Ritalin and sudden death in children and adolescents

This important study published not long ago in the American Journal of Psychiatry documents a link between the use of stimulant medications (particularly methylphenidate = Ritalin) and sudden death in youths. The authors found that "A significant association of stimulant use with sudden unexplained death emerged from the primary analysis." Their conclusion should be taken into careful consideration: "This case-control study provides support for an association between the use of stimulants and sudden unexplained death among children and adolescents. Although sudden unexplained death is a rare event, this finding should be considered in the context of other data about the risk and benefit of stimulants in medical treatment." Why accept this risk and the deleterious effects of long-term stimulant use when the evidenced-based functional medicine approach treats the underlying causes?