ADD and ADHD real or a selling point?

Question

is it some BS that pharmesudical industries schemed up...i mean look at how many kids (especially foster children) are on these crazy mood altering drugs...it's obviously the environment that causes it...not genetics, not "born with it"...what do you think happens when you stop using part of your brain for years at a time...playing video games or whatever...

Answer 1

I disagree with you, and I recommend that you read up a little more before you form a final opinion.

ADHD is generally caused by abnormally low activity in a part of the brain that is responsible for governing other parts of the brain and quieting down random surges in activity in those parts of the brain. As a result, these random surges are unsuppressed and lead to inattention and other symptoms of ADHD. This is why stimulant medication can help: it stimulates the part of the brain that is not working properly and helps it to properly do its function. I would not describe this medication as "mood-altering". I would point out that stimulant medication would not have a calming effect on people who didn't have ADHD; it would actually make them high. So the effect of the medication sort of speaks for itself...

There most certainly is a genetic component to ADHD, as it does tend to run in families, although, as with many diseases, genetics probably isn't the full story.

While some people probably are misdiagnosed with this disorder, those who suffer from it can find it hard to hold down a job and do well in school, and often get in trouble with parents,teachers, and employers. These people often mistakenly believe that they are just "dumb" because they don't do well in school and their self-worth suffers as a result. It's hard to imagine that anyone would want to do this on purpose and wouldn't change it if they could.

I don't mean to insult you, but it appears that you are not yet informed about all of the issues when it comes to ADHD. Here's a link to a reputable source where you can learn more:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/adhd/complete-publication.shtml

Answer 2

I also has ADD before ADD was cool, I have never been on the "mood altering drug" however and have controlled the problem through diet - another controversial approach. I do not eat food that contains numbers (read an ingredients label) and find even now at the age of 31 they have an effect on me, I can't concentrate at work etc. I also believe it has a lot to do with genetics and very little to do with environment. I have twin uncles who were also diagnosed with ADD and cousins all before it was cool. I come from a very out doors family and have never really played video games watched TV etc.

Answer 3

I'm fourteen. I was diagnosed with ADD a few years ago, and even I question if it's existent. My parents put me on Adderall for it, but it has done more harm than anything else.

(For the record, I am not defiant or loud, like the stereotypical kids with ADD. I am rather shy, and teachers would define me as a good student, although I involuntarily space out for minutes at a time, have a horrible time adjusting to change and can't take directions.)

When my Adderall is wearing off, I have horrible mood swings. I can't eat when I'm on it, and as a result, I lost fifteen pounds. I am currently borderline underweight.

I am equally curious as to whether it's real or not. However, I can't agree with the last part you wrote. I seldom play video games, and I enjoy reading about religion and science. I'm not much smarter than my peers, but I would like to think that I haven't been neglecting a certain part of my brain. My mom has suspected me of having ADD since I was in kindergarten, but on the contrary, that really proves nothing. Everyone is different, and I could just be more different.
Sorry for rambling, but I thought I would try to give it to you from my view.

Answer 4

only 2% of those thought to be ADD or ADHD really have a problem. The rest are to sell drugs to.
One problem is that parents have to work so hard and both have jobs they do not have time for their children so the kinds are PAD, Parental Attention Deficinte. They don't have time for their kids. Also sugar is in most all foods so kids get more energy to theri already high level. Third, they are hygbreds, and they can proccess more and mutlti-task, so school which is old industrial age ..is too boring and lacks intellectual stimutous.... given the media formats kids all watch!

There seems almost a plot to make a bunch of drones out of the next generations. Drugs and so much poor food!

they tryed to drug my son. I told them to go to hell, and that school was suppost to be a drug-free zone. They left us alone. I found I had to change my sons diet to organic and homemade meals. The only thing I get out of a box is cake mix. I make everything else from scratch. he is fine and was actually Attention Multi-task! They just did not understand that he found school so terribly boring he was not even going to do it.

Sad thing is so many parents "buy" it. There is no "test" for it. They just ask the opinions of three people and then drug the kids! No IQ tests, no real tests of any sorts!

Answer 5

I believe it is real. My brother has lived with it his whole life and I know it is not because of his environment. He played a lot of sports, made lots of friends, and never sat inside playing video games. There are other ways to deal with ADD and ADHD than mood-altering drugs, but if you have lived with someone with this disorder in some cases the medications are for the better.

Answer 6

I'm not so sure that it's b.s., but I do see your complaint, and I think that it stems from the fact that it's diagnosis is way abused, much like depression. It seems as though every kid who has trouble in school goes to a doctor and is told they're ADD. I think this is a huge problem.

Also, you mention foster kids. They're probably just as over-diagnosed, but their also part of a system where they have no permanent home, no permanent family, etc. and must face the psychological repercussions of that. I'm sure it's a given that kids in the fostering system have much more to deal with at a younger age than someone who grows up in a loving suburban middle-class family. Just something to think about.

Also, I have dealt with some kids with serious ADD. I don't know if you've personally met one, but when I was in theatre and did work with children, a kid with ADHD/ADD stuck out like a sore thumb and had a terribly difficult time completing very simple tasks. I don't think it's fair to just say that these kids are 'slow' or were born to be highly flighty, disorganized, forgetful, and out in left field all the time--if an adult were like this, which some are, we'd recommend they get checked out. Not to mention, even if this is a product of fate, why not help a kid out that has to deal with these things severely anyway? If this stuff helps get the kid to be able to focus on something for longer than 3 seconds, who cares whether it's hocus pocus or not? It's not like they're getting put on drugs for psychosis, they are drugs specifically designed to help someone suffering in something that life requires them to do.

However, I think the over-diagnosis needs to be fixed soon, same with depression. So yeah, we're helping people with these problems, but to have kids brought in because they once forgot to do their homework is ridiculous, and yet I feel like this happens a lot and doctors just throw them on meds. I found that oftentimes the meds aren't specifically designed based on the person, which blows my mind as well. My nephew was put on some ADD drug, and it completely changed his personality. If we're going to medicate kids, we need to do it the right way. It needs to be like they do when they treat my own bipolar disorder, you don't stop until you find THE PERFECT drug /drug combination to get you on the right track. I feel like random kids are thrown on random drugs. Basically, I'm saying that the existence of the disease itself isn't the problem, but the way we diagnose kids/people and way we treat them is very flawed.

Answer 7

I think so too. God knows it won't be the first time the pharmaceutical companies have created an artificial ailment to promote their drugs. It is also a Godsend for parents and foster parents who are too lazy to do their jobs and rely on drugs to keep overactive kids queit and manageable. During the first 3/4 of the 20th century insane asylums kept patients quiet by drugging them; this is just a modern day version of that.
If parents turned off the TVs, the PCs and made the kids stay outside and play to let off all that energy there would be no need for artificial sedation.

Answer 8

I have known people with it and believe me, this is not something anybody makes up. However, having said that, let me say the pharms certainly jump on the band wagon of anything that will make them moola.

It takes a team to evaluate someone and test to make sure they have ADD/ADHD, not some joker in an office who is a drug whore (doctor) getting kick backs from the pharms.

Answer 9

i have it, and its really a disorder its so hard for me to cope with it now even as an adult i still take 60mg of adderall a day and if i dont i really cant do anything since im not motivated and i get distracted

Answer 10

yes it is real. it is genetics not the environment. you don't have to take medication, but it usually helps.