ADD/ADHD Discussion

[Chun Liroy]

Hey all, I actually had planned on making this thread before the other person made his thread, but I decided not to make it and see what the responses were. Anyways, I just got back from college and I come to find out that my nephew was diagnosed with ADD, and is now being prescribed for it. Now, in my opinion, I'm skeptical about it. My sister brought him to the doctor because he was having trouble with reading and math, and focusing on the subjects, but to me it sounds like a normal kid who is just disinterested. He LOVES reading about anything and everything science related and can sit around for hours watching discovery and history and probably knows more about sharks than I do. But, that's besides the point. I'm curious on everyone's opinions on the diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. Do you believe it is over diagnosed in children or that the influx of ADD diagnoses is due to a better understanding of the disorder? Do you believe that there is even legitamacy to the disorder other than the extreme cases?

I personally believe that it is over diagnosed, especially in children. They already have the attention span of a gnat and they watch television more than ever nowadays. I know I have trouble focusing on anything that I deem boring, and I must constantly be doing more than 1 thing at a time to keep myself busy (browsing BG while watching TV and listening to music while playing FFXI or whatever), so I can't imagine what it would be like for elementary school kids.

[Qalbert]

Hey all, I actually had planned on making this thread before the other person made his thread, but I got distracted

ftfy

[solanis]

WALL O' TEXT

it's probably over-diagnosed, but I think a big part of it is a better understanding of the disorder. the news makes it sound like every kid in the class is hopped up on adderall, which simply isn't true. I was mis-diagnosed with it when I was very little (like 5 or 6) and was on heavy, destructive medication for the next 10 or so years. the day they took me off it, I was fine.

that being said, I get annoyed with people who virulently oppose diagnosis of ADD or ADHD, as if they are a medical professional with more of a grip on matters than the psychologist or psychiatrist who made the diagnosis. modern treatment of ADD and ADHD is a lot better than what was around when I was a kid. the therapy aspect is much more pronounced than it was back then, with an emphasis on behavioral therapy, which any distracted kid can benefit from. doctors are much better at figuring out what the fuck with regards to meds, too.

oh and another thing that bothers me is when people say, "oh taking meds is the easy solution". who are you to belittle or judge a treatment option that works for someone? that's like saying, "oh you're bipolar, you shouldn't take your meds since that's the easy way out", it's bullshit and drives me crazy no pun intended

[Blubbartron]

"I was given totally unnecessary medication that fucked with my developing brain in ways that probably aren't fully understood for almost a decade, but it's all good!" Seriously solanis? That's cool with you? That story is a testament for using extreme care in drugging children just because they aren't behaving the way people think they should behave.

[solanis]

"I was given totally unnecessary medication that fucked with my developing brain in ways that probably aren't fully understood for almost a decade, but it's all good!" Seriously solanis? That's cool with you? That story is a testament for using extreme care in drugging children just because they aren't behaving the way people think they should behave.

maybe the meds made me gay?!

the reason I support it is because cases like mine are in the minority. my twin sister has had amazing success with medication (she actually has the disorder, go figure) and the diagnosis made perfect sense... it just wasn't correct. mistakes are made. I think as a parent, if your diagnosing specialist doesn't recommend a treatment plan HINGING on therapy, let alone incorporating it, you should be wary and seek a second opinion. those are the doctors who over-diagnose and are up to no good. otherwise, medical professionals know what they're doing after like 12 years in school. understanding of ADD and ADHD is much better now as well than it was in the 90s when I was diagnosed.

[Melchiah]

Mistakes are made because it's easier to tell a parent that their kid "has a condition" than it is to say "Stop being a fuckhead and BE A PARENT." I was on Ritalin when I was in the 4th grade. I made bad grades in elementary school because I chose not to apply myself, not because I had a medical problem. I continued to make bad grades, again, because I chose not to apply myself.

Parents aren't parents anymore. They don't accept the responsibility that comes with the job. This is why ADD diagnoses are scoffed at, not because they're false in principle, but because it's usually not the case.

