Abstract
In 1937, Charles Bradley reported a study of a stimulant, Benzedrine, in a mixed group of children presenting with emotional, behavioral, and academic problems. A number of immediate improvements were noted within the group, including an apparent improvement in school performance, a reduction in aggressive and domineering behavior, and a reduction in inappropriate motor activity. Bradley described the children as more “subdued” and referred to the effects of the stimulant drug as “paradoxical.” Whether he meant to imply this pharmacologically or whether Bradley was using literary license is immaterial, since it is clear that the term paradoxical, to describe the effects of the stimulant drugs in hyperactive children, has become widespread. This seems to assume that hyperactive children become subdued under medication whereas normal and nonhyperactive disordered children would presumably become activated.
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Werry, J.S., Aman, M.G. (1984). Methylphenidate in Hyperactive and Enuretic Children. In: Greenhill, L.L., Shopsin, B. (eds) The Psychobiology of Childhood. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6701-7_9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6701-7_9
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