Just say no

...to Ritalin.

A new study released in Canada found that kids there in divorced families were significantly more like to be on Ritalin than kids in intact homes. The reasons are unclear--maybe the stress of divorce caused the child to act out, maybe mom or dad is too stressed to deal with normal childhood behavior. Whatever the cause, the news isn't good, as one Canadian doctor noted:

Because … if we are going too quick to prescribe medication, like Ritalin, like methylphenidate, we may not only be masking the normal process of adaptation to divorce, but we may be contributing to the degree of distress the children of divorce are experiencing.