ADD/ADHD is way over diagnosed.

VTBoy · September 7, 2006, 12:53pm

90+% of the kids who are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD are just lazy. Hell I would say the number is close to 100%. We need to stop kids pills for being lazy and telling them it isn’t their fault, when it is. Children need to learn to work hard, and not rely on pills to curb their lazyness. Children who have “symptoms” of ADD/ADHD should be punished until they improve, not treated like they have some illness.

johnnzen · September 19, 2006, 12:48am

Is this from your personal experience? Hearsay?

Nobody is born perfectly equal, most are “average”, but there are few who are born lesser. By lesser I mean by anything from their physical stature to their mental abilities. From personal experience, I have seen many ADD students that have trouble with hyperactivity, remembering things, and focusing.

They’re not lazy at all, in fact some of them are the hardest working people I know because they have to go to such great lengths to compensate for their disability. A friend of mine does everything he can do to study, he frequently attempts to study, but finds that he is barraged by all the noise and distractions around him. Sometimes he just stares at the paper for hours, rewriting sentences over and over trying to understand and or memorizing them, but to no avail. He needs to carry all his books with him (those college books get heavy…) since he frequently forgets what he needs to bring to class. His attention span is too short to acquire concepts in the time an average person would take.

It’s true that most with ADD have very similar characteristics to the “average” person. Laziness, procrastination, daydreaming, etc. All too often people see ADD characteristics as something everyone has, they feel that ADD is just a made up name for laziness. This is false. ADD reflects the HIGH degree of laziness, procrastination, daydreaming, hyperactivity, and concentration, not simply having these characteristics.

In certain cases that i’m attempting to apply your punishment solution, I find it difficult to punish a kid (referring to the same student I mentioned before) who studies longer than the average student and still receive mediocre scores. Also, my definition of studying longer means, studying during the week, in addition to fridays, and a portion of the weekend. I just can’t see myself punishing someone who goes above and beyond and still falls short.

Not to mention, not all ADD/ADHD students have poor grades. Some of them are very successful in their academics, and their careers. I’d go into detail on famous stars on TV and businessmen with ADD, but i’ve got better things to do :). However due to their ADD/ADHD, they are forced to work that extra mile that which most do not need to do.

On a social level, I also find it difficult to punish a someone with ADD for being unable to communicate well with friends. I remember being in class with a student with ADHD, and he found it difficult to carry on a conversation with others. He couldn’t follow the topic of the conversation cause his mind would wander off.

I believe many of them shouldn’t rely on the pills. That is why many of them seek treatment and therapy. I can’t say much for those who don’t seek long term treatment, but this is how it should be done. Since I am no psychologist, I cannot comment on the percentage of kids who are wrongly diagnosed of ADD, but I do know this: it is very real. Oh yeah, lets not forget that medication is also used to hasten the behavioral modification treatment.

1q2w · September 19, 2006, 11:13am

VTBoy has no psychological knowledge. Ignorance brings about prejudice.

whatismouse · September 20, 2006, 8:59pm

there is evidence to support the claim that add/adhd is not an actual disorder, but rather a difference of brain function. it is therefore stupid and demeaning to treat it like a disorder with pills, etc, when actually it is the schools that are not flexible to teach multiple types of learners.

now, i am what some would call ADD, because i have trouble focusing, and it often takes several tries to read something before it sticks.

my laziness stems from the inability to perform work efficiently. when i see myself work hard and long with little results, i am more likely just to not put forth the effort next time.

johnnzen · September 21, 2006, 12:50am

ADD/ADHD students can’t afford to wait for schools to “come around” and adjust to the special needs of students. It’s a dog eat dog world, and the kids with ADD/ADHD have a higher chance of coming out with lesser socioeconomic status because of this. Just to name one reason pills should be used, is to level the playing field. Students are competing against each other in the marathon to college…

BIGTWIX · October 13, 2006, 9:35pm

ide say vtboy is quite dumb.

