Essay Sample on Vyvanse: Treatment of ADHD in Children Aged 5 and Over

Introduction

Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication. It targets patients aged five years and over. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that mostly affects children. It is more than twice as likely to be found in boys than in girls, with the average age at diagnosis seven years. ADHD was initially known as hyperkinetic impulse disorder until the 1960s (Conrad and Ilina 377). The first reference of the disease traces back to 1902 when British pediatrician, Sir George, identified it among children. Children with the syndrome became unable to control their behavior (Conrad and Ilina 378). In 1936, the Food and rug Administration (FDA) approved Benzedrine to help treat the condition. However, in 1937, Dr Charles Bradley identified side effects of the drug. The American Psychiatric Association listed ADHD in its second edition of 1968 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (Conrad and Ilina 380).

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The entire 20th century involved debates on the causes, treatments, and the existence of ADHD (Conrad and Ilina 378). Both the psychological and medical communities debated the disease. The medicalization of ADHD began in the 1930s when medical professionals began to study and offer suggestions regarding the condition (Conrad and Ilina 382). The journey to the medicalization of the disease considers two perspectives. One perspective classifies it as a mental disorder while another considers it as a natural state of humanity. Salient factors leading to the medicalization of ADHD include inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. ADHD symptoms persist to adulthood, and early comorbidities include anxiety disorder, motor disorders, autism spectrum disorders, and tic disorder. Patients exhibit reading inability and developmental coordination disorder.

As the disease became more understood and diagnoses increased, the FDA approved psychostimulant Ritalin in 1955, which remains in use to date (Conrad and Ilina 374). In the 1980 edition, DSM-III, the APA changed the disease name from hyperkinetic impulse disorder to Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). The 1987 edition of DSM-III refined the name to include hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattentiveness. Edition four of the DSM (DSM-IV), released in 2000, identified three subtypes of ADHD; combined type ADHD, predominantly inattentive type ADHD, and predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type ADHD (Conrad and Ilina 386). The diagnosis of ADHD has been on the rise since 1990, with more efficient diagnosis taking place. Patients have also become more aware of the disease. Increasingly, more children have been identified as suffering ADHD symptoms. The causes and possible treatments for ADHD remain a priority for medical researchers.

According to the APA, at least five percent of children are born with ADHD. However, disease prevalence varies across nationalities, age groups, and race. ADHD is more prevalent in the U.S. than in European countries. Between 1997 and 1999, the reported increase in the prevalence rates for each year reported starting in 1997 (Xu et al. 3). A similar trend was reported among children aged 4 to 17 years (Xu et al. 5). There were significant racial and sex disparities in the prevalence of ADHD. Prevalence among boys was recorded as 14 percent, while it was only 6.3 in girls. Among people of Hispanic origin, the prevalence rate was 6.1 percent. Non-Hispanic whites registered a prevalence rate of 12 percent, while non-Hispanic blacks recorded a prevalence rate of 12.8 percent (Xu et al. 7). There was also an increase in the prevalence rate among children from 6.1 percent in 1998 to 10.2 percent in 2016 (Xu et al. 8). There was a significant increase in prevalence across age, race, sex, income and geography between 1998 and 2016 (Xu et al. 9).

The advertisement for Vyvanse was found on the social media platform Facebook, with the embedded YouTube video link. The ad targets working-class individuals who suffer ADHD, and who cannot perform optimally. The person used to relay the image is in her mid-working age. In the ad, the person claims that the drug manages their ADHD so that they can handle their duties. There is a focus on adults and the symptoms that they are likely to experience. Side effects relating to the use of other drugs are also mentioned in the ad. Further, the advertisement speaks to adults and does not make any reference to their children. However, it indicates that the drug should not be shared.

The design of the advertisement tells that it targets middle-class working whites. There is a direct correlation between low socioeconomic achievements and ADHD. Non-Hispanic whites recorded the second-highest ADHD prevalence rate (Xu et al. 2). Individuals with ADHD tend to earn and save less money. They also record low educational and occupational achievement compared to individuals without ADHD. It is these factors that the advertisement capitalizes on. The focus on improved work potential for the adults is informed by the fact that having the condition would reduce an individual's performance. Also, focusing on the professional aspect addresses the low professional achievements for individuals suffering ADHD (Xu et al. 4).

