I just finished a conversation with a neighbor about their kids...all are on some drug or another for ADD...as I started thinking about it, I don't think I know anyone whose kid isn't drugged up...some are are grade school or younger...some are older.

I have one adult neighbor who is totally immature and irresponsible...he will always apologize saying with a straight face "I'm sorry, I have adhd and can't help it."

Me...I call it lack of discipline and immaturity.

No one is ever responsible for anything...everything is a "disease" so that makes it ok...some things they call a disease are clearly choices...I reserve the word "disease" for real diseases like cancer, etc.

it scares me to think of an entire generation that is growing up drugged up, without any discipline...growing up withoput understanding what consequences for behavior means...it's all ok...they have a "disease"

Am I just getting old or have others noticed the same thing.

Originally posted by wiseone11
Am I just getting old or have others noticed the same thing.

...there are legitimate cases of attention deficit disorder and hyper-activity but, imo, more often than not its just a popular diagnosis that is blamed for a wide array of issues - (including but not limited to) poor parenting skills - learned behavior (monkey see, monkey do) - bad diet - stressful environment...

Most likely some kids have this actual problem, but on a whole yes you are right. They are extremely quick to prescribe drugs to children, some who haven't had more than a two minute evaluation. I know of very few children who aren't on some meds and usually there parents are too.

I think it exists, but I think in many cases, doctors are too eager to blame a lot problems on ADHD. There needs to be a mental health care proffesional organisation that specialises in figuring out which cases are genuine, and which cases arent. Otherwise, incorrect medication etc, may be prescribed

I have been saying it for years that kids now-a-days get away with murder. ever since we removed the smacking that kids used to get we have given complete control to the kids. I have a nephew who actually told me one day when he was 4 and i spanked his bum for being bad, " I'm going to call the police on you". I handed him the phone. Spare the rod spoil the child. Oh my child has A.D.D so that is why he just hit you /stole candy/ swore. Then when they get to be teens its Oh i cant control my child he is a hoodlum for his activities, be they stealing/fighting/showing no respect to anyone but demanding it. In the past we never had A.D.D and look at our parents generations, (or those of you under 20, look at your grandparents.) They never talked back to their mother (cause the father would back hand them silly) if they swore in front of anyone or spoke without being acknowledged (prior to being 18) - back hand. stole candy - backhand. they earned their respect and gave it to adults unconditionally. We have no power over our kids and granted some parents do take the beatings to far, but a smack on the a$$ for being bad is not going to leave a mark.

Bring back the nuns in school and really see a change in our youth of today. I never lived through that period, but i hear it was grueling times.

I was one of the first children in Australasia ( N.Z. ) to be labeled with ADHD. I used to not sleep for days and had a physical form or touretts. They put me on sleeping tablets and zombied me out stealing my memory of about 1 year.

It is a real condition but I feel people over react to it, not understanding it is both a curse and a gift. I think not enough attention is placed on the fact you will grow out of some of the negative symptoms but be left with all the positives. I did more harm to myself ( illegal activity ) due to not feeling accepted than the actual ADHD.

I do not agree with giving children the medication they do. I came right through playing chess and being allowed to burn myself our physically. Now being 42 and having unlimited energy, both mental and physical, I would not want to be any other way.

Yes, it's real. I'm 47 and was diagnosed with it 2 years ago after a lifetime of living in a disorientated blur.

I was diagnosed with having Attention Deficit Hyperactivty Disorder - INATTENTIVE TYPE. I was prescribed Dexamphetamine that helped but
after 6 months I decided to stop it and try something else.

I looked honestly at my life and decided to ditch what was contributing to my total exhaustion and stress and left my job (I was in the Nursing field) and had a month off while deciding what I COULD do and get a feeling of satisfaction from.

I then got a job in a small quiet Doctors office as a medical receptionist ( he consults by appointment only and therefore there isn't the craziness of working for a doctor in a big medical centre that sees anyone, anytime.)

I excelled in this quiet organised environment and I wish I had've known years ago what the problem was. I could've organised my life , work and
career to take into consideration that I get exhausted to the point of not being able to function in noisy, bustling, stress and pressure driven occupations.

So after saying that, if you take a child with attention deficit and put them in the madhouse that is known as school, you can see why they act out like they do without medication.