CITATION_X · October 14, 2006, 2:20am

While the original poster may be overstating their case, a large amount of it is true, In fact in the book OVERDOSED AMERICA, a Harvard MD clearly lays out the case for the harm many of these prescription drugs are doing - sometimes for either made-up or very questionable diseases or syndromes

The trend is to medicalize EVERYTHING TODAY

No one can be dumb, they just have a learning disability

Can’t pay attention? Its ADD

Can’t sit still or finish anything? Its HD

If you are a HOT HEAD, and run someone down with your car -gee it might be IED, intermittent explosive disorder

There are probably 100 of such “diseases” - which in the end means NO ONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING

Jman2306 · October 17, 2006, 5:53pm

^I agree with you completely.

Americans give names to everything…looking for excuses.

And about the pills…my cousin used to take medication when he was told he had ADD and they made him miserable. He was in a much worse condition than he was before medication. He’s stopped taking them, and he is gradually getting better.

I haven’t taken any pills (or any other form of medication, no tylenol…nothing) for about 3-4 years and I have never felt better.

foxracing · November 3, 2006, 6:23pm

The kids that went through elementary school, middle school and high school w/ add w/ out meds and got into college is remarkable. Passing in college w/ out meds is almost impossible. Im pretty much against medication, but when i got to college i couldnt be organized. I lost my id multiple times. I was not able to focus on studying, i was just trying to remember if i had an appointment w/ someone. So a lot of kids are probably over diagnosed, but for some of us we really need that help, and without i wouldnt be in college. Sad? maybe, but i do not really care, im in a great school, getting good grades and only got 2 more years to go.

Allmusic · November 3, 2006, 6:52pm

I find it hard to believe that I actually fully concur with Citation on anything, but one this one, I do.

ADD is real condition, but it is absolutely, categorically, overprescribed. We overpathologize children, look for pills to fix anything that isn’t perfect. No one can tolerate too much movement or a bad mood. We zombiefy our children, so we can teach them all the same way.

emeraldkity4 · November 3, 2006, 11:42pm

I was at a fabulous workshop last night given by John Ratey,Psychiatrist and professor at Harvard medical school.
He has up to the minute research that illustrated in a way I had never seen before the pathways through the brain and explained how those brains with ADHD work differently and what parts of the brain are affected.
By using photographs of tests given to non adhd brains and those with ADHD performing the same tasks, i was able to see why it does take those with ADD longer and why it is so much more difficult.
They aren’t even using the right part of the brain!
<a href=“http://www.johnratey.com/[/url]”>http://www.johnratey.com/</a>
<a href=“http://www.nclnet.org/health/adhd/costs.htm[/url]”>http://www.nclnet.org/health/adhd/costs.htm</a>

emeraldkity4 · November 3, 2006, 11:48pm

Here is the International Consensus Statement:

January 2002

We, the undersigned consortium of 75 international scientists, are deeply concerned about the periodic inaccurate portrayal of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in media reports. This is a disorder with which we are all very familiar and toward which many of us have dedicated scientific studies if not entire careers. We fear that inaccurate stories rendering ADHD as myth, fraud, or benign condition may cause thousands of sufferers not to seek treatment for their disorder. It also leaves the public with a general sense that this disorder is not valid or real or consists of a rather trivial affliction.

We have created this consensus statement on ADHD as a reference on the status of the scientific findings concerning this disorder, its validity, and its adverse impact on the lives of those diagnosed with the disorder as of this writing (January 2002).

Occasional coverage of the disorder casts the story in the form of a sporting event with evenly matched competitors. The views of a handful of non-expert doctors that ADHD does not exist are contrasted against mainstream scientific views that it does, as if both views had equal merit. Such attempts at balance give the public the impression that there is substantial scientific disagreement over whether ADHD is a real medical condition. In fact, there is no such disagreement --at least no more so than there is over whether smoking causes cancer, for example, or whether a virus causes HIV/AIDS.

The U.S. Surgeon General, the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), among others, all recognize ADHD as a valid disorder. While some of these organizations have issued guidelines for evaluation and management of the disorder for their membership, this is the first consensus statement issued by an independent consortium of leading scientists concerning the status of the disorder. Among scientists who have devoted years, if not entire careers, to the study of this disorder there is no controversy regarding its existence.
ADHD and Science

We cannot over emphasize the point that, as a matter of science, the notion that ADHD does not exist is simply wrong. All of the major medical associations and government health agencies recognize ADHD as a genuine disorder because the scientific evidence indicating it is so is overwhelming.

