I have seen both sides of the coin... 1 child diagnosed by a clinical psychiatrist with severe add, another one normal, yet told by the school system he had add.... The normal one I never let get stuck with this label, hell the teachers thought they knew more than the clinical psychiatrist... but, the one child diagnosed, The ritalin not only helped him, but improved his grades and outlook. When he was 14, he did not want to take the ritalin anymore ( he had to go to the office and have it given to him, that is what he did not like ) the kids grades dropped from b’s to d’s overnight. But, I never saw a kid work so hard to get those d’s. He applied himself more than when he was taking the ritalin, to get worse grades. I was proud of him for the work ethic he possessed, and he never gave up.
These threads piss me off. The ignorant, the dieticians, the disciplinarians, all doubt that this condition is real or that it exists. Do the schools want to medicate your child? Yes, because they get more money for someone with a learning disability. This does not mean this condition does not exist. It just means it does not occur as often as is stated.
Couldn't agree more. For the folks that think ADHD is over-diagnosed....they're absolutely correct. For those folks that believe this is a "fictional" problem, they're very wrong.
And I will only add one more thought to the discussion....ADHD is often mis-diagnosed when Bi-Polar is the actual issue. Putting a bipolar person on drugs to resolve ADHD has the opposite effect. Yes, it allows for a more intense focus, but increases the manic cycles and increases the paranoia and other odd behaviors.
My ex diagnosed herself with ADHD, went to her PA and was given a prescription for Adderall. She LOVED it. She lost 20 pounds, had a ton of energy all day, could sleep for three hours and one pill and whammo...she was at full energy again. She also became very angry, very unpredictable and could never get enough stimuli. Her son, was diagnosed, given Concerta with a late afternoon bumper of Ritalin and become a great student and a much more focused and happy child.
I don’t doubt ADD ADHD exist. But I don’t think it exist in the numbers we see now.. I get what I know about C.A.P.D. and Vestibular issues from Vestibular {Inner Ear} related sites. There is a clear danger if that is not ruled out first. This is newer research and doctors are still learning. Much of it wasn’t known when I needed it 17 years ago and all my life I was labeled ADD ADHD. I am one who has Sensory Processing Disorders and have had it all my life. That is how I know symptoms of it vs ADD ADHD. 17 years ago at age 37 it reached a point of disability for me. Rare but it can get too that point.