| Popis: |
To the Editor. —Safer and Krager 1 claim that their objective is to "enumerate and evaluate changes in the rate of medication treatment for hyperactive/inattentive students subsequent to negative media publicity about methylphenidate (Ritalin) and related lawsuits threatened or initiated from late 1987 to early 1989." However, their goals appear more ambitious. In fact, they argue several substantive points implicitly; namely, that the media coverage was inaccurate— and, therefore, irresponsible—and that such coverage resulted in unacceptable negative consequences for hyperactive children who, in their view, required medication. Safer and Krager's subtextual implications regarding the accuracy and consequences of the media coverage are insufficiently supported by their data. For example, the study concludes that 36% of the children taken off medication experienced "school maladjustment" but makes no effort to explain why 64% of the children taken off medication apparently experienced no major problems or whether the 36% claim of problematic outcomes |
