Submitted by megamom on 02/18/2015.
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/adhd-definitely-doesnt-exist-but-i...
This is exactly how I felt about ADHD till I saw this site and realized I was 100% married to it. I have a hard time believing it isn't a chemical/physical cause when so many things are exactly what I experience. Sure, I guess it could just be a personality issue, but if I accept that, then I have to accept the fact that my husband is just an f-ing asshole for doing all of this knowingly.
ADHD is not real...that's baloney!
Submitted by MelissaOrlov on
I read this article, and decided it was such a good example of the mis-information that is out there about ADHD that I have kept the link up. Yes, you can get a few experts to tell you that ADHD is not real. You can also get experts to tell you that climate change is not real...and anything else is not real, for that matter. But ADHD is real, and the information that says it is real has been so often replicated in the scientific research that Russell Barkley and Kevin Murphy, two of the most knowledgeable researchers in the field, were led to publish this idea:
"Statements to the effect that ADHD is not a valid disorder, is a myth created by mercenary pharmaceutical companies or mental health professionals for sheer commercial gain, or is indistinct from the other disorders with which it may be associated are not only wrong, they are egregiously so...To continue to make such statements in the face of such overwhelming evidence to the contrary is to show either a stunning scientific illiteracy or reflect planned religious or political propaganda intended to deceive the uninformed or unsuspecting general public."
The author of the article has an ax to grind in support of his own self-image...and he is factually incorrect.
What I do take away from this article that is accurate, is that we don't appreciate the traits of ADHD as much as we could. Partially this is because we are a society that places a lot of emphasis on efficiency - too much in my opinion. Efficiency is not typically a strong point for those with ADHD. There are other groups - such as people who are shy - who suffer from similar situations (in this case they are too easily dismissed because they aren't outgoing, as is valued in our society.) But we don't say that "shyness" doesn't exist...
Too bad ADHD seems to be the butt of so many mis-information campaigns. With exceptionally high rates of being able to manage ADHD symptoms once it's diagnosed and properly treated, every person who discourages another from seeking optimal treatment by spreading the idea that 'ADHD is not real' does very real damage. It reminds me of the folks who continue to assert that vaccines cause autism...well after the single research study that suggested that has been withdrawn and debunked.
brain scans and MRI's
Submitted by dedelight4 on
Melissa, isn't it true that many folks with ADHD have had brain scans and MRI's that show that the frontal lobe of the brain is different than persons with more typical brains? Isn't this proof that ADHD exists?
Brain scans
Submitted by MelissaOrlov on
Brain scans do show differences between the brains of those with ADHD and those without, in addition to later ages of reaching brain maturity, though it is generally agreed that brain scans cannot be used for diagnostic purposes. There is research being done in Israel at the moment that suggests that the first physiological tests that will be able to be used for diagnosing ADHD will be in the area of tracking eye movement.
The existence of ADHD has been proven over and over and over again in a wide variety of ways. The fact that someone who has many/all of the symptoms prefers not to give it a label doesn't mean it isn't real...only that that person (in this case the author of the article) doesn't like the label. In fact, the fact that the guy has all the symptoms and that so many are writing - "yes, this is me!" would demonstrate that it is real...maybe I just missed a tongue-in-cheek joke?
There is another myth about ADHD that is equally as harmful...the "everyone has ADHD" myth (it's one extreme or the other, isn't it?!) I wrote about that in this post at PsychologyToday.com .
I do think ADHD is very real, but I do think....
Submitted by overwhelmedwife on
...that skilled parenting techniques can help mitigate some aspects of it.
My H has ADHD and so did his parents (both). His mom's answer to parenting was being extremely permissive and lax, so her kids grew up without any rules, limitations, or self-control. H's mom was too self-centered and didn't want to bother taking the time/energy to "parent" her kids. H's dad owned his own business and was (purposely) gone a lot (so that he could do what HE wanted).
My H never learned to "be careful," or to "handle things with care," or do any kind of chores. H's mom always took the easy way out and hired people to do things for them.
H was never told to "use an inside voice," or to "wait" for anything. H will say that his mom never said "no" to anything. And, in fact, bought them everything they ever wanted. They always got everything on their christmas and birthday lists.
Suspicious minds
Submitted by AlmaVera on
I know quite a few people who are among those Melissa speaks of -- who are still suspicious of vaccines, for example. From what I can tell, some of their suspicion comes from the way the medical and psychological community has changed and varied over the years on things such as whether or not homosexuality is a disease, or if introversion is a mental disorder. Obviously, some of these changes are due to things we've since learned about brain function, but also because of cultural changes. Also, periodically, things happen such as studies which come to light stating that the proposed benefits of SSRIs may not be as high as many doctors are told they are due to cherry-picking of trial results, for example. When people hear about these studies, and see pharmaceutical companies making huge profits, I think many make an automatic jump to negate any brain-related condition that is treated with a medication.
On the other hand, it is interesting (and a bit humorous) to me that quite a few of these friends are suspicious of vaccines, which are (or should be) produced under controlled, standardized conditions, but yet they are huge proponents of treating everything under the sun with medical marijuana, partly because it's 'natural.'