Most users would take their profiles very seriously and usually write the truth.
Compare with others
At the same time, profiles of others would be scrutinized and seen how they present themselves. "The network is therefore a place for actively dealing with one’s own personality" says Schorb.
Presence on the Internet
The study shows that users often do not care what they say about themselves online. After all, the Internet is there to make everything public. Others would have the attitude "That’s the way it is today" or argue that they have nothing to hide. To completely withdraw from the networks is often not an option: "It is very important to be inside too" Schorb comments on the results.
Profiles are taken seriously
The assertion that young people often acquire a second identity on the Internet cannot be confirmed on the basis of the study. Most users would take their profiles very seriously and usually write the truth.
In 1993, around 35 kg of the active ingredient were administered to German children; in 2009, according to the Federal Opium Agency, more than 1.7 tons of methylphenidate, better known as Ritalin, Concerta or Medikinet. In purely mathematical terms, one speaks of 20 million daily doses, taken by children who suffer from AD (H) D. Or who you suspect. Franz Horst Wimmer has been dealing with the topic for twelve years and he is sure that there is a direct connection between the use of these drugs and crime.
more on the subject
Information for parents: Everything about ADD and ADHD Medication for ADHD: Is Ritalin a miracle cure or cocaine for children? "Is my child still normal? – Families in therapy stress" Behavioral Problems: Are There Really Difficult Children? More about young people
In 2005, the deputy head of the drug and medication department at the Fürth criminal investigation agency published his first book on this subject and all copies were sold out in no time. A new edition was recently published, supplemented with all the numerous findings of recent years. "AD (H) S – methylphenidate – crime? A context?" is the title. In an interview with eltern.t-online, the author explains, among other things, why he has never given up his fight against incorrect or unnecessary intake of Ritalin. Despite massive opposition.
t-online: Mr. Wimmer, today AD (H) D and thus the corresponding medication are literally on everyone’s lips. Twelve years ago, however, the topic was not so topical. How did you come up with it then?
Franz Horst Wimmer: In the USA, Ritalin has been administered like candy for years and here a certain connection between the killer kids and the pills was noticed relatively quickly. I became aware of the problem in 1999 through one of my cases. This boy was treated with Ritalin for ten years and then migrated into the drug scene. The parents, both academics, didn’t know what to do next and the mother reported him. When the expert opinion was obtained, the guilt was sought with the doctor, the young man was given probation and is now drug-free.
As your fight against the improper use of Ritalin & Co., you were relatively alone in Germany. How is the situation today?
In 2009, after a so-called risk assessment procedure had been carried out for two years, an EU Commission decision was made which clearly states that the actual causes of AD (H) D cannot be determined and that a multi-causal chain of causes must currently be assumed that cannot be treated solely with medication. And at this point you have to emphasize once again: My criticism always refers to the ill-considered long-term therapy and the targeted neurodoping. You have to imagine: If you give such drugs for more than twelve months then an addiction can develop and you have to take the drug "sneak out" so reduce slowly to prevent massive withdrawal symptoms. And we’re talking about children and young people here!
This decision of the EU Commission states, among other things, that the exclusively drug treatment with methylphenidate must be regarded as insufficient, even improper. Since autumn 2010, a drug like Ritalin can no longer be prescribed so easily in Germany. Does that mean that your work is now being rewarded more?
I am really happy that the EU has now made this decision, which, as you can already feel, will definitely lead to a rethink. Fortunately, after years of skepticism and many internal difficulties, my colleagues have now recognized that the abuse of methylphenidate is a police problem and admire my work, which is finally being recognized accordingly.
Neurodoping is one of the key words in your book. What’s it all about?
Methylphenidate is only approved for children and adolescents between the ages of six and eighteen. Use is not permitted for adults. But apart from being the drug as a "Vitamin R." is often sold to classmates, it is also increasingly taken by adults in order to better survive in study and professional life. People today are quickly ready to help with psychological drugs. That has something to do with the attitude towards performance, but certainly also with the fear caused by the labor market situation. russian brides dating Without top grades in elementary school, nothing works, the G8 is also a nice example. The pupils and students are subject to the dictates of the performance requirements of our society, but do not have the strength to meet these expectations and to get their fears of the future under control. They are looking for a drug that seems harmless, given that thousands of children receive it every day.