[Ksandra]

overdiagnosed = severely

does it exist outside of extreme cases = absolutely


ADD is one of the hardest syndrome to diagnose in the first place which doesn't help, and it's become the "easy" answer. Which is bad for those that are wrongfully diagnosed, and bad for those who are rightly diagnosed and have people look at them negatively.

[Silenka]

When I was a kid I was quite a bit like the kid in OP's post. My parents took me to our family doctor (who is very no-nonsense and tries not to perscribe anything if he doesn't have to) because they thought I had ADD. My doctor said that I was just a god damn kid and that's what kids do: they are hyperactive, have short attention spans because everything is new to them, and too much energy. Thankfully, I got to grow up without a shitty false diagnosis. But I've seen what seem to be false diagnoses way too often with people I knew in school and even in college now, though much less so. It's just amazing to me that the ADD/ADHD label is slapped so broadly onto anyone who is fidgety and has trouble paying attention. I think that's just normal for a lot of people as long as it's not causing an intense concentration problem to the point where the person can't function in daily life properly.

[kuronosan]

Let's talk about something else.

[WahiGuard]

Most likely your nephew is just smarter than other children his age. You said he`s really interested in science, how many kids like that at that age? Not a whole lot most want ice cream and power rangers(or whatever is popular with kids these days). If you want to help your nephew nurture his interests and allow him to have creative outlets. If he is still jumpy I honestly recommend putting him in martial arts classes. I did martial arts(tung so do to be exact) for about eleven years, teaches discipline and respect for your peers.

I have personal experience with over diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. I was put on Ritalin and the drug made me a zombie my mom told me once. I would just sit stare and not eat at all. I was interested in astronomy and meteorology younger, not Cat in the Hat and, my mom had already taught me how to read before I went to preschool. So of course any child who had a strong foundation would have been bored in classes teaching the basics. So your nephew may just be an advanced student who misbehaves because he is not getting the stimulus he needs.

[Stromgarde]

1) Listen to the medical professionals
2) For a better understanding of the condition, consider reading 'Driven to Distraction', by Hallowell and Ratey.

[Souj]

1 out of every 4 kids with the initials A.D.D actually has it, and 4 out of 4 kids with the initials A.D.H.D have an annoying self-righteous mother who wouldn't just shut the fuck up and take her husband's last name.

[Chun Liroy]

Most likely your nephew is just smarter than other children his age. You said he`s really interested in science, how many kids like that at that age? Not a whole lot most want ice cream and power rangers(or whatever is popular with kids these days). If you want to help your nephew nurture his interests and allow him to have creative outlets. If he is still jumpy I honestly recommend putting him in martial arts classes. I did martial arts(tung so do to be exact) for about eleven years, teaches discipline and respect for your peers.

I have personal experience with over diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. I was put on Ritalin and the drug made me a zombie my mom told me once. I would just sit stare and not eat at all. I was interested in astronomy and meteorology younger, not Cat in the Hat and, my mom had already taught me how to read before I went to preschool. So of course any child who had a strong foundation would have been bored in classes teaching the basics. So your nephew may just be an advanced student who misbehaves because he is not getting the stimulus he needs.

Well this is more about him giving me thoughts about it than diagnosing him, lol. He gets bad grades in math and reading, and his mother is making him stay back a year which I have mixed feelings about, but it's not my child. His mom gives him plenty of stimuli and makes him do his homework etc., but then again I haven't been around as much the past couple years (Left for college) so maybe I just don't know as well. I guess part of my problem is I'm also fairly skeptical with the fluidity of psychological disorders and their diagnoses.

[hey]

Well it is clearly over diagnosed. But it is real, and the meds for it do hep.

I took adderall when i was younger for some 5-6 years, and it really did help tremendously, and i did not suffer any noticeable side affects. I could probably benefit from it now too even, but for the most part, if i really care to focus on something, i can do so with minimal effort. However when i am bored, not interested in something, or just doing something i am not consciously trying to focus on, my add is pretty obvious. Like, for example a 30 minute tv show takes me a bare minimum of an hour to watch, since i constantly pause it to do 10 other things at once. Which gets quite annoying, because sometimes i will stop doing something i want to do, to do some random bullshit, like clean my ceiling, etc.

Yeah, i forgot what i was getting at there, because i started typing this 20 minutes ago. Oh god, that's sad.

