Social science deals with problems of history, biography, and their intersections with social aspects (Mills, 1959). Increasingly antidepressants and amphetamines are being prescribed at a higher rate in order to treat Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder among children. In order to understand why this is happening, first we have to understand the historical context surrounding this social issue. Why are antidepressants being prescribed for young children with ADHD instead of stimulants? This paper will discuss possible reasons for this. Initially, when doctors started prescribing drugs to children with ADHD, they were prescribing stimulants such as Ritalin. There was a great deal of backlash, because many individuals thought that doctors were over prescribing children with stimulants. Stimulants can have severe effects on children including psychiatric problems, heart-related problems, potential for abuse, and the effect then child’s developing brain (Robinson, 2016). Prolonged use of stimulants can cause dependence among teens and young adults for weight loss and college students who use it as a study aid (Robinson, 2016). Although long-term impact of ADHD medication on developing brains are unknown, but some researchers are concerned that these medications might interfere with normal brain development …show more content…
In social science, many conceptions commonly have a historically-rooted (Mills, 1959). Once there is a major concern regarding stimulants alternative medications were tested out. One reason why there has been an increase in prescribing antidepressants are that the children who are prescribed these drugs also suffer from depression. Another reason could be that the antidepressants that doctors are prescribing are safer on young children then the stimulant that were prescribed in the