ADHD: medical concern or made-up disorder?

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Many critics of the overmedication of our children contend that there is no such thing as ADHD.

Doctors claim that schools convince parents of a need to drug their active child when none really exists.

Weigh in on this controversial topic.

YOUR TURN! 

Is ADHD a real condition?

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Absolutely, a valid medical concern.

KarateKatGraphics says:

Yes, very real. But unfortunately kids who really have different issues are sometimes misdiagnosed with ADHD. For instance, chronic poor or inadequate sleep can look exactly like ADHD. Anxiety can also cause problems with attention and focus. Careful diagnosis is important. But yes--we deal with it in our family, and it absolutely is a real health issue, just like asthma or diabetes, that requires special care and management.

Posted June 04, 2009

*ME* says:

There are many people that are "creatively wired". That is my personally minted term. :p Anyway, I suffered through it (and still do) all through my school days, and never got any higher education other than high school because of it. I could sit there and read a word problem in say, math... then after reading the 2 lines or so, not remember a darned word. Would have to re-read it. Again... again... and still nothing. (and I EXCEL at reading... straight A's and was reading Judy Blume books since I was 6!) I could have someone tell me to do a couple things at work... and it would be repeated when I asked "huh"??? And I still did not understand a WORD... could see their lips move, but my mind was soooo stressing over something else, that it could not accept any new info.) In stressful or distractful situations, my mind will run like a crashed computer. You can see the little hourglass and know it's REALLY working... but nothing you WANT it to do... is being done. YET... if you are really INTO something, it works for your benefit, since your mind will seek out (sometimes all day LONG) details in every way shape or form... regardless of what your mind SHOULD be doing otherwise. My daughter is medicated (I am still not) and only because of her grades. She had failing reportcards and would have FAILED. We had her start on her med's and the next day, her teacher (not knowing) had personally called to congratulate her on her awesome day. She had not disrupted the class with her fidgeting, and was paying attention finished her work... etc. When she ran out for a while, we tried to see what would happen. Her very next report card was mostly F's. All but 2 that were D's. Back on her med's, and her following report card was a C, three B's and a couple A's. My other two kids don't have ADD, or ADHD. I will concede, that there are SO many ways a mind can work other than what's considered "normal", so it is hard to label mental wiring issues...

Posted April 02, 2009

shara goods says:

i have add and i have to take meds for it and if i dont then i cant foces on nothing and my boyfriend has adhd and he is off the walls when he is not on his mends

Posted February 06, 2009

luvmyludwig says:

ADHD runs in my family. My dad has all the symptoms but was never diagnosed. My ex husband has it. My current husband has it. My son has it. I think I'm drawn to that personality. I have alot of the symptoms, but I have bipolar disorder (recently diagnosed). I am in the view of it's not really a bad thing to have. There are many positive attributes people with ADHD possess. I know there are challenges and I am all for meds if that is what you need. My son takes them because without them school is difficult. He can't process information very well without it because the wheels in his brain are turning too fast. (my way of putting it)He make a's and b's and is in advanced math( he's brillant and I'm not just saying that) but homework is difficult because his meds wear off toward the end of the school day ( high metabolism, nothing we can do)and he's HYPER and not always socially suave, but like I said before I'm drawn to the personality he has. I know ADHD is a valid medical condition, disorder, whatever you want to call it, but it's got it's ups and that includes not only a high IQ, but creative genius.

Posted January 10, 2009

Josh R says:

Dear those who do not believe in ADD because it does not have a chemical test or because they think it has to do with too much sugar...,

First of all ADHD is not "fake" and although you're correct a test is not available however the mechanism is largely well known. ADHD affects dopamine receptors in the brain causing them to be less efficient. The drugs cause more dopamine (in all but stratera which slows them down).
Secound, coming from a family that has one parent with ADHD and all of the kidds with ADD or ADHD, Having a girlfriend with both parents diagnosed with ADD and all four kids with ADD/ADHD, Having a best friend with both parents with ADD and all three kids with ADD.... I do not doubt the genetic connection of ADD.
Third, Many known ideas have accumulated about ADD which are not 100% clinically validated. The main one has to do with how people with ADD (and people I know with ADD) because dopamine is less effective do not react to cocaine in a positive manner.

