Psychiatrymiddle twist
A 13-year-old boy has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by a paediatrician, who recommends immediate-release dexamphetamine alongside a parent behavioural program. His mother telephones you, his general practitioner, in distress. Her own brother became dependent on amfetamines in his twenties, and she is convinced that giving her son a stimulant at school will start him on the same path. The boy has no tics, no anxiety disorder and has never used substances. Which one of the following is the most appropriate response to her concern?