Ritalin twice as common for children of divorce

Children whose parents are divorced are twice as likely to be prescribed Ritalin, according to a new study.

Research published in Tuesday's (June 5th) issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows that the drug, commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is more likely to be prescribed to kids in Canada, the US, the Netherlands, Israel and Australia after their parents have separated.

Sociologist Lisa Strohschein from the University of Alberta, who carried out the study, found that over six per cent of 633 children of divorced families were prescribed Ritalin compared to 3.3 per cent of children whose parents were still together.

She could not give a definite explanation for the results, although she did suggest that divorce itself may not necessarily be the reason for more children with divorced parents to be taking Ritalin, and that it could be more to do with people's opinions of it.

Ms Strohschein told the Canadian Toronto Star: "The problem is I can't be clear about it. I mean, I would love to be able to say, 'Yes, it's divorce. That's the problem', but it's not necessarily so. It could just be our perceptions about divorce - and that's the thing that makes me really cautious here.

"[But] I don't want to come out on the other side, either and say, 'Ritalin is bad', because I think it clearly does help some kids."