Kurt Cobain's Bridge - From Ritalin to Heroin

The article “Kurt Cobain and his Battle with Mental Illness,” suggests the rock star’s  sad ending to his life began with ADHD.   It’s been twenty years since Kurt blew his head off with a shotgun.  From his struggles to control his hyperactivity, he progressed to bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and hard-core drug use.   It’s quite possible.  As early as the fourth grade, Kurt was taught that drugs could relieve emotional distress.  In the case of his hyperactivity, he took Ritalin.  For his teen-age angst, he looked to heroin.

The writer works backward from Kurt’s suicide.  After detailing the grisly details of Kurt pulling the trigger on a shotgun fastened to his mouth, he breaks down the clutter and confusion of Kurt’s suicide note.   His analysis emphasizes mood swings and mixed emotions in the writing.  The writer seems to infer that the Kurt’s use of prescription drugs for ADHD  propelled him towards harder drugs later on.   A life-time of depression and hard drugs put him on a path towards a violent death.

Kurt must have thought he was doomed from the start.  At a very early age, he had heard of the sordid history of suicide and suicide attempts in his family. In fourth grade they were already handing him pills for his own mental illness.  Once, while he was walking home from school, he came across a fellow student who had just hung himself.  Kurt led his life joking about his own “suicide genes.”   Here, he just may have been convinced himself that his suicide would be a self-fulfilling prophesy.  He didn’t see a bright future.  He saw only a world of hurt.

Clearly, the writer didn’t concoct this article as a glowing tribute to a famous rock star.  The writing seemed more concerned with the dangers of prescription drug use.   Kurt mentions in his suicide note that the Ritalin probably inspired his use of street drugs like heroin .  I agree with the writer, and I agree with Kurt.  The  message here  is to all of us who look to drugs for short-term relief.  It’s not worth the long term risk. 

A Word about Ritalin: "No!"

Dealing with ADHD is not about short-term relief; it’s about long term stability.  Effective treatment for ADHD should not come from medication; it should come from the development of skills, knowledge, and talent in coping with problems.  Later, I hope to share something I wrote about Kurt Cobain’s Ritalin prescriptions.  In his suicide note, he implies that his Ritalin use may have led to hardcore drug dependence (Heroin!) later on his life

I can understand the desperation in parents and teachers to help a child in need. The ADHD can strain the development of school work, social life, and family relations.  

Child behavior can often become very complex and disruptive.  Medicine has proven to help.  We all understand the biological discussion.  These medications can activate specific brain circuits to counteract hyperactivity. For many children, the medication helps them focus, work and learn.

However, I feel the voice of the drug company often drowns out the voice of reason.  Ritalin has become  a huge industry.  Everywhere you look, you’ll find books, tapes, videos and marketing campaigns extolling the virtues of stimulant medication.  It’s advanced.  It’s scientific. It can provide proven results.  The ads provide little mention of side-effects.  There is sleeplessness, anxiety and irritability.  Many doctors have made the connection ADHD and depression.  Children begin with Ritalin and later progress to other hard-core drugs.  At a certain point, you may suspect the ADHD literature you read has much more to do with helping profits than helping kids.

This is what I think: Prescription medication  teaches kids two dangerous things. One, they are problem children.  They are stigmatized.  Parents, teachers and administrators are trying to manage them instead of teach them.  ADHD kids are discouraged from expressing their ideas and feelings. Two, kids look to drugs as the answers to all their problems.   Although Ritalin might provide them marked relief for ADHD,  the prescription of anti-depressant is not safe.  I think the best answer is for children to be more involved in their own treatment.   Through counseling, children are able to develop a better understanding of themselves.   The doctors and the drug companies can say all they want, but in the end, it’s the children’s feelings that count most.