of authority and boundaries, addressing the core theme of his aggressive reactions during conflicts.

We discussed today's rapid, accessible world contrasted with past authoritative knowledge figures now up against competition from quick-learning, less experienced youths.

This reality breaks traditional authority's hold, enabling discipline issues. Together, we redefined authority's importance across contexts like family, community, city, and state, practicing boundary analysis through classroom or playground scenarios.

I asked Yoni to recount incidents applying "boundaries and authority," demonstrating the principle's integration. He shared how a classmate disrupted a lesson leading to a detention. Though provoked, Yoni withheld his typical response, recalling the teacher's authority.

Additionally, Yoni grasped that where no authority exists, he must take charge. He recounted a playground conflict defused by his intervention, preventing a larger quarrel by recognizing his responsibility as a makeshift authority.

This approach, alongside the essence treatment, transformed Yoni's situation, improving socially, academically, and in teacher relations to everyone's satisfaction.

This theory suggests the "behavioral symptom" serves less as a direct challenge and more as an alert for deeper issues to address.

The article's approach leans towards educational roots for so-called "hyperactivity" cases, viewing these children as needing emotional-educational rather than medicinal intervention.

Children sometimes pose educational challenges beyond our preparedness, leading to medical misdiagnoses stemming from a lack of educational understanding.

Eliahu Schachter is a multidisciplinary therapist integrating body and mind treatments.