Ritalin, Depression, and Brain Damage

December 9 2003--Animal findings now show that Ritalin permanently adversely alters the brain function of rats as they grow older, leading to increased depressive behavior and alterations of behavior. The study appears in the Dec. 15, 2003 issue of Biological Psychiatry.

This study sounds alarms regarding the widespread use of Ritalin among children. It raises serious questions about the long-term health problems that are likely to occur by stimulating the nervous system for short-term behavioral improvement.

Expert nutritionist and leading leptin researcher, Byron Richards, CCN, first warned of this danger in his recent book, "Mastering Leptin" (Wellness Resources Books, 2003). He explains the new breakthroughs in biochemistry that help us understand how stimulants damage brain cells. Stimulants depress the brain’s leptin levels, directly exposing brain cells to damage. This leads to stimulant induced anxiety, depression, and addictive behavior. Richards also explains how stimulants damage the NMDA receptor, the key receptor that is malfunctioning in Parkinson’s disease.

Richards states, “This information raises questions about the safety of Ritalin given to an overweight child. Since an overweight child has leptin resistance, and thus less leptin in the brain, their brains are more susceptible to damage not only from environmental toxins but also from any ingested amphetamine.”

These new animal studies confirm the serious risk of permanent long-term damage from Ritalin.

For information about childhood depression symptoms, visit
http://yourdepressioninfo.com/childhooddepressionsymptoms/