TWO REPORTS PONDER RITALIN'S EFFECT ON A GENERATION

Today, even preschoolers are popping pills.

Between 4 million and 5 million children now take stimulant drugs,
primarily Ritalin, to help control their behavior and attention problems,
but the debate over such drugs is louder than ever.

With two to three kids in every classroom across America on some kind of
behavior-modifying drug, parents, doctors, teachers, legislators and the
children themselves are questioning whether these medications are really
necessary -- and safe. Should we be drugging our children to get them to
sit still in class?

There are no easy answers, but this week, two major hourlong television
documentaries examine one of most serious issues facing contemporary
society, and offer some helpful guidelines.

Tonight at 9, A&E Network's 'Investigative Reports' presents "Generation
RX: Reading, Writing & Ritalin," which includes interviews with
pediatricians, psychiatrists, teachers, children and parents. This report
relies primarily on experts, whose opinions are often at odds, but its most
poignant moments involve the children.

There is Michael, who began taking Ritalin at the end of first grade, and
says several years later, "It was like I was a zombie." Taken off Ritalin,
his father says, Michael has his zest for life back.

On the opposite side is Allison, who is finally able to keep up with her
classmates after starting on Ritalin in third grade, when her handwriting
was illegible.

"It seems like my handwriting keeps improving with the Ritalin. I
concentrate, and I do the letters much better," she says proudly.

The consensus seems to be that Ritalin is over-prescribed, and often given
to children who's problems are misdiagnosed. Since 1990, the production of
Ritalin has increased 700 percent, with Americans using 90 percent of the
world's supply. But for many children with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity
Disorder, Ritalin is a powerful tool that makes it possible for them to
regain self-esteem, focus their efforts and achieve their best.

Experts agree that pills should not be used as a cure-all for ensuring that
millions of "round" children fit into "square" holes in today's fast-paced
society, but say that prescription drugs can help children deal with the
hyperstimulation of cellphones and computers, Palm Pilots and the Internet.

The second documentary, "Medicating Kids," airs Tuesday on PBS when
'Frontline' examines the dramatic increase in diagnosis and drug treatment
of behavior disorders in children.

The 'Frontline' report follows the troubles and triumphs of four Colorado
families over a year. It is a little less scientific and more sympathetic
in its approach to families struggling on both sides of a highly personal
and difficult issue. These reports air in the shadow of Ritalin-related
litigation. In California, a federal judge has dismissed a class action
lawsuit (mentioned on both shows), claiming that the American Psychiatric
Association, a patient support group and a pharmaceutical company conspired
to invent or exaggerate ADHD as a disorder to increase the sale of Ritalin.
The judge cited lack of evidence. Similar suits have been filed in federal
courts in Texas, Florida and New Jersey.