Various approaches have been used to establish whether a condition rises to the level of a valid medical or psychiatric disorder. A very useful one stipulates that there must be scientifically established evidence that those suffering the condition have a serious deficiency in or failure of a physical or psychological mechanism that is universal to humans. That is, all humans normally would be expected, regardless of culture, to have developed that mental ability.

And there must be equally incontrovertible scientific evidence that this serious deficiency leads to harm to the individual. Harm is established through evidence of increased mortality, morbidity, or impairment in the major life activities required of one’s developmental stage in life. Major life activities are those domains of functioning such as education, social relationships, family functioning, independence and self-sufficiency, and occupational functioning that all humans of that developmental level are expected to perform.

As attested to by the numerous scientists signing this document, there is no question among the world’s leading clinical researchers that ADHD involves a serious deficiency in a set of psychological abilities and that these deficiencies pose serious harm to most individuals possessing the disorder. Current evidence indicates that deficits in behavioral inhibition and sustained attention are central to this disorder – facts demonstrated through hundreds of scientific studies. And there is no doubt that ADHD leads to impairments in major life activities, including social relations, education, family functioning, occupational functioning, self-sufficiency, and adherence to social rules, norms, and laws. Evidence also indicates that those with ADHD are more prone to physical injury and accidental poisonings. This is why no professional medical, psychological, or scientific organization doubts the existence of ADHD as a legitimate disorder.

The central psychological deficits in those with ADHD have now been linked through numerous studies using various scientific methods to several specific brain regions (the frontal lobe, its connections to the basal ganglia, and their relationship to the central aspects of the cerebellum). Most neurological studies find that as a group those with ADHD have less brain electrical activity and show less reactivity to stimulation in one or more of these regions. And neuro-imaging studies of groups of those with ADHD also demonstrate relatively smaller areas of brain matter and less metabolic activity of this brain matter than is the case in control groups used in these studies.

**These same psychological deficits in inhibition and attention have been found in numerous studies of identical and fraternal twins conducted across various countries (US, Great Britain, Norway, Australia, etc.) to be primarily inherited. The genetic contribution to these traits is routinely found to be among the highest for any psychiatric disorder (70-95% of trait variation in the population), nearly approaching the genetic contribution to human height. One gene has recently been reliably demonstrated to be associated with this disorder and the search for more is underway by more than 12 different scientific teams worldwide at this time.<a href=“Harvard%20research%20indicates%20that%20there%20are%20links%20on%2043%20genes%20so%20far-EK”>/b</a>

Numerous studies of twins demonstrate that family environment makes no significant separate contribution to these traits. This is not to say that the home environment, parental management abilities, stressful life events, or deviant peer relationships are unimportant or have no influence on individuals having this disorder, as they certainly do. Genetic tendencies are expressed in interaction with the environment. Also, those having ADHD often have other associated disorders and problems, some of which are clearly related to their social environments. But it is to say that the underlying psychological deficits that comprise ADHD itself are not solely or primarily the result of these environmental factors.

This is why leading international scientists, such as the signers below, recognize the mounting evidence of neurological and genetic contributions to this disorder. This evidence, coupled with countless studies on the harm posed by the disorder and hundreds of studies on the effectiveness of medication, buttresses the need in many, though by no means all, cases for management of the disorder with multiple therapies. These include medication combined with educational, family, and other social accommodations. This is in striking contrast to the wholly unscientific views of some social critics in periodic media accounts that ADHD constitutes a fraud, that medicating those afflicted is questionable if not reprehensible, and that any behavior problems associated with ADHD are merely the result of problems in the home, excessive viewing of TV or playing of video games, diet, lack of love and attention, or teacher/school intolerance.