Vyvanse was first approved for use in 2007 by the FDA (Stolberg 5). The recognized brand name was Vyvanse, while the generic name was lisdexamfetamine dimesylate. The development history of the drug began two years earlier. In 2005, the producing company, Shire, announced a new drug application (NDA) for a compound that would help in the treatment of ADHD in pediatric populations. The application was accepted in 2006, and an approval letter issued the same year (Stolberg 7). Approval for Vyvanse was granted in 2007, and further approval issued in 2008 to allow for additional dosage strengths that allowed physicians to design treatment schedules for individual patients (Lyons, Aaron, and Robert 618). In the same year, the FDA approved Vyvanse as the first and only once-daily prodrug stimulant for the treatment of ADHD in adults. In 2009, the FDA approved the drug to include supplementary clinical data that supported efficacy at 13 hours post-dose among children aged between 6 and 12 years (Stolberg 9). In 2010, the FDA approved Vyvanse capsules CII to treat ADHD in adolescents. In 2015, the FDA expanded the use of Vyvanse to treat the binge-eating disorder (Stolberg 10).

There are multiple visual images used in the advertisement. It employs emotional appeal, which serves to increase the need for something new, and helps to increase the attractiveness of the drug to the target market segment. The advertisement may be targeted at the fear of underperformance of domestic and professional duties. One of the keywords used is the risk of abuse or dependence, with the advertisement warning that sharing or selling of the drug would be harmful to the user. Hence, there is the proper use of promotional appeal under fear of getting sick and even death. There is also use of bandwagon technique demonstrated through convincing customers to join the group of people using the product. The individual in the advertisement reports how the drug has been helpful to them and allowed them to be productive. The advert promises that patients start feeling better within two hours, and remain active for between fifteen hours to an entire day.

One of the social factors related to health outcomes in early childhood development is the environment. Studies have shown that children raised in low-cost housing that exposes them to lead are more likely to develop mental health problems (Weissenberger et al. 454). A social factor related to health outcomes is the attainment of quality education. Children with ADHD become slow learners and are slow to achieve academic goals. The advertisement also addresses the issue of low professional achievement, and the level of professionalism and individual is capable of attaining. The level of access to quality healthcare services is also addressed, as well as household earnings. Since the drug targets a particular segment of the population, those who cannot afford to purchase will likely live with the disease. Also, as indicated by the data, healthcare inequity is demonstrated across economic status, race, and ethnicity. Hence, the condition varies with these factors (Weissenberger et al. 454).

While the advertisement acknowledges that side effects might be experienced while using the drug, it does not provide alternative ways of treating ADHD. Besides medication, ADHD may also be treated using educational, psychological, and behavioral interventions. The multimodal approach involves proper training of parents about the disease, counselling, skills training, behavioral therapy, and educational support. There is no ultimate treatment for ADHD. However, people who suffer the illness can be supported to live meaningful lives. A supportive environment allows children to adapt and live a desired lifestyle.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the advertisement promotes Vyvanse, a drug that contains ADHD among people aged five years and above. The disease was medicalized in the 1930s, while the drug was developed in 2005. Years of development of the drug has broadened its scope of application. The drug finds a good market as at least five prevent of children are born with ADHD. However, the disease varies with sex, race, and economic background. The advertisement employs visual techniques to appeal to the market so that there are more useful and increased sales. It also targets the working-class white segment of the market.

Works Cited

Conrad, Peter, and Ilina Singh. "Reflections on ADHD in a Global Context." Global Perspectives on ADHD: Social Dimensions of Diagnosis and Treatment in 16 (2018): 376-390.

GENUINE: The Real People Company. Healthcare - Vyvanse - ADHD. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57ZS7ND6MwU. Accessed 28 Mar 2020.

Lyons, Matthew D., Aaron C. Lentz, and Robert M. Coward. "Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse) for the treatment of neurogenic anejaculation." American journal of men's health 11.3 (2017): 618.

Stolberg, Victor B. ADHD Medications: History, Science, and Issues. ABC-CLIO, 2017.

Weissenberger, Simon, et al. "ADHD, lifestyles and comorbidities: A call for a holistic perspective-from medical to intervening societal factors." Frontiers in Psychology 8 (2017): 454.

Xu, Guifeng, et al. "Twenty-year trends in diagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder among U.S. children and adolescents, 1997-2016." JAMA network opens 1.4 (2018): e181471-e181471. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.1471