Knowing what I know now, it would be a LOT EASIER not just for the child but the parents in the end, to move these kids to a quieter environment where they can learn in short bursts with rests in between to recuperate (it takes all of your mental energy to just focus let alone learn when you have ADD OR ADHD.) Because these kids over focus, they can actually learn more in a shorter period of time , so even having a shorter school day would help them enormously. Especially those kids who act out when they are bored.

So it's not THEM and it's not SCHOOL , it's the inflexible way that we are forced to learn through the education system.
And you put the SOCIALISATION pressure into the mix and it can be a total meltdown.
A lot of ADD AND ADHD kids aren't motivated by social rewards (e.g friendships) like other kids.....to a lot it's more a form of torture than fun being forced into social situations that they don't have either the inclination or the skills for.

Just thought I'd let you know my experience and what I think may have helped me a LOT back when I was younger.



[edit on 24-2-2010 by Flighty]

doctors are too quick to prescribe any drug. a good example would be antibiotics. they seem to forget what it does and if it isnt needed, prescribe it anyway as a "precaution"

I have it myself which is why my thoughts are scattered all over ATS sometimes with different meaning than the post implied. It is a serious problem and i am an adult. Had it all my life, but when i was growing up i was just a bad kid with poor learning and study habits.
Now it has a label. Many others in my family also suffer, but i notice the younger generations are really suffering from what seems to be a real outbreak of this.

I dissagree that its poor parenting. That doesnt have anything to do with it, although, i suppose it could. Mine wasnt.
I have always had to try harder to lean things than other, when i do learn i am an expert at it. But i have to have the time to digest it in my own way and in my own time.

I never took any medicine for it and never gave it to my sons, who definatly have this and OCD to name a few letters.

Come to think of it i have the whole alphabet.

Some ADD people focus easily on matters related to spiritual issues or humanitarian issues. Some ADD people seem to not be able to focus on material matters that most of our society seems concerned with. Hence, is why some refer to these children as indigo's or star children. They are different and do not fit in with normal social standards.

I'm generalizing this because I'm tired and can't think lol...but this is the reasoning why the whole indigo thing started. ADD children are simply misunderstood. Imagine not being interested in a subject at all and the entire world is talking about that subject, yet your mind wanders elsewhere. That doesn't make you unable to pay attention, just that a person can't focus on what others focus on.

Scatterbrained, easily distracted, not being able to focus on anything for more than a few minutes, listening but not hearing, forgetting something told to me the second the person finished the sentence, not being able to get my thoughts out verbally, unintentionally interrupting people, hearing bla, bla, bla, bla, while trying to listen to someone go on and on and trying desperately to look like I know what they are talking about...etc, etc, I could go on and on.

I have add. Since I was a little kid, but ( way) back then there was no add or adhd. I barely made it through school with the lowest possible passing grades. A year ago I decided to ask my dr about it. My daughter had been diagnosed with adhd ten years prior, but I never thought to see about myself until I felt so darn bad about myself that I decided to talk to a dr. about it. After talking to the Dr. she prescribed me adderall. That's when everything changed for me. The cloud in my head dissipated and suddenly things were making sense. I could read something and retain what I had just read. I didn't feel so damn stupid anymore. I could focus when someone was talking to me. I only wish I would have found this out sooner.

I do agree that a lot of kids are diagnosed with adhd that shouldn't be. But for me, I have a new outlook on life.

I think it may be overdiagnosed, but it is definitely real.

Ever been in a conversation, and you keep trying to focus on what the other person is saying, and you can hear each word they're saying, but when it's time for you to respond, all of a sudden all the words are shuffled around and you don't have a clue what to say because your brain didn't fully process the language that was just spoken to you. No? Then you don't have ADD.

Trying to focus harder doesn't help.

I understand the medications are possibly overprescribed, but some of us need these medications. I was diagnosed as an adult, but I truly wish I had been diagnosed at a younger age because it's not fair going through youth with a disorder that's untreated. The medications are a miracle. I've tried herbal supplements, exercise, nothing works except the medication.

Giving medications to a child who was misdiagnosed = Bad. Not giving medications to a child who might actually need them = Unfair.

