Dopesick

by

Beth Macy

Like Adderall, Ritalin is a drug used to treat ADHD. It can be abused as a “study drug” and young people who are prescribed Ritalin sometimes progress to taking stronger drugs.
Get the entire Dopesick LitChart as a printable PDF.
Dopesick PDF

Ritalin Term Timeline in Dopesick

The timeline below shows where the term Ritalin appears in Dopesick. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Poverty as an Obstacle to Recovery  Theme Icon
...Fernandez that her then-four-year-old son, Jesse, is too wild in class, so a doctor suggests Ritalin. Two years later, Kristi tries Ritalin on her son, and it seems to stop teacher... (full context)
Chapter 6
Poverty as an Obstacle to Recovery  Theme Icon
...a major source of income, which incentivizes people to stay sick. Children are frequently given Ritalin because the ADHD diagnosis will help them draw disability checks in adulthood. (full context)
Poverty as an Obstacle to Recovery  Theme Icon
Fighting the Medical Establishment Theme Icon
...fulfill their addictions. For most teenagers that develop addictions, the first drugs they took were Ritalin or Adderall (prescribed for attention deficit disorders but also abused as a study drug on... (full context)
Fighting the Medical Establishment Theme Icon
The Value of Science Theme Icon
Between 1991 and 2010, prescription of stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin increases tenfold among all age groups, with some going to children as young as two... (full context)