In Conclusion.....

ADD/ADHD is nowhere near fake.....

Try sticking to some scientific facts.... Just because some might be misdiagnosed in rare cases due to food habits this does not mean that even close to a majority are.
For Example: my girlfriend hates sweets and she snacks on salad.... I doubt the salad would classify as a junk food......

Posted January 08, 2009

babaloo says:

The collection of behaviors/perspectives that now make up the diagnosis of ADHD HAVE been around forever.. They just didn't have a name. But you can bet those kids in the 1820's or 1890's who visited the woodshed often, were likely experiencing the same dilemma of inattentiveness, hyperactivity etc. And refined sugar has been around forever. ANY sweetener turns to glucose once ingested, the results are the same, so I'm not inclined to blame it on sugar. However, the caffiene in chocolate can certainly boost physical activity. Thus the 2 PM candy bar, for a quick 'lift', by so many adults even.
HOW you 'discipline' children with these behaviors can make all the difference. And when I say discipline, I do not mean punishment, which many confuse with each other. Discipline is a teaching/demonstration of coping methods to another, so they can learn/practice self-discipline going forward. Punishment is the doling out of a consequence for a bad behavior.
'Armchair parenting' is very prevelant today, and it's not very effective for any child.
I have one child with obvious ADHD behaviors, now grown up and a viable, contributing citizen. I have another who is a high acheiver, downright charmed in life. Everything goes her way and she too is a viable, contributing citizen. They are like night and day, and the parenting techniques I used were often very different, often the same.
The brain is the last frontier of medical science. We have so much to still learn about how it works and how it works in conjunction with our other systems.
ADHD sufferers are already up against a lot of barriers and speedbumps that others don't experience. Why should we make it even harder, by telling them or their parents that it's their own fault, that some blame should be laid somewhere. Why? Because it makes US feel better to lay that blame.
Drugs are NOT the ultimate solution, but what we have available can be useful, along with learning better methods of guiding children through their early years. And we should not ever forget, they ARE children, not mini-adults. Thier perspective is VERY different than an adult's.

Posted December 04, 2008

dc64 says:

i believe it is valid, but not in the excessive quantities the school system or some doctors would have you believe. Many children are medicated to the point of stupor, just becasue they are acting like kids. Maybe you should be a better teacher, or parent.

Posted October 19, 2008

XP says:

I'm surprised it took five months for someone to chime in with the "bad parenting" angle.

It is a mistake to assume that every child with an ADHD diagnosis is a spoiled brat with wishy-washy parents that don't punish bad behavior and simply want a quick and easy fix. My own story is far from singular.

If you are not deaf, there is no way for you to imagine what going through life without hearing is like. Do you tell a deaf child, your parents simply didn't try hard enough to MAKE you listen?

I am an adult with ADHD. I was not diagnosed, counseled or medicated as a child. Report cards indicated frequent daydreaming, not meeting potential, capable of better, and plenty of other comments that got me disciplined by a firm parent. However, whether your consequences are spanking, time-out, grounding or a cage in the basement, the problem remains that you don't get rid of severe impulsive or inattentive behavior that way.

I know that like me, with maturity my child will develop the necessary coping skills to help him manage his own symptoms as an adult. However, I will not allow this child -- with an IQ in the very superior range -- to miss out on any opportunities for a quality college education by settling for the Ds and Es he receives without intervention for the symptoms that inhibit his school performance.

I do not choose this treatment route for my own relief or for the convenience of his teachers ... I choose it to help ensure his future success.

Posted July 16, 2008

thakidinme says:

my 4th daughter (2nd step and youngest child) has severe ADHD and we had chosen not to medicate which has made things very complicated and stressful for everyone. What reason would we have to 'make up' a disorder, if we are not medicating. If only it were made up and not something these kids actually have to endure, that would be fantastic! Then I wouldn't get all those letters and phone calls from school. I wouldn't get this smart child making the same mistakes over and over. My daughter wouldn't feel so isolated and would know how to treat other children so she could keep a friend. And, my daughter would be able to stop fidgeting and could actually breathe deeply and relax, like the rest of us.

