Is ADHD in children really a disease or is it just because they're children?
155625
coffee,\n\nThe question you asked is the very issue that's surrounding a LOT of controversy.  I believe there are just as many doctors that will tell you that ADHD is a for real, bona fide diagnosis, and those who'll tell you that it's junk science, just a way to chemically control behavior which is absolutely normal.\n\nI take it your step-brother is an example of one that gives pro-ADHD folks plenty of ammunition and speaking points.  A "demon" you said?  See, in order to have a child diagnosed with ADHD is not as easy as taking him/her to the pediatrician and having the doc put the diagnosis in the chart.  There are a LOT of guidelines and criteria that must be met, and the final "yea" or "nay" would depend on the say-so of folks that the child spends a lot of time with, including teachers, day-care workers, guidance counselors, etc.  One of the main questions that must be answered by these folks, including those living with the child is, "Is the behavior affecting the child's capacity to learn (in a school environment) and/or is the behavior disruptive to others to the point that the environment within the school or home has deterioated-affecting the DISRUPTIVE CHILD in a negative manner..."  \n\nSee coffee, the way it's supposed to be done, is to take how the hyper kid is being affected, NOT how everyone else around him/her feels.  If you look at it objectively, it would be pretty dangerous to be able to medicate a child if all it took were a "majority vote" within the household...agree?\n\nI have a son, now nine years old that was diagnosed as being affected by ADHD.  At first when we tried medications we did not like the way his personality changed, so medication was not an option.  That was four years ago, and by working with him, he's doing much, much better now...he's able to control himself and doing fantastically in school.  \n\nAm I for diagnosing kids with ADHD and medicating them?  There is evidence that medicine helps a lot of kids and for that, I'm inclined to side with those who agree with diagnosing and medicating those who need it.  But ultimately it's the parent's responsibility to see that their child's best interests are being protected.
591283
most people with adhd are very smart, and creative, the only curse is that society wants to fit everyone into one mold and have them act a certain way, these people dont need medication they need different types of learning envirements.
1108907
A four year old autistic kid probably does not speak what so ever yet.  He also will fixate on one object or sound.  Also where the ADHD is hyper and doesn't slow down much the Autistic kid could just stare at something for hours.   An ADHD child would most likely talk and talk a lot, the Autistic won't.  ADHD child will try to do many things at once and not focus his attention on any one thing for a long time.  Autistic child will focus their attention on ONE thing for a long time.  They both can act out inappropriately.  However the ADHD child would be verbal.\n\nThese are just general behavours and symtoms as everyone with both ADHD and Autism are different
100877
The term "ADHD" is simply a label used to categorise a list of psychosocial traits that Psychiatry considers to be improper or abnormal in society. Psychiatry defines these traits as a "mental illness", and promotes it as a "disease" that requires "treatment".\n\nIt is not a "disease", despite claims or implications made by certain psychiatric or pharmaceutical organisations. There is NO credible scientific evidence that shows the existence of what constitutes "ADHD" as a biological/neurological disorder, brain abnormality or "chemical imbalance".\n\n"For a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited to, blood or urine test, X-Ray, brain scan or biopsy. All reputable doctors would agree: No physical abnormality, no disease. In psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental disorder' is a physical disease. Disingenuous comparisons between physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and marketing campaign." Fred Baughman, MD., Neurologist & Pediatric Neurologist.\n\n"Chemical imbalance…it’s a shorthand term really, it’s probably drug industry derived… We don’t have tests because to do it, you’d probably have to take a chunk of brain out of someone - not a good idea." Dr. Mark Graff, Chair of the Committee of Public Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association. July, 2005.