The Journal. · The Wall Street Journal & Spotify Studios

For Many Kids on ADHD Pills, It’s the Start of a Drug Cascade

January 23, 2026·23 min·2 clips
Danielle shares her two-page list of psychiatric medications started at age seven.
This episode investigates how ADHD diagnoses in children can lead to a cascade of psychiatric medications, featuring personal stories from Danielle and her mother Nancy, along with data from a Wall Street Journal analysis. It explores the side effects, withdrawal challenges, and lack of research on polypharmacy in kids.

As heard by us

A measured account of how childhood ADHD treatment can become a difficult-to-read medication cascade.

The Journal uses Danielle Ganske's childhood ADHD diagnosis to examine how a first prescription can lead into a harder-to-manage chain of psychiatric medications.

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