What does Ritalin do to kids? Why don't we ask the kids?

I know. It's a crazy idea. The ADHD Voices report isn't peer reviewed research (and it's presented in way that you might find to be refreshingly readable, or a jumbly mess that's hard to follow in spots, depending), but it points us toward some ideas that really should be followed up on. Couple things that stood out to me: First, most of the kids surveyed didn't feel like Ritalin changed who they were, or made them mindless robots, or even really "cured" them on its own — rather it helped to create a situation where they could more easily take control of their own behavior and make different choices if they wanted to (which is, frankly, consistent with my own anecdata). Second, I was really troubled by how few of the kids seemed to be active participants in their own treatment. A startling number didn't understand what ADHD really was and some didn't even know that they'd been diagnosed with it. (Via Emily Willingham)