That's why this piece by Alan Schwarz in the New York Times has yielded some serious angst in many circles. The age of a controversy, as anyone in public health can tell you, doesn't necessarily diminish its relevance or the passions it inspires. I can only imagine that the intensity was multifold in the public school setting. The discussion is at least twice as old as my 10-year-old son with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Should we medicate children with ADHD drugs just to keep order in the classroom or help the child be competitive among peers? I know it's at least 20 years old, this argument, because it was a subject of almost daily discussion in teachers' lounges when I taught middle school in the '90s, and because the tension among teachers, parents, and the children taking the drugs often spilled into the hallways.
