This discussion brings to mind a recent heated debate between experts regarding use of medication. The NYT published a very pointed attack on the use of ADHD meds by an eminent child psychologist here

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/o...-drugs-dont-work-long-term.html?emc=eta1

which was heatedly disputed point by point by the Child Mind Institute here

http://www.childmind.org/en/posts/articles/2012-1-30-adhd-righting-record-stimulant-medications

and by an ADHD specialist/author here

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/....html?soid=1101166017098&aid=uVUynsaBiQ4

My favorite response was from a Scientific American blogger and ADHD parent:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/02/23/adhd-backlash-to-the-backlash/

It is critical to read it yourself and draw your own conclusions but the head of the Child Mind Institute points out that a 2+ year controlled study of ADHD meds would involve denying children in the control group drugs that are medically indicated for a medical condition long term and that this would not pass ethics requirements for medical studies. Hence, no long term controlled studies will probably be undertaken on this topic.

Of greatest interest to me as a mom was a study mentioned in the Scientific American blog about co-occurence of ADHD and substance abuse in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry which can be found here

http://www.jclinpsychiatry.com/pcc/pccpdf/v05s05/v64s1101.pdf

This study found 75% rate substance abuse/dependence (not recreational use) for unmedicated 15 year olds with ADHD, 25% rate among medicated 15 year olds with ADHD and 20% rate among the non-ADHD control group. Interesting reading.