PETER HITCHENS: The obsession with ADHD has led to a growing drug crisis in which normal human behaviour now has to be treated by pills

Are we drying ourselves out of our right mind? In our time, many wonder drugs have proven to be flops at best and disasters at worst.

And if anyone doubts it, they should watch the movie BBC‘s searing drama-documentary Dopesick about the OxyContin painkiller frenzy in the US

That pill was ruthlessly marketed as an innocent but powerful breakthrough in the treatment of pain. But it was prescribed horribly until it killed its users and destroyed thousands of lives.

We may be facing a new harmful pill crisis – and it has to do with the drugs prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

I think we may be facing another harmful pill crisis. And it has to do with the medications prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a complaint that has grown like a mushroom cloud in recent decades.

To see the problem, you don’t even have to share my suspicions about ADHD. We once punched troublesome children, and everyone thought it was normal. Now we see that with horror and shame.

Instead, we drug the young with powerful mind-altering chemicals, and almost everyone thinks this is normal and right.

OxyContin was ruthlessly marketed as a harmless painkiller, but it was horribly prescribed, killing its users and destroying thousands of lives

Nowadays, if you say that every problem is related to ‘mental health’, almost all heads will nod in agreement. The use of powerful drugs is ‘neurodiversity’, so you can’t criticize it.

That’s bad enough. But now the belief that normal human behavior can and should be controlled by pills has spread among adults.

In the US, ADHD diagnoses in adults have overtaken those in children. A huge black market for ADHD drugs has developed, just as the pills are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain legally.

It’s not that bad here yet, but it’s getting worse quickly. The Nuffield Trust think tank recently warned that demand for ADHD assessments is increasing so rapidly that the NHS can’t keep up.

This adult ADHD is different from the child version. Children are generally said to have the condition because parents and teachers view the child’s behavior as a problem. This means that adults no longer have to worry that bad behavior may be their fault. But for people over 16, a diagnosis can lead to generous benefits.

As Dr Max Pemberton has pointed out in The Mail on Sunday, Personal Independence Payments worth almost £300 million a year now go to people diagnosed with ADHD (the families of those under 16 get another form of support).

The BBC’s thrilling drama-documentary Dopesick about the OxyContin painkiller frenzy in the US

Whatever the reason, adults are increasingly choosing to self-diagnose ADHD these days, and in such growing numbers that there is now a shortage of ADHD pills in Britain.

Last year, the BBC’s Panorama found that some private doctors in this country were being quite worryingly flexible about their ADHD diagnoses. At a private clinic, staff researched the potential patient (an undercover BBC reporter) online. They concluded he had the condition. Unfortunately for them, an NHS psychiatrist had determined, after lengthy personal examination, that he was not affected.

It seems likely that quite a few people have found out that by going private they can get ADHD medication.

Why is this? In some cases, those involved believe that a diagnosis, and the medicine that comes with it, will actually help them live a better life.

Recently, such an adult has become very public.

The Times told the story of one London woman in her fifties who thinks she has adult ADHD and wants to take medication for it. But that’s only a small part of her story. She openly admits that she illegally obtained Concerta tablets, which are normally only available by prescription.

She explains that she did this because she thinks she has a “scattered and chaotic mind.” This is beautifully expressed, but many of us could certainly say this of ourselves from time to time.

She says: ‘The first time I felt the effects of the small, light blue cylindrical pill containing the stimulant methylphenidate, I knew it could be life-changing for me. I saw efficiencies improve in work, money, time tracking and the dreaded life administration.”

Well, that’s what she says, and it’s not particularly surprising. Although Concerta is not a true amphetamine, it is very similar to amphetamines. And amphetamines are known for making their users feel good – at least to start with.

These types of drugs are notorious as pleasure enhancers

Peter Hitchens believes we are facing a new harmful pill crisis, with drugs being prescribed to a growing number of people diagnosed with ADHD

and as ways to overcome fatigue and perform difficult, boring tasks.

They were widely used in WWII by soldiers on both sides, trying to stay alert. They have long been taken by students struggling through tough exams.

The problem is that they are quite bad for you, both physically and mentally, and are also addictive. The common side effects of Concerta include nervousness, sleep problems, loss of appetite, weight lossdizziness, nausea, vomiting or headache.

Amphetamines have been illegal or heavily regulated in many countries for years.

The common side effects of Concerta include nervousness, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, weight loss, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, or headache.

They are listed here as Class B, which means you could theoretically get up to five years in prison for illegally possessing them.

This is due to its harmful long-term effects. Japan is particularly strict, following a serious post-war crisis in which the massive use of these drugs during the war and the American occupation was linked to crime and crime.

Their legal use as medicine has led to their illegal use as pleasure drugs. In the US, it is quite common for ADHD drugs to be sold on the black market for “recreational” use, where they are crushed, snorted, injected, or smoked by people looking for a high.

So what are we to make of the ADHD woman’s lighthearted admission that she had obtained these tablets illegally?

It’s quite unlikely that the police will call, but shouldn’t we worry? She says: ‘I obtained the pills through a friend who was prescribed them for her child by a private doctor. She gave me some out of kindness and I couldn’t ask again. This little exchange was obviously illegal.”

But the confession doesn’t end there. She has now found a new supply, but this time it is Dexedrine (again originally supplied to treat a friend’s child).

Journalist Hunter S. Thompson: His drug of choice was Dexedrine, until he later turned to cocaine, on his long road to self-destruction

This drug was the favorite of dissolute journalist Hunter S. Thompson until he later turned to cocaine on his long road to self-destruction.

Again, it has serious side effects and is widely abused by people without a prescription. But amazingly, we are now giving Dexedrine to school children. Concerta users may be alarmed to hear from ADHD Woman that it is more powerful than the infamous Dexedrine.

As she puts it: ‘It is slightly milder than Concerta and the effects do not last as long. However, the result is more or less the same. I get things done. My mind is clear; I stop thinking so much.’

But she still thinks about the meds. She can’t bear to go on the dark web anymore. Instead, she has heard about a “dodgy pharmacist” who sells prescription drugs under the counter.

In an episode of Dopesick called The People vs. Purdue Pharma, the company that manufactured OxyCotin and is owned by the Sackler family, you discuss the issues coming their way

What has happened to us that educated, professional adults openly talk about illegal drug use as if it is somehow normal, acceptable and right? She says she really wants to be told, “It’s not your fault.”

Isn’t that the problem? Drugs take the burden of responsibility off our backs, but they come at a price. They convince us that we no longer have the free will to choose.

It is a devil’s bargain that has turned OxyContin into a national disaster of crime and misery. Could ADHD lead us to a similar destination via a longer and more scenic route?