ADHD is not a benign disorder. For those it afflicts, ADHD can cause devastating problems. Follow-up studies of clinical samples suggest that sufferers are far more likely than normal people to drop out of school (32-40%), to rarely complete college (5-10%), to have few or no friends (50-70%), to under perform at work (70-80%), to engage in antisocial activities (40-50%), and to use tobacco or illicit drugs more than normal. Moreover, children growing up with ADHD are more likely to experience teen pregnancy (40%) and sexually transmitted diseases (16%), to speed excessively and have multiple car accidents, to experience depression (20-30%) and personality disorders (18-25%) as adults, and in hundreds of other ways mismanage and endanger their lives.

Yet despite these serious consequences, studies indicate that less than half of those with the disorder are receiving treatment. The media can help substantially to improve these circumstances. It can do so by portraying ADHD and the science about it as accurately and responsibly as possible while not purveying the propaganda of some social critics and fringe doctors whose political agenda would have you and the public believe there is no real disorder here. To publish stories that ADHD is a fictitious disorder or merely a conflict between today’s Huckleberry Finns and their caregivers is tantamount to declaring the earth flat, the laws of gravity debatable, and the periodic table in chemistry a fraud. ADHD should be depicted in the media as realistically and accurately as it is depicted in science – as a valid disorder having varied and substantial adverse impact on those who may suffer from it through no fault of their own or their parents and teachers.

Sincerely,

Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D.
Professor
Depts. Of Psychiatry and Neurology
University of Massachusetts Medical School
55 Lake Avenue North
Worcester, MA 01655 ( & et.al.)

ttp://<a href=“http://www.additudemag.com/additude.asp?DEPT_NO=201&SUB_NO=7”>www.additudemag.com/additude.asp?DEPT_NO=201&SUB_NO=7</a>

The_Nomad · November 5, 2006, 10:47pm

My brother has ADD and takes medication for it. He didn’t start taking it until his sophomore year of college. He breezed through high school and didn’t do much work at all. As soon as he got to college, he could not pass his classes because he could not focus. He would study for hours on end and not be able to retain any of it because he had major focusing problems. Once he got on medication, he did extremely well and got on the dean’s list a few times and still managed to graduate in 4 1/2 years. Idk about anyone else but I believe in diagnosing people for serious cases of ADD.

WindSlicer · November 6, 2006, 4:19am

“but when i got to college i couldnt be organized. I lost my id multiple times. I was not able to focus on studying, i was just trying to remember if i had an appointment w/ someone.”

I’m like 10 times worse than that. I forget at least 10 times per day where my pencil is, I misplace my keys and wallet multiple times daily (I’ve lost about 2 sets of keys already… don’t ask) and yesterday I forgot my backpack at church. I constantly have to make U-turns because I’ve forgotten something at the last place I was. I’d have to say that I spend more time looking for my homework than actually doing it.

I don’t call that a need for medication… I’m just forgetful and compensate for it.

emeraldkity4 · November 6, 2006, 8:11am

I am getting better at not losing things- but I still have to repeat over and over what I am on my way to do ( like use the bathroom)
But so far I don’t have to write myself a note! :D

tsdad · November 7, 2006, 1:01pm

Don’t feed the ■■■■■.

whatismouse · November 7, 2006, 8:14pm

before i go to bed i put all my work in my backpack and get it organized so that i wont forget anything on those early mornings. last night i took stuff out of my backpack at 10:00, accomplished nothing and decided i would go to bed at 11. 1.5 hours later at 12:15 i finally stopped procrastinating putting the stuff in my bag so i could go to bed.

you know youve got problems when you sacrifice 90 minutes of sleep because you cant focus for 30 seconds to organize your backpack.

Nixxi · November 12, 2006, 9:06am

Even if it was just laziness, if there’s a cure for it or atleast a psychological impact (Placebo) then why not medicate?

WindSlicer · November 13, 2006, 12:31pm

Side-effects?

The knowledge that you need medicine to control yourself has to be psychologically draining. It would for me, at least.

stewie314 · November 13, 2006, 1:18pm

And yet, for me, it is a whole heck of a lot more psychologically draining to suffer from the symptoms of ADD than to try to completely go it on my own.

ADD/ADHD is way over diagnosed.

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