As a parent, if I truly felt that my child had this disorder, I would not hesitate to let him try the medication and decide for himself whether he wants to continue taking it. It could improve the life of your child and allow him to function normally during the formative years of life.

The problem is the parents need to decide if their child really has ADD, sometimes it might be easier for the parents to tell if they would only know the symptoms.

I have friends who were prescribed medications at a young age, and they are very unhappy because they believe they were misdiagnosed. So it's really up to the doctor and the parents to decide whether the child actually has ADD and could benefit from medication.

I also agree that sometimes children just need better discipline. However, that is not always the case. What we're talking about is in essence a bio-chemical imbalance, based largely on genetics. As I said, the only thing that ever worked for me was the medication, and I tried everything (even meditation).

Thanks for reading, I hope this has given some insight on the topic.

Um. My kid isn't on any drugs.
Perhaps ADD/ADHD is really a disease, perhaps we are trying to fit our kids into a specific mold or we just can't be a**ed to deal with them. Maybe too much of the electric babysitter? (TV) My boyfriend is definately a candidate for ADHD but he is also very clever, very organized (maybe OCD) and quite rational.
I agree with the OP, bad parenting, shi**y schools, too much TV, too many comercials, too many doctors, too many diagnoses, too many labels.
Go to your childs strengths and encourage them. There is not enough time for strong parenting these days. Forgo that 60 inch TV and stay home with your kids, it will probably give them ADD anyway!

Oh, ADHA exists alright. I know, as I was diagnosed with it. In my case, I was an honors student in high school and cruised through with high marks. However, when I got to college everything changed.

See, in H.S., all the material was taught in the classroom w/homework to reaffirm the days lessons. That learning style made it easy for me. However, once I got to college and had to read chapters and teach myself complex mathematical & scientific theories...well, my grades plummeted. I had a serious problem with looking/reading the same single paragraph over and over and getting close to zero comprehension.

A friend of mine who worked as a receptionist at a psychologists office mentioned to me one day that my personality and my study habits were indicative of ADD. Being desperate for some solution to my poor studies, I set an appointment with a specialist. I went in and conducted a series of tests, all focused on comprehension, reaction time, etc. When all tests were done, I met something like 13 of 15 criteria for ADD diagnosis, as established by the AMA (the number of criteria is my best guess, as that was many years ago).

I was diagnosed with a high level of ADD (no H for me) and was prescribed medication and had to make regular visits to the psychiatrist (mainly because they are the ones who write prescriptions for controlled substances). The Psyc. recommended some self help books to help me learn to help myself. While on medication, I taught myself how to study and comprehend and eventually was able to drop the medication.

Now, I still have a lapse on occasion; however, the difference now is that I can recognize when a lapse occurs, I can stop, regroup, refocus and work through the attention deficit.

With all of that being said, I do believe that ADD or ADHD is diagnosed way too much.

On a side note, I asked my Psyc. why I was only now, as an adult, begin diagnosed with ADD. The Dr. said that in many cases, particularly those that have ADD rather than ADHD, the issue does not reveal itself until college, as those with ADD tend to be highly intelligent and manage to excel in a H.S. educational environment. Those with ADHD have trouble even in grade school, as their hyperactivity prevents them from absorbing the daily lesson plans.

Anyhow, I figured I would chime in with my 2-cents. It's frustrating to see folks say that it's a made up disorder, as you can never know unless you are affect by it. I use to say the same thing to my girlfriend (now my wife) in college...she had panic disorder...I never understood it and I was critical of her disorder...UNTIL...one day I had a panic attack...WOW!!! that changed my whole perspective and gave me a new respect for illness/disorders that I knew nothing about.

[edit on 25-2-2010 by Aggie Man]

My younger child has it, although only by my own diagnosis.

I and my spouse are good parents, with rules, discipline etc. We have an older child that is calm, thoughtful and an achiever in studies...the younger, can't seem to stay focused in the public school system and so I just pulled him out for a second time in 4 years to home school him...doing great now.

I do not believe in drugs for my kid. Read an INCREDIBLE BOOK
by Thom Hartmann called

ADD: A Different Perception
"The Hunters in a Farmer's World Book"

My kid really is a hunter in a farmer's world (maybe me too!) and now I can focus on his strengths not his weeknesses.