\n\nSuch behavioural characteristics that Psychiatry created this unscientific "disease" from are, and always have been, generally considered NORMAL. Now, it seems, inattention or "hyperactivity" [Hyperactivity means 'excessively active'* -- what is excessive? On whose authority?? It's ridiculous!!] is abnormal, a "mental illness".\n\nFor a rundown of the exact diagnostic criteria of "attention deficit disorder" visit: http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters/diagnosticcriteria.msnw\n\nFor information on the junkscience behind psychiatric "testing" for "ADHD" visit: http://adhdtesting.org/\n\nFor a list of what inattention COULD be attributed to (rather than some fraudulent "mental illness") visit: http://adhdparentssupportgroup.homestead.com/50conditionsmimicingADHD.html\n\nFor more information, see;\n\nhttp://groups.msn.com/psychbusters/addadhd.msnw\nhttp://groups.msn.com/psychbusters/adhdfacts.msnw\nhttp://www.adhdfraud.org/\nhttp://www.ritalindeath.com/\nhttp://cchr.org/files/7515/child_drug_EN.pdf\nhttp://www.ablechild.org/\n\n\n--\n\n"We are not "overdrugging" or misdiagnosing" ADHD. ADHD is a total, 100 percent fraud. The many millions of schoolchildren around the world who are being drugged have no disease." Fred Baughman, Jr., M.D. Child Neurologist and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.\n\n"Parents are seldom told that Ritalin is ‘speed’—that it is pharmacologically classified with amphetamines, has the same effects, side effects, and risks. Yet this is well-known in the profession...." Dr. Peter R. Breggin & Ginger Ross Breggin, The War Against Children, P. 84.\n\n"...But because ADD is so vaguely defined, even for a psychiatric disorder, it is tailor-made for bogus claims. There are, as the American Psychiatric Association’s latest diagnostic manual concedes, "no laboratory tests that have been established as diagnostic" for "Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder." Richard E. Vatz, Professor, Towson State University, "Attention Deficit Delirium," The Wall Street Journal, July 27, 1994\n\n"The diagnosis of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is entirely subjective… There is no test. It is just down to interpretation… The lines between an ADD sufferer and a healthy exuberant kid can be ve
99024
The term "ADHD" is simply a label used to categorise a list of psychosocial traits that Psychiatry considers to be improper or abnormal in society. Psychiatry defines these traits as a "mental illness", and promotes it as a "disease" that requires "treatment".\n\nIt is not a "disease", despite claims or implications made by certain psychiatric or pharmaceutical organisations. There is NO credible scientific evidence that shows the existence of what constitutes "ADHD" as a biological/neurological disorder, brain abnormality or "chemical imbalance".\n\n"For a disease to exist there must be a tangible, objective physical abnormality that can be determined by a test such as, but not limited to, blood or urine test, X-Ray, brain scan or biopsy. All reputable doctors would agree: No physical abnormality, no disease. In psychiatry, no test or brain scan exists to prove that a 'mental disorder' is a physical disease. Disingenuous comparisons between physical and mental illness and medicine are simply part of psychiatry's orchestrated but fraudulent public relations and marketing campaign." Fred Baughman, MD., Neurologist & Pediatric Neurologist.\n\n"Chemical imbalance…it’s a shorthand term really, it’s probably drug industry derived… We don’t have tests because to do it, you’d probably have to take a chunk of brain out of someone - not a good idea." Dr. Mark Graff, Chair of the Committee of Public Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association. July, 2005.\n\nSuch behavioural characteristics that Psychiatry created this unscientific "disease" from are, and always have been, generally considered "normal". Now, it seems, inattention or "hyperactivity" (Hyperactivity means 'excessively active'* -- what is excessive? On whose authority?? It's ridiculous!!) is abnormal, a "mental illness".\n\nFor a rundown of the exact diagnostic criteria of "attention deficit disorder" visit: http://groups.msn.com/psychbusters/diagnosticcriteria.msnw\n\nFor information on the junkscience behind psychiatric "testing" for "ADHD" visit: http://adhdtesting.org/\n\nFor a list of what inattention COULD be attributed to (rather than some fraudulent "mental illness") visit: http://adhdparentssupportgroup.homestead.com/50conditionsmimicingADHD.html\n\nFor more information, see;\n\nhttp://groups.msn.com/psychbusters/addadhd.msnw\nhttp://groups.msn.com/psychbusters/adhdfacts.msnw\nhttp://www.adhdfraud.org/\nhttp://www.ritalindeath.com/\nhttