Is it true that ADHD was only named in 1980?

Question

And if so what was the diagnosis for kids who suffered from it before it was recognised as a medical condition. Were they just classed as brats?

Answer 1

When I went to school we didn't have ADHD and we didn't drug our children. We just called it being a kid.

Answer 2

No, actually ADHD came along in the 90's... regular old ADD was used as the umbrella term for all of it until they made the distinction between the hyperactive variety and non.

I know because I was put on Ritalin for ADD (non-hyperactive) and that was the worst thing that could have ever happened to me.... Ritalin is not that different from Crystal meth and can be very damaging to a child in the long run.

I practically crusade against that drug now.... I'd much rather just cope with some absent mindedness than go back to that nightmare.

I do believe that the disorder is real but I think of it as more of a personality trait than a disease.... it causes some really good things too - like heightened creativity and artistic talents.... ADD (non-hyperactive) kids are often more intelligent as well.

but some parents feel like that is a bad thing so they want to medicate their kids instead of fostering their individuality.... those parents suck.

Answer 3

It wasn't called that in the 80's more of Hyper Activity is what it was called and most of the kids in the 80's were giveing Ridline (equals out to baby cocaine)

Answer 4

The terminology changed then when it was recognized that ADD can be found without hyperactivity. It was recognized for a long time and it was just the naming convention that had been adjusted.

Answer 5

ADHD is a myth. It was invented by egghead, liberal psychologists to blame the kids for not being able to pay attention to boring, impatient teachers in a dull, dry school system that put kids to sleep and punishes them for showing signs of normalcy or masculinity.

http://www.thomasarmstrong.com/myth_add_adhd.htm

http://www.ritalindeath.com/

Fred the dog is correct also, directly above.

Answer 6

Bamma say once upon a time he get into trouble. Bamma say he know princi"pal". Bamma say down there once a month. Bamma say big paddle medication. Bamma say no latch key kids. Bamma say no OCD. Bamma say no ADHD. Bamma say no political correct. Bamma say simple time. Bamma say USA ruined. Bamma say never be the same. Bamma otta know.

Answer 7

lol, yeah i wasnt aware of the condition til around 5 years ago, i just thought they were little terrors! lol xxx

Answer 8

Its been around for awhile wiki is the best :)


493 BC, the great physician-scientist Hippocrates described a condition that seems to be compatible with what we now know as ADHD. He described patients who had "quickened responses to sensory experience, but also less tenaciousness because the soul moves on quickly to the next impression". Hippocrates attributed this condition to an "overbalance of fire over water”. His remedy for this "overbalance" was "barley rather than wheat bread, fish rather than meat, water drinks, and many natural and diverse physical activities."[59]
1845. ADHD was alluded to by Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann, a German physician who wrote books on medicine and psychiatry. Dr. Hoffmann was also a poet who became interested in writing for children when he couldn't find suitable materials to read to his 3-year-old son. The result was a book of poems, complete with illustrations, about children and their undesirable behaviours. "Die Geschichte vom Zappel-Philipp" (The Story of Fidgety Philip) in Der Struwwelpeter was a description of a little boy who could be interpreted as having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[60] Alternatively, it may be seen as merely a moral fable to amuse young children at the same time as encouraging them to behave properly.
1902 – The English pediatrician George Still, in a series of lectures to the Royal College of Physicians in England, described a condition which some have claimed is analogous to ADHD. Still described a group of children with significant behavioral problems, caused, he believed, by an innate genetic dysfunction and not by poor child rearing or environment.[61] Analysis of Still's descriptions by Palmer and Finger indicated that the qualities Still described are not "considered primary symptoms of ADHD".[62]
The 1918–1919 influenza pandemic left many survivors with encephalitis, affecting their neurological functions. Some of these exhibited immediate behavioral problems which correspond to ADD. This caused many to believe that the condition was the result of injury rather than genetics.
1937 – Dr. Bradley in Providence, RI reported that a group of children with behavioral problems improved after being treated with stimulant medication.[63]
1957 – The stimulant methylphenidate (Ritalin) became available. It remains one of the most widely prescribed medications for ADHD in its various forms (Ritalin, Focalin, Concerta, Metadate, and Methylin).
1960 – Stella Chess described "Hyperactive Child Syndrome", introducing the concept of hyperactivity not being caused by brain damage.[64]
By 1966, following observations that the condition existed without any objectively observed pathological disorder or injury, researchers changed the terminology from Minimal Brain Damage to Minimal Brain Dysfunction.[65]
1973 – Dr Ben F. Feingold, Chief of Allergy at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco, claimed that hyperactivity was increasing in proportion to the level of food additives.
1975 – Pemoline (Cylert) is approved by the FDA for use in the treatment of ADHD. While an effective agent for managing the symptoms, the development of liver failure in at least 14 cases over the next 27 years would result in the manufacturer withdrawing this medication from the market.
1980 – The name Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) was first introduced in DSM-III, the 1980 edition.
1987 – The DSM-IIIR was released changing the diagnosis to "Undifferentiated Attention Deficit Disorder."[66]
1994 – DSM-IV described three groupings within ADHD, which can be simplified as: mainly inattentive; mainly hyperactive-impulsive; and both in combination.
1996 – ADHD accounted for at least 40% of child psychiatry references.[67]
1999 – New delivery systems for medications are invented that eliminate the need for multiple doses across the day or taking medication at school. These new systems include pellets of medication coated with various time-release substances to permit medications to dissolve hourly across an 8–12 hour period (Medadate CD, Adderall XR, Focalin XR) and an osmotic pump that extrudes a liquid methylphenidate sludge across an 8–12 hour period after ingestion (Concerta).
1999 – The largest study of treatment for ADHD in history is published in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Known as the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD (MTA Study), it involved more than 570 children with ADHD at 6 sites in the United States and Canada randomly assigned to 4 treatment groups. Results generally showed that medication alone was more effective than psychosocial treatments alone, but that their combination was beneficial for some subsets of ADHD children beyond the improvement achieved only by medication. More than 40 studies have subsequently been published from this massive dataset.
2001 – The International Consensus Statement on ADHD is published and signed by more than 80 of the world's leading experts on ADHD to counteract periodic media misrepresentation. The statement reaffirms ADHD is a "genuine disorder because the scientific evidence indicating it is so is overwhelming", "recognizes the mounting evidence of neurological and genetic contributions to this disorder", and that medications are justified as a treatment for the disorder. In 2005, another 100 European experts on ADHD added their signatures to this historic document certifying the validity of ADHD as a valid mental disorder.
2003 – Atomoxetine (Strattera), the first new medication for ADHD in 25 years, receives FDA approval for use in children, teens, and adults with ADHD.