The dirty secret is that all psychiatric/psychological diagnoses are purely subjective—An impression formed by the “treating professional” based on description/observation of “symptoms” (see D. L. Rosenhan, On Being Sane in Insane Places). As such, one can shop around until they obtain a diagnosis and treatment plan they like.
Further, the full effects, and side effects, of many of the drugs utilized in “treatment” are unknown—Amounting to a shot in the dark in terms of effects on the “patient.”
You hit the nail on the head. Subjective and fluid. Today’s disorder, tomorrow’s normal.
Mom can’t manage, teacher complains = disorder.
More involved Mom who makes sure of proper diet, sufficient sleep, regular schedule of homework, quiet time before sleep, school with breaks to play outside and time to move about the classroom, consistent rules and consequences = good citizen.
Doen’t work for every kid. There are actual disorders but we are asking kids to be still too young, subjugate their movement too long. We have set up schools to work for girls not for boys and our boys suffer, act out and are mown down by drugs for teacher’s convenient, Mom & Dad’s piece of mind. Even more evil is the practice of getting your child certified as needing drugs because there is a monetary benefit form welfare.
These children are being robbed of that most basic ability to know themselves and learn self control. They don’t know whether they are feeling the drugs or intrinsic emotion. Rather than dealing with their feelings they learn to look for the next drug to feel “right”.
Effects of drugs on the developing brain are worse than on the developed brain. There are already studies that children wind up on Ritalin for life because of neurotransmitter level changes and habituation. There are many studies showing life long effects on impulse control & This effects their offspring.
We have moved down the age to read past where most children are capable. Why? What race are we running?
Allowing children to work on age appropriate task would allow for a better and more sure transition into reading and decrease the stress that translates into acting out in the classroom.
Our schools have been severely disadvantaged by a couple generations who decided there was a better way to do math, a better way to read, a way that was more interesting for the teachers who could do seminars and lectures on the methods. They were wrong and our children are paying the price. It’s a slippery slope using drugs to control behavior.
https://www.thefix.com/content/research-shows-ritalin-causes-long-term-brain-injury
http://www.psypost.org/2017/07/study-ritalin-use-childhood-cause-long-lasting-alterations-neurotransmission-49241