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ADHD doesn't exist?

burk48237

burk48237

Supporting Member
Nov 22, 2004
9,850
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Oak Park, MI
#1
Here's another interesting piece from New Republic. Written by a Behavioral Neurologist who has published a book on the same subject. Now I don't pretend to be a behavior neurologist or clinical psychologist, and I've never played one on TV so I'm not qualified to be pundit or testify to a congressional committee on the subject. :D

But I doubt anyone with an ounce of common sense would disagree with the statement that ADHD is the most over-diagnosed aliment in history. I do know that I would have been a Ritilin kid without question. I still can't sit still if Will Lee is playing. At the very least it's an interesting take.

:hiding:

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116625/adhd-does-not-exist
 
#3
I can see where the author is coming in from in that ADHD doesn't exist in the same manner as many other diseases, but it might be that we just don't have a full understanding of the condition.

I will definitely agree that ADHD is wayyyy over-diagnosed in school children - even I had ADHD as a child (and probably still do as an adult) but I'm no longer on medications for it and just have a lot of self-discipline to control it and allow it to work for me rather than against me. And it definitely makes me sick to know that my nephews are on pills for ADHD - I wish that on nobody.

Peace,
Greg
 
#5
My son had very severe ADHD, it got better with age but he still has a pretty bad attention disorder.
ADHD is very real and a kid who's got such issues can't be missed.
My opinion is that they have always been very common but weren't adressed.
Our society is very demanding so there is no room for special needs, even at school.
My son would be much happier if allowed a lot more liberty and less stress from the school system, unfortunately this isn't how things go.

A kid with ADHD isn't fit for society but in reality it's society that refuses to adapt to the needs of ADHD kids (and adults).
What are we to do, as individuals ? We can't change society as a whole so we need to find a way to make the kids fit.
 
#6
The article seems to say since one kid's behavior problems were caused by bipolar syndrome and were originally diagnosed as ADHD that ADHD doesn't exist? Or that Since ADHD may have many causes that ADHD doesn't exist? This writer is just fooling with definitions.

It isn't groundbreaking science to state that ADHD has many causes. There is nothing new in coming to the conclusion that all patients with similar symptoms may not respond the same to identical treatment.

I say "duh".

This article is just some "shiny thing" to attract you in to the page and click on the advertisements disguised as news articles at the bottom of the page.
 
#7
ADHD is indeed overdiagnosed. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
In psychiatry and in medicine in general (and especially in media-driven medicine) there's always a "diagnosis du jour", which gets thrown about left and right.
Now everybody with poor social skills has "Aspergers". Which also DOES exist, just not to the degree that it's currently fashionable.

Re ADHD - when I was doing my psychology internships, we had a presentation from the psychiatrist at the Haight-Ashbury clinic. He was talking about ADHD, and said that he had (for his patient population) a clear diagnostic question that identified those with ADHD.

The question - "What happened the first time you took meth?"

The answer from most people was something like "me and my buddies stayed up all night, went to about half a dozen bars and drove our motorcycles down to LA."

For many specific people, the answer went something like "well, it was weird, all my buddies went out all night and drove their bikes down to LA, but I felt really mellow and sat down and watched a movie - and I could follow everything that was going on! After that I went to bed. Am I weird?"

That gave me a pretty clear sense that there is biochemistry associated with at least some ADHD.
 
#13
Gotta chime in here - Statistically, ADHD is under diagnosed. While it may be over diagnosed in wealthier school districts, it is very under diagnosed in working class and poor neighborhoods. It is a difference, rather than a disorder, except in cases where it seriously messes up a person's life. People with ADHD have lower levels of Dopamine availability in their frontal cortex. This area has many jobs; one is to help us concentrate. Part of concentration is our ability to shut up our movement, physical sensitivity, emotions, and memories. You can watch this process on a brain scan.

Why do you think 75% of male American prison inmates have ADHD or another learning disability?

Treatment works. I've watched it happen many times, including in adults. ADHD is just as real as diabetes and depression. All that matters is, how to best deal with it?
 