In other words, in this case it doesn’t matter that the drug is actually not approved for adults?
Sure, according to the motto: What can’t be dangerous for a child, it can’t be for me either. However, this is the first huge fallacy, because the active ingredient contained in drugs such as Ritalin has massive side effects. If you read the package insert, you will learn that there can often be aggression, anxiety, depression, abnormal behavior and even stunted growth, occasional suicide attempts and, very rarely, sudden cardiac death. But that’s only a small part of the range. The second fallacy is that most people believe that these drugs are completely safe to take and that they will not act criminally by doing so.
To what extent can you make yourself liable to prosecution?
Methylphenidate is an amphetamine, also called speed in the drug scene, and thus a substance that is subject to the Narcotics Act. This is linked to very clear requirements for the regulation that have been very often ignored for years. In the meantime, however, the doctors know that the law enforcement authorities will intervene at some point. The violation of the BTMG is only one side of the crime in connection with the drug, a later, possible slide into the drug scene is another. In addition, there is aggression caused by the active ingredient, the amphetamine, not only against others, but also against yourself. In addition, there are some other legal problem areas, not only under criminal law but also under civil law. Like driving a vehicle, for example. Specifically, it actually says, as can be read in the package insert, that the ability to react is reduced. Methylphenidate is a so-called "other intoxicating substance" within the meaning of German criminal law. This can lead to massive legal problems if one participates in road traffic under the influence of this agent. This does not only apply when driving a car or operating machines, but in extreme cases also when cycling.
What about the doctors’ education?
Of course there are those who provide detailed information about the effects of the medication, some simply hand out brochures, but there are also those who consider more detailed information about the risks of the medication to be superfluous or who downplay the risks. A lot has changed here in the meantime. But there is still something, for example, that very few people know: If you are traveling with your child to a nearby country and this child is taking Ritalin, then you need a certificate for carrying narcotics for medical treatment, issued by the competent authority – in Bavaria it is the health department. In this certificate, the prescribing doctor, the patient including the prescribed amount and the prescribed medication must be clearly stated. Only then is carrying Ritalin with you & Co. does not constitute an offense against the Schengen Agreement. It becomes even more delicate with other countries. Here you should check with the respective embassy well before traveling, so as not to end up as a drug smuggler in prison. And that can happen faster than you often think. Because in general the following applies here as there: ignorance does not protect against punishment!
AD (H) D has developed into a real boom and many of the children are wrongly diagnosed, as we now know. How do you think all these fidgety lips come about and what are the consequences?
Today, my opinion and that I share with many experts, parents are very often exposed to extreme liberalism. You have no concrete idea of education and even small children can dance around on your nose. The children are often no longer allowed to learn to place themselves in a group. But if a child cannot adapt in class, they are quickly put in a drawer that is described as AD (H) D and the child is given Ritalin so that it does not fall out of the ordinary. The children who are treated with methylphenidate are sometimes anything but hyperactive. There are, in the meantime, numerous scientific studies on this subject, often completely different problems. Sometimes diet plays a role, sometimes bad posture due to the KISS syndrome leads to massive behavioral disorders, vaccinations are also suspected and of course family problems. By taking Ritalin and Co., according to my research, such a child all too often becomes a ‘zombie’ who only reacts but is no longer really alive. Many parents do not recognize their child, are often initially happy about the development, but see it with horror in the long term.
Time and time again, delinquency and drug use have been found to be more common among people with ADHD. But the hope that taking methylphenidate will change something in this regard has not been fulfilled. Are there perhaps even new problems with regard to addictive behavior?
A child around the age of six understands that it is "different" is that it is avoided by the other children, not invited to children’s birthdays and so on. And it quickly learns that with the help of pills it can get its problem under control. This can actually be a fundamental addiction or. Dependency problems arise.
Then there are the expectations of the parents. Children love their parents and do things to be loved by them or to meet their expectations. With the onset of puberty, the picture often changes and adolescents begin to refuse to take the drug.