re: hillary clinton mark leibovich went inside the final weeks of hillary clinton<u+2019>s cautious <u+2014> and surprisingly risky <u+2014> campaign. yes, hillary clinton may be all that stands between us and the apocalypse. and as she says, <u+201c>we face some hard choices.<u+201d> however, her rhetoric comes across either as the obtuse promises we<u+2019>ve heard before or as personal attacks on trump that aren<u+2019>t effective. too many politicians have had their heads in the sand for too long, concerned only about holding office. trump, who vows to smash all before him, seems the only remedy to a status quo that<u+2019>s not working. to prevent the release of the kraken known as trump, i would advise clinton that we didn<u+2019>t get to where we are solely thanks to republicans. democrats share the blame. therefore, a little contrition would be a good way to start her conversation with the electorate. that would add much to her credibility, the lack of which is her biggest liability. karen hartman, douglas, mich. is there any doubt that hillary clinton is the most vilified public figure of this still-young century? one national network has a mission to destroy her. the right-wing-conspiracy-driven social-media ecosystem hates her, as do many members of congress and a wide swath of the population. is it any wonder that she is a private person in a public role? can anyone really blame her or hold it against clinton to shrink in a defensive crouch when her opponent asserts she is a devil whom he would throw in jail? i, for one, conclude that trump was spot on about clinton: she fights hard, she doesn<u+2019>t quit and she doesn<u+2019>t give up. are not those the qualities of a leader? forget her less-than-sizzling persona. ignore the lingering tides of sexism still awash in the country. hillary rodham clinton has absolutely been through the gantlet of public and personal challenges unlike any other public figure in my lifetime. i will enthusiastically cast my vote for her next month. paul bernish, cincinnati, ohio re: adderall casey schwartz details her use of prescription stimulants to get through school and to start her career <u+2014> and her struggle to stop. casey schwartz<u+2019>s very readable article details her experience with prescription-drug abuse and addiction and her hard-won struggle to break free. but her personal tale of fall and redemption leaves behind a different generation adderall: the sort of kid she herself used to tutor in los angeles, who may have been prescribed the drug as a last resort in order to function in society <u+2014> i.e., in school <u+2014> by following rules and lesson plans and without disrupting those around them. as schwartz suggests in her piece, research on the long-term effects of extended use of prescription amphetamines is sadly insufficient and inconclusive. and that research is imperative for the health and safety of the children who have taken the drug for years, every morning according to a prescribed dosage, and who may need to learn to live with adderall, or its future equivalents, indefinitely <u+2014> in order to continue to hear music of their own. elisa isaacson, albany, calif. casey schwartz<u+2019>s punchy, engrossing narrative about the experience of trying and becoming addicted to adderall illuminates a conclusion that should surprise no one: diversion of medication to patients who have not been diagnosed properly never turns out well. sadly, years after her foray into abusing adderall, a psychiatrist <u+201c>legitimized<u+201d> schwartz<u+2019>s addiction by doing a hasty job of evaluating her, apparently offering no counseling or education about a.d.h.d. instead, she was sent on her way to more stimulant misuse and trouble, apparently without any follow-up appointments being required by the prescribing physician. although she claims that she faked her inattentive symptoms to secure her script for adderall, it could be that schwartz did and does in fact have a milder, subclinical form of a.d.h.d., given what appears to be a history of repeated problems with procrastination and inconsistent effort, particularly during college. if so, medication judiciously taken and monitored, and used in concert with other supports (psychotherapy, executive-function coaching, proper levels of exercise and sleep), might have prevented her from becoming swept up in the ravages of addiction. instead, proper diagnosis and treatment might have allowed her to function fully and well during her 20-something years. frances c. sutherland, ph.d., bryn mawr, pa. send your thoughts to magazine@nytimes.com . sign up for our newsletter to get the best of the new york times magazine delivered to your inbox every week. a version of this article appears in print on october 30, 2016, on page mm12 of the sunday magazine . today's paper | subscribe
the 10.16.16 issue
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