Dianavan - in the case of my husband - there was a trial period and it was quite long. I was asked to fill out evalutions separate from his and our family doctor also filled out evaluations which we didn't see. The Psychiatrist used that information to rule out Depression and other potential diagnosis.

In addition, my husband was required to have a sleep study to make sure that he had no underlying sleep disorder. Nobody rushed to put him on Adderall, which is a different medication than Ritalin. Also, once on it, he was very slowly tapered upwards until stability was acheived.

If any parent accepts an instand diagnosis of any disease and a one-size fits all dosage with no period of observation and adjustment, then they are negligent parents. Of course, my husband was an adult and capable of asking for such oversight, but in the case of children, that is the parent's responisbility.

I posted about our experience simply to provide a concrete example for people who might be tempted to believe that ADHD is merely a fad diagnosis.