Posted March 07, 2008

Riven Uchiwa says:

I know that discipline is not a "cure" for ADD. When you try to discipline some children with ADD they act out further and shut you out. Being a high IQ, gifted child with ADD myself I can tell you that medication along with a more structured life style, cut down on my mood swings and turned my fails into high B's and even A's. Maybe I would have gotten along fine without my medication, but I think that all the bad attitudes and hateful feelings that I had would have just festerd and grew until there was no one left to hurt but myself.

Posted March 02, 2008

freelief says:

I would have been on the other side if not for my personal experience with a gifted, high IQ child with ADHD impairment. Medication, along with other interventions, helped turn undeserved E's into A's and did wonders for self-esteem and depression as well.

Posted February 14, 2008

Whatever, discipline would "fix" it.

Dr. Daniel K. Wildamar, PhD says:

Its a made up disease. The cure for it is pay the fuck attention and a swift kick in the ass. It was made up as an excuse for lazy children and PC parents that think their 3 yr old should be speaking fluent mandarin and aramaic. This myth has already been busted.

Posted August 28, 2009

KentE says:

There is no proof of a chemical imbalance in the brain which is what the shrinks claim causes this "disease". They never take any brain tissue samples and God forbid they ever will.

We are today exposed to abnormal amounts of sugar in our diets as well as thousands of man made chemicals and drugs that did not exist a 100 years ago.
You do not attack mental issues with drugs. There are no mental bacteria to kill or anything.
visit: http://www.cchr.org/ for more on this.
For more on Government Deception: http://www.squidoo.com/nicerebel

Posted July 19, 2009

Anon says:

it's total bullshit. i remember a few years ago seeing a commercial for ADULT attention deficit disorder. so..at what age does it become ADULT add? when the kid turns 18? a few of my friends take ritalin and concerta because their parents have them thinking that they need it. and i have seen them off the meds, and i prefer them that way. you're made a certain way for a reason.

another side of it is that ADD is just an excuse for shitty parents who, instead of discipling their kids, they drug them.

Posted May 04, 2009

Tyler says:

Everyone matures at a different age. ADHD is not a medical concern. It's normal child behaviour.

Posted January 16, 2009

Kate says:

No, and it's important that no one "fixes" it. I've always been adn "ADHD Atheist" and I say that ALL children have it. Every single one of them. It's NORMAL.

Posted December 23, 2008

carl says:

No, made up by psychiatry and big pharma - follow the $$$$!

Posted November 27, 2008

jason says:

I say it is both. Not discipline, but DIET! Get them off the freakin sugar. Make them go to recess more.
Have you seen the waring labels on riddlin? It's horrible!

Posted September 28, 2008

randy says:

It is not. It should be called give me attention disorder

Posted August 05, 2008

Messenger says:

ADHD is a excuse for parents short comings... Period... When I grew up I never heard of such crap. The problem is little Billy or Suzie has no proper "consistent" discipline in there lives. You have to start at a very young age with your child. They need a firm hand. If you give little Billy the title as having ADHD, then he will always have a excuse every time he does something bad??? The medication must not be enough, make a doctor appointment, because I don't know how to raise my child?? Take them off the medication, and give them some tough love. BE THE PARENT, NOT THE FRIEND. Come on people, think for yourself... We're becoming mindless at an alarming rate.

Posted July 16, 2008

 

My three cents. 

I have a child with ADHD, and yes, I'm sure. I went to four different professionals and got the same diagnosis each time. I tried years of alternative remedies, but when comorbid issues began to run the entire families' life, we resorted to medication.

Never thought I'd be one to "drug" my kid, but if it means that he gets the grades that he deserves and a better chance to go to college, helps prevent severe depression and debilitating anxiety that result from his symptoms if not treated, and as a bonus relieves a great stressor on the entire family, it's worth it.

I would recommend to anyone to try alternative remedies first. Changes in diet, exercise, routines, anything. I know that some look to drugs as a quick fix for a smart, active, bored child -- that too many parents demand it, and too many doctors are willing to prescribe it, or face losing patients. But I absolutely believe that in my case and many like mine, it is the right thing to help my child reach adulthood with the best start he can achieve.

 

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