DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.

This article looks at the controversy surrounding a story line on the television program, "Desperate Housewives," where a character takes her child's ADHD medication. Imagine a single pill that makes you smarter, more energetic, thinner and helps you clean the house. That's what Maria, a health care worker who lives near Portland, Ore., used to think about Ritalin, the drug prescribed to help millions of children and a growing number of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). But Maria didn't have a prescription--or ADHD. Maria took a pill prescribed for her older child, crushed it and snorted it, "I honestly thought this was a miracle cure," she says. Reliable numbers are impossible to come by, but treatment centers from coast to coast report an increase in the number of patients abusing Ritalin and its pharmaceutical cousin Adderall, both of which have gained appeal as "off-label" fatigue fighters and diet aids. Most users of Ritalin and Adderall will not become physically addicted, but longtime abusers can become dependent on the drugs--and the most serious side effects can include psychosis and suicidal thoughts. Overwrought homemakers aren't the only ones abusing Adderall and Ritalin. School counselors say motivated students are faking ADHD to get the pep-giving pills to help with their studies--while ignoring risks.