The taking of medication for ADD should not be an act of faith but an act of science. Sometimes people ask, “Do you believe in medication as part of the treatment of ADD?” as if medication were a religious principle. We neither believe in it nor disbelieve in it for all people. Rather, we approach it rationally. For most people who have ADD, medication has proven to be extremely useful. For some it has proven to be ineffective. For a very few it has proven to be harmful. If the diagnosis of ADD is carefully made, the best research data we have states that a trial of medication is indicated.