[Mici]

Hugely over diagnosed and medicated. It's just a lump condition, any thing wrong with your kid, ADD, done, next!
I was medicated for it all through elementary>High school. Grades never changed, still shit, and the side affects sucked ass. I had to be on a nutrition supplement because I wouldn't eat for 3 days. Not only did I not act hyper, I didn't do shit, I sat there all god damn day doing nothing because I was so med fucked. Got to High school and they put me in special ed so I have a chance at a diploma, up my meds more.
Special ed teacher gets me tested for dyslexia. I have dyslexia, finish the last 3 years of High school with honers and move straight on to college with no problems. All because I read a different way than most.
The medication can cause a LOT more problems than the condition it self. I was almost classified as having down syndrome because I took an IQ test on the pills.

[Gredival]

ADD/ADHD is overdiagnosed because parents would rather believe a medical condition is holding their child back rather than believe their child just can't cut the grades. It's the same way that a lot of people self-diagnose themselves as autistic because they want to believe their social awkwardness isn't their fault and they want to associate themselves with autistic geniuses.

ADD/ADHD doesn't mean you can't focus on anything, it just means you can't focus on something that doesn't stimulate you. Since we all have issues focusing on boring stuff, really the disorder is matter of severity here. That's another factor in overdiagnosis -- with all the readily available stimuli in modern society (interwebs and vidya games), it's really easy for kids to find everything scholastic boring through sheer relativity. Not to mention lots of children education TV is harmful in that regard because everything is plastered with flashing lights and songs so kids are conditioned to learn that way and then suddenly they get sat down in a desk and have to listen to a teacher talk for 6-7 hours a day. But with how busy parents are in modern society (we no longer have women who don't work and can spend all day watching the children), that type of TV is a crutch for parents.

I was diagnosed with it but my parents didn't believe in medicating me. They just rode my ass about my grades. Whole "Hymn of the Tiger Mother" type deal. Shit works, but as anyone will tell you the problem with that style of parenting is that it's only effective for so long. Once I went to college and had the freedom to blow school shit off, I definitely get sidetracked and procrastinate more. Not because I'm not capable of the work, but simply because shit is boring. Comparatively if I'm in the middle of a video game match, I could tune out a guy on fire screaming in my room. Do I think I have attention problems? Probably a bit more than other people, but judging by the amount of people on the internet during undergrad/grad school lectures it's nothing unique. It's an age-old problem: you have to spend most of your life doing boring shit to do fun shit on nights/weekends.

[Seanr]

I'm 25 and people tell me all the time I must have ADD/ADHD (maybe Bipolar too), I've never been officially diagnosed and I think at this stage it's too damn late to get an accurate diagnosis. My mom said she never put me on any meds because it could have unknown side effects (glad for that btw...). I honestly think I'm just disinterested in any and every damn thing.

taught me how to read before I went to preschool. So of course any child who had a strong foundation would have been bored in classes teaching the basics. So your nephew may just be an advanced student who misbehaves because he is not getting the stimulus he needs.

This times a million, the problem with me was, they advanced me too damn far ahead so I was kind of assed out at one point

[Dimmauk]

I have ADD and my brother is ADHD. It was tough growing up with it, because it was not diagnosed. They actually thought it was allergies. LOL Later, after my brother was diagnosed, they realized that I was ADD. I also get the not being interested thing. The meds did help, but me and my brother dont take meds anymore.

[WahiGuard]

I'm 25 and people tell me all the time I must have ADD/ADHD (maybe Bipolar too), I've never been officially diagnosed and I think at this stage it's too damn late to get an accurate diagnosis. My mom said she never put me on any meds because it could have unknown side effects (glad for that btw...). I honestly think I'm just disinterested in any and every damn thing.



This times a million, the problem with me was, they advanced me too damn far ahead so I was kind of assed out at one point

Lucky you, my parents didnt want me to skip ahead :/

[Seanr]

They didn't advance me in grades, just classes. Like I was a freshman taking some classes with Juniors and Seniors, I got bumped around in the wrong order in the system. So I was expected to know shit that I didn't learn yet. They started doing that with me in like 4th or 5th grade.