N. Shore parents speak out —

3.- Wednesday, August 3, 198% - North Shore News

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NEWS photos Tom Burley

West Vancouver families
enjoy summer picnic

WEST VANCOUVER families got together last week for some fun in the sun. The West
Vancouver Family Picnic at Ambleside Park brought dozens of local residents out to en-
joy games, entertainment and a visit with neighbors. Tracy-Kim Brown (top left photo)
plays catch with a giant beachball. Everyone got into tug-of-war action (left). A
parachute-type game (above) had everybody laughing.

against Ritalin drug therapy

From page 1

the drug which is suspected to be
addictive.

He threatened to run away from
home and live off the proceeds of
Ritalin pill sales. When mixed with
another drug, Ritalin is known as
the Poor Man’s Heroin.

“it’s one of the best ‘hits’ you
can get for $1.50,’’ says Eskola.

Eskola also believes Ritalin
stunted her son’s growth.

Ritalin is used on 30 to 33 per
cent of school age children, accor-
ding to Eskola, who quoted
statistics from Health and Welfare
Canada that show that there has
been an increase in imported
Ritalin of four million more pills
over the past four years.

“How is it that a disease no one
even heard of a few years ago has
swept through the children in our
schools?”’ asks Robinn Bonn, local

director of the Citizens’ Commis-
sion on Human Rights (CCHR),
which spearheaded the formation
of the SCREAM group. CCHR is
sponsored by the Church of Scien-
tology.

SCREAM, with groups in North
Vancouver, Port Coquitlam,
White Rock and Clover-
dale/Langley, is opposed to the
use of drugs to contro] behavior in
school age children. The group’s
first mandate is to educate the
public on the dangers of some of
the drugs that are being used.

The group is also lobbying to
remove the ‘mental illness’ label
these children receive, and is in-
vestigating what it sees as an
epidemic increase in this diagnosis,
which is not based on scientific
evidence.

Eskola questions some of the
criteria teachers use in the process
of diagnosing hyperactivity, such

Canadian Navy

INTERNATIONAL HARD Suits Inc. (HSI) of North
Vancouver has confirmed the sale of $440,000 worth of
atmospheric diving suit systems to the Canadian Navy.

IHSI general manager Aris
Morfopolous said Tuesday the
company received formal agree-
ment from the navy July 27 for the
supply of one Newtsuit system,
complete with spares and training
courses for six men.

He said the Canadian Navy
plans to purchase additional
Newtsuits next year.

By EVELYN JACOB

Contributing Writer

The Newtsuit, which enables
divers to work at depths of up to
1,000 feet without having to
undergo decompression, will be
delivered to the Canadian Forces
Base in Halifax in January, 1989.

as the inability of a six year old to
play a game for more than 15
minutes, or because a child tries to
draw attention to himself.

SCREAM will also be organiz-
ing petition drives and demonstra-
tions demanding recognition of
these drugs and their possible
harm, while trying to support and
encourage the use of safe, alternate
methods of treatment,

Another priority of the group’s
is to estalMish parental support,
through networking, legal referrals
and alternat:ve medical referrals.

Last yeat, when Eskola first
began speaking out against drug
therapy, Asad Qureshi of the
North Shore Health Department’s
mental health clinic argued that
Ritalin was not used as frequently
or as injudiciously as was claimed.

At that time, of the 544 school
age children on the department
case list, only 28 were prescribed

with such stimuiauts as Ritalin or
amphetamines, although private
practice prescriptions were not in-
cluded.

Qureshi said the clinic’s
diagnostic procedure involves a
battery of tests, along with con-
sultation with community health
nurses, teachers, parents and doc-
tors.

If behavior modification tech-
niques are unsuccessful, the clinic
may turn to medicaticn, initially
on a trial basis.

Qureshi said Ritalin’s positive
side effects include improvement in
self-image, because the child no
longer is labelled as a ‘‘bad kid.’’

But Eskola argues: ‘‘Most
Ritalin kids have no self-esteem —
they think they’re worth nothing.’

She says physical accomplish-
ments and a better level of fitness
have helped her son feel better
about himself,

buys Newtsuits

It is THSI’s first contract with a
Nato navy.

‘It’s a real door-opener fer us."
said Morfopolous. He said his
company has received inquiries
about the Newtsuit from both
Nato and non-Nato countries, and
is currently negotiating a deal with
the U.S. Navy.

THSI signed its first’ contract
with Japan in December, 1987.
The Canadian Navy contract is the
company’s fifth Newtsuit sale at a
cost of $250,000 per suit.

The navy will use the Newtsuit
mainly for salvaging downed
planes and ships.

IHS recently signed a tentative
$4.2 million worldwide distribution
deal for its Newtsuit with
Dragerwerk AG of Lubek, West
Germany, the world’s largest
manufacturer and distributor of
diving technology.

IHSI officials estimate sales of
the Newtsuit over the next six years
will be in the neighborhood of
$60 million.

INDEX

Business ............. 16
Classified Ads.........29
Doug Collins.......... 9
Comics...............28
Dr. Ruth.............26
Editorial Page......... 6
Food ............... 27
Bob Hunter........... 4
Lifestyles.............25
Mailbox...............7
Sports...............13
TV Listings...........23
What's Going Qn.......22

WEATHER

Wednesday, mainly sunny.
Thursday, mostly sunay. Highs
near 22°C, Lows, 12°C.

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