#14
kesslari said:
Re ADHD - when I was doing my psychology internships, we had a presentation from the psychiatrist at the Haight-Ashbury clinic. He was talking about ADHD, and said that he had (for his patient population) a clear diagnostic question that identified those with ADHD.

The question - "What happened the first time you took meth?"

The answer from most people was something like "me and my buddies stayed up all night, went to about half a dozen bars and drove our motorcycles down to LA."

For many specific people, the answer went something like "well, it was weird, all my buddies went out all night and drove their bikes down to LA, but I felt really mellow and sat down and watched a movie - and I could follow everything that was going on! After that I went to bed. Am I weird?"

That gave me a pretty clear sense that there is biochemistry associated with at least some ADHD.
Click to expand...

Yeah, also why Ritalin (another stimulant which increases dopamine in the system) is used to calm ADHD kids when a normal person would be ratcheted up by the effects. Also why many with ADHD turn to smoking. It also helps provide clarity and focus.
 
#15
Chainsaw Willie said:
The article seems to say since one kid's behavior problems were caused by bipolar syndrome and were originally diagnosed as ADHD that ADHD doesn't exist? Or that Since ADHD may have many causes that ADHD doesn't exist? This writer is just fooling with definitions.
Click to expand...

It is possible that what we currently call "ADHD" is actually just an umbrella term for several different disorders that just present similar symptoms. In that case, there is no "ADHD".

That doesn't mean those identified as suffering from "ADHD" don't have a real illness - it just means it was wrongly diagnosed.
 
#16
Jared Lash said:
Yeah, also why Ritalin (another stimulant which increases dopamine in the system) is used to calm ADHD kids when a normal person would be ratcheted up by the effects...
Click to expand...

That's not really true. Psychostimulants work on anybody. They are highly abused on college campuses as a study aid. They allow you to better focus on whatever it is you are doing, from work to play.
 
#17
Chainsaw Willie said:
The article seems to say since one kid's behavior problems were caused by bipolar syndrome and were originally diagnosed as ADHD that ADHD doesn't exist? Or that Since ADHD may have many causes that ADHD doesn't exist? This writer is just fooling with definitions.

It isn't groundbreaking science to state that ADHD has many causes. There is nothing new in coming to the conclusion that all patients with similar symptoms may not respond the same to identical treatment.

I say "duh".

This article is just some "shiny thing" to attract you in to the page and click on the advertisements disguised as news articles at the bottom of the page.
Click to expand...

The article is an excerpt from the authors book on the same subject, so it doesn't intend to be a complete argument. Like most excerpts the intention is to get you to buy the book.

The source is one of the most highly respected left of center opinion magazines in the US (The New Republic) which has been around since the early 1900's. While my politics for the record are from the other Perspective, I do find they are worth checking out for some ( most of the time ) thoughtful views.
 
#18
aborgman said:
It is possible that what we currently call "ADHD" is actually just an umbrella term for several different disorders that just present similar symptoms. In that case, there is no "ADHD".

That doesn't mean those identified as suffering from "ADHD" don't have a real illness - it just means it was wrongly diagnosed.
Click to expand...

I think this is a valid point. I also think kids, especially kids living in todays, don't hurt their feelings, no discipline, parenting generation are active and have almost never been told NO. They naturally have short attention spans, they don't like to sit still. I remember I got held back in 3rd grade because I couldn't sit in class. I was a good student with a huge imagination, and it wasn't challenging me. An ADHD diagnosis would have just been a ploy to get me "in line".

And I wonder how many ADHD diagnosis are just lazy child raising, keep the kids in line without the hard work of discipline and real parenting?
 
#20
I used to think that the whole ADHD thing was a load of crap.

Over diagnosed, a way for pharm. companies to sell drugs to lazy parents looking for an easy way to control their brat offspring.

But now I think that it could be caused environmentally.

Autism, ADHD, HR positive cancers....... All things that wern't around in such numbers when I was young are everywhere today.
Kinda hard to dismiss the idea that all of the chemicals that we are putting into our bodies daily may just be causing us harm.


Xenoestrogens - (google it)
Maybe our lifestyle is making us sick, and lack of concentration is just one of the ways.
 

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