I was a paediatric nurse for 30 years, and part of that time I worked in a clinic that saw a large number of kids with behavioural disorders, from autism to adhd to ocd.
It’s true that the majority of kids wouldn’t need Ritalin if they came from normal, well structured homes. Most of our adhd kids came from single mother, dysfunctional homes and their response to that dysfunction was to act out, both at school and home.
It didn’t help that their mothers fed them on coke and junk food. As has been said already, artificial colours, flavours and preservatives affect some kids badly.
In defence of the doctors who order Ritalin, as one explained to me, it was the only way to keep the child in school and the only way to prevent the mother hitting the child.
The Paediatrician couldn’t change the home environment, all he could change was the child, via medication. .
At a guess I would say that the increase in behavioural problems is on a par with the increase in single parent families.

//It’s true that the majority of kids wouldn’t need Ritalin if they came from normal, well structured homes. Most of our adhd kids came from single mother, dysfunctional homes and their response to that dysfunction was to act out, both at school and home.//

Methylphenidate is not some magic drugs that will turn little sh!ts into cherubs. It's a stimulant; my mum is prescribed methylphenidate for narcolepsy precisely because it is a stimulant. If you give stimulants to little sh!ts who don't actually have ADHD and are just regular or garden variety little sh!ts, they get worse. It is a pharmaceutical compound prescribed for specific medical conditions, not a substitute for discipline or good parenting.

Toni, have you tried giving your Mum a kick up the backside? Telling her to stop faking it, because the nice Mr Turnballs will not be coming around with a sack of cash like she expects. If you are unable to administer the treatment yourself then Dr ttbn, and Dr Butch can pop round and do the medical stuff for you, aka kicking backside. Twice a day, morning and night, everyday for a month usually cures most cases. In the most severe instances a good old fashioned flogging with a leather belt is what's needed. Remember what the two good doctors believe, you have to be cruel to be kind, and stop the fakers!

Seriously, I had a young cousin, who was prone to fits of some kind. As a child, Gary would from time to time become totally uncontrollable, throwing himself down, crying, screaming. So much of it went un-diagnosed, simply put down to temper tantrums. The poor bloke lived a tormented life, eventually killing himself when he was about 25. His two brothers were normal.

I am glad that in these more enlightened times, better diagnosis, and better treatment, is available for the mentally ill.

//Toni, have you tried giving your Mum a kick up the backside?//

Sorry, a correction: it's not narcolepsy mum suffers from, it's 'idiopathic hypersomnia', which is a related a sleep disorder. And yes, I'm sure that kicking somebody with IH would be an effective way to wake them up if they nodded off. It does seem unnecessary though. What's wrong with just shaking them?

Toni, by your leave! "just shaking them". Now, that's what's wrong with this country, this kind of namby-pamby attitude towards the weak, frail and infirmed. Nothing but nothing, substitutes for a good old fashioned kicking, except perhaps a good old fashioned flogging.

Toni, I am well aware that stimulants are used for kids with behavioural problems but obviously you don’t understand either the dosage or the mechanism by which these drugs work in children.
Do you honestly think doctors would keep describing these drugs if they didn’t work?
We would get calls from teachers complaining that they could swiftly tell the difference when a child didn’t get their medication and demand the doctor keep instructing the mother of the importance of giving the medication before school.
Stimulants given in very small doses dont stimulate children, they simply allow them to block out excess stimulus which in turns helps with their concentration.
As I previously said, the majority of adhd kids would benefit more from a stable home environment but I didn’t say stimulants don’t work for kids with behavioural problems.
And never forget, some kids actually do need them, especially kids with high functioning autism and kids with true adhd.