We all know that Ritalin is great for calming unruly children and
helping college students cram for their midterms. But does it also help
fight crime? The New York Times recently wrote up a study that
purportedly showed that those who suffer from “serious attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder” are less likely to commit crimes when they’re
taking their medication. Pam Belluck reports:
Of 8,000 people whose medication use fluctuated over a three-year period, men were 32 percent less likely and women were 41 percent less likely to have criminal convictions while on medication. Patients were primarily young adults, many with a history of hospitalization. Crimes included assault, drug offenses and homicide as well as less serious crimes. Medication varied, but many took stimulants like Ritalin.
Though the study is preliminary, the results make some sense, if you
assume that at least some criminal behavior stems from chemical
imbalances in the brain. But the most interesting question raised by the
Times story came from a Yale School of Public Health
professor, who wondered if “[ADHD] medication is reducing crime or
‘making better criminals,’ who avoid arrest.”
Read on...
Read on...
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