"evad04"

"Cheesey"I think it's real, but used WAY too much as an excuse to drug kids.

I was a "day dreamer" in school. I had trouble concentrating and was easily distracted.
I would put things off school work wise unless pushed a little. But i have an IQ in the 120's, and in college never had under a 3.0. I grew out of alot of it, without being drugged up.
I'm glad my parents didn't drug me up.
They tell kids to "say NO to drugs", yet at the first sign of "non conforming" they pump them full of the crap. Then wonder why they are drug dependant the rest of their lives. Do we want a bunch of "zombies" walking around? Cause thats what we will have with this drug forcing types.
JMO

DING DING DING DING! Cheesey and I agree! I'm right with you on this one. I think there is certainly a value to certain medications, but I think this "medicate the world" philosophy will end up hurting an entire generation of youth. I know people whose lives are made much more manageable by taking certain medications -- and there's nothing bad about taking a medication. But the tendency to "medicate, medicate, medicate!" can also be harmful.

You agree with me? I bet that just screwed up your day!!!
LOLOLOL!!!!
I know people that have been on meds so long that they feel they can't get by without them. I bet they could, if they actually tried. It's sad the way they push that stuff on people.......especially kids. I know they do trials on the meds, but they don't REALLY know what long term damage they might be doing.
Then they tell the kids....."Say no to drugs!!! (unless WE supply them to you!)"

Like cheesy says, it's used way to early now. Childeren who aren't paying attention and pretty much being kids have Adhd in no time these days, it seems. Although to be quite honest, we're also behind on that one from the sound of it. It doesn't happen as often here as over there.

Still, maybe they're just cautious not to overlook it, although I don't think medicine is the answer in that case. I have nothing against getting someone to a psychologist. If there's something wrong, find it out there and try to let the patient get through it themselfs.

I have a Social Anxiety Disorder, loosely translated, I'm afraid to talk to people and what not, but I'm not gonna take anti-depressives, wich appear to work to a certain extent. I am going to a psychologist though, wich seems like a more healthy option, and hard as it may be, I think I'll get out better this way than taking pills my entire life or anything.

I need a friggin' pill.
I could have sworn I just read that Cheesy and evad04 were in agreement.

"dfosterf"I need a friggin' pill.
I could have sworn I just read that Cheesy and evad04 were in agreement.

THE APOCOLYPSE IS HERE!!!!!!!!!!

ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!
:pottytrain2:
:thumbleft:

Let's not sweep this issue under the rug and claim that children are just proactive. ADHD can be serious issues, and are just as 'real' as a broken bone. Although we pump kids full of drugs, a lot of parents probably don't know what they do.

I don't agree that kids who display ADHD are normal, but are just hyperactive. This definition serves to sever the link between behaviour and neurobiology. I believe that there's a physical, quantifiable, scientific logic behind the behaviours. I'm sure there are some who make excuses, but then that's a display of a different psychological 'impairment'.

I believe that some studies suggest that people with ADHD tend to have lower dopamine levels (a neurotransmitter). ADHD drugs serve to increase the amount of dopamine production in the brain. These are tangible effects on the subject, and are generally positive.

Note that as people age, dopamine production decreases. I wonder if there's any studies on kids diagnosed with ADHD who are into their senior years who have not been taking drugs.

It's just too bad that there's always some severe side effects.

Thats just it..........who knows what damage or altering of the chemistry of children might do to them later in life. They do tests, but those test do not tell reality about possible long term damage.
Yes, SOME kids might need drugs. But i think it's WAY over prescribed as an easy out to control kids.

I work mostly with kids with developmental disabilities (autism and mental retardation), but I have also worked with some kids who have ADHD. In the more severe cases, the disorder can be pretty obvious and medications like Ritalin can be very helpful. If you think kids like this can be cured by a good swift kick in the pants, you probably haven't met one of them.

I do agree, though, that ADHD is probably overdiagnosed and overmedicated. My perspective is maybe kind of skewed because I only work with kids who have fairly severe problems. For every one of those, there are several who are in more of a gray area. Medication should be a last resort. A lot of times, it can be very helpful for these kids to have more structure in their lives.

Adult ADHD is less common, because a lot of people grow out of it, but it is real. I always look at things in terms of basic functioning. Are you able to do the things you need to do to live a more-or-less normal life? If so, then you probably don't need to worry about this. Needing to get out of the house once in awhile is probably okay, whether because of attention problems or anxiety. But if you have such a hard time focusing that your life is in a constant state of disarray, then you might want to consider looking into this a little more. I would start with a therapist or psychologist rather than a medical doctor, and go from there.

Reading up on the subject also helps. The chart you copied is way too simplistic, but you should have no problem finding much better information.