But wait there’s more… It was not just Ritalin and Adderall being prescribed for so-called learning and behavior disorder but also Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s) were becoming popular. I was on the Colorado State Board of Education when the Columbine massacre happened. One of my fellow board member’s daughter went to Columbine and was hiding from Eric and Dylin (the shooters) in the library closet. She had phoned her dad as it was happening.
This massacre ripped our hearts out. I felt obligated to do some research which revealed that in school shootings, before Columbine, every shooter I could get information on was already receiving some form of psychological counseling and was on one or more psychiatric drug. Eric Harris was prescribed Luvox (fluvoxamine) for depression and was in counseling as part of a juvenile diversion program. Toxicology reports confirmed Luvox in his system at the time of the shooting. His counseling involved a psychiatrist who prescribed the medication.
LINK – Chapter’s 1 and 2: Johnson: Can’t Sit Still? Pop a Pill!
According to drugs.com Luvox/Fluvoxamine may cause some people to be agitated, irritable or display other abnormal behaviors. It may also cause some children, teenagers, and young adults to have suicidal thoughts and tendencies or to become more depressed. [9]
According to the actual drug insert “frequent” side effects, I repeat “frequent” side effects were, “Nervous System: Frequent: amnesia, apathy, hyperkinesia, hypokinesia, manic reaction, myoclonus, (uncontrollable jerking motions) psychotic reaction, suicidal ideation.”
Dylan Klebold was also in counseling through the same diversion program and saw a psychiatrist, but his medical records were immediately sealed when Big Pharma arrived. The drug companies flew in the next day to do damage control, but claiming they were there to help. Their help consisted of promoting psychiatric medication to all the Columbine students with PTSD after the massacre. $$$
According to a 2022 editorial, 37 school-related acts of violence, including mass school shootings, have been committed by individuals taking or withdrawing from psychiatric drugs. 27 drug regulatory agencies have warned that these drugs can cause mania, psychosis, hostility, aggression and homicidal ideation. [10]
Another new study found that antidepressant prescriptions for young adults and teens increased by nearly 64% from 2020 onward. The research shows antidepressant use was escalating even before the COVID-19 pandemic. [11]
Back to Ritalin and Adderall, a recent study in “Stimulant Prescription Trends in the United States from 2012 – 2023” showed some interesting statistics.
They reported that prescriptions for Methylphenidate like Ritalin and Adderall from 2012 -2022 had drastically increased in adults but decreased in children ages 0-10. Prescriptions for patients aged 0-10 years decreased by 19%. That is interesting. Maybe parents are waking up and refusing to put their children on methylphenidates or maybe children are being put on SSRI’s instead.
In 2012, 34% of stimulant prescriptions were written for patients aged 11-20 years. $$
From 2012 to 2023, stimulant prescriptions for patients aged 31-40 increased by 240%; at over 18 million, they are now the largest single age group for stimulants prescriptions. $$ Prescriptions also increased for patients
aged 41-50 164%…$$
aged 61-70 -161%…$$
aged 71-80 516%…$$S [12] (Ritalin use has drastically increased in retirement homes and assisted living centers)
I read recently that young people are “faking” ADHD symptoms to get a prescription for Ritalin or Adderall to improve academic performance. [13]
They see fellow classmates using Ritalin to help them study. If they cannot get a prescription from a doctor they get it illegally from a classmate. A professor of sociology asked me to speak to his class at the University of Colorado about Ritalin and the education system. He agreed with my stance on the drugs that had been published in the newspapers.
During the question and answer period one young lady said passionately and adamantly, “I HAVE to take Ritalin in order to study. I cannot get good grades without it.” I replied from personal experience and told her that my mind wanders and I have a hard time concentrating and studying also. In studying for a test I would reread the chapters several times and rewrite my notes over and over. I made flash cards and would have a roommate quiz me. Thomas Edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.
Replace the word genius with good grades. A case in point…I knew a young man who scored perfect on his SAT’s. He was an actual genius. He breezed through high school without studying. He had a photographic memory. He thought he could skate through college like he did in high school, so he partied. He ended up flunking out. Being a genius does not always imply success later in life. Getting good grades is a matter of hard work/perspiration. There is no quick shortcut.
The dependence on Ritalin has spiked. Most of the children who were prescribed Ritalin are still taking it as adults. I know several that say they are addicted, and it is too hard to get off the drug. The drug companies knew this would happen, after all Methylphenidates are classified as most addictive schedule 2 drugs. Big Pharma now has lifetime customers. $$$
Considering this most recent legislation in Illinois, the rate of school children on these dangerous drugs will increase if more states follow Illinois’ example and mandate psychiatric screening of schoolchildren. School children are a cash cow for Big Pharma through vaccine mandates and drugs prescribed for learning and behavior disorders. $$$
In Summary, depression and behavior issues are not to be taken lightly and can be a result of “multiple” factors. Issues like these should remain in the parents’ hands. After talking with their physician, it is the parents’ decision to make and theirs alone. I still believe what I said in Congressional testimony:
“To the degree educators are expected to diagnose children, they are being distracted from their main duty which is to provide our children with a quality education. Our schools are the only institution entrusted to attend to the academic needs of our children and their mission must not be diluted. I urge this committee to do everything in its power to get schools out of the business of labeling children and back to the job of teaching.” [14]
November 11th of 1999, in a six to one vote, the Colorado State Board of Education passed the “Resolution Promoting The Use of Academic Solutions To Resolve Problems With Behavior, Attention And Learning.” It may be 2025 but this resolution is still relevant to today’s schools. [15]
October 3, 2025
~ The Author ~
Patti Johnson is a Portrait and Landscape artist and Cartoonist. She served on the Colorado State Board of Education from 1995 – 2001. A parent and married for 50 years to her loving husband, she is a God-fearing patriotic American. Send All Comments to: pj4charis@gmail.com.
Patti Johnson’s commentaries may not be reprinted or republished without permission. Submitted to and published by Kettle Moraine, Ltd. by arrangement, and with permission of the American Policy Center. © 2025 American Policy Center – All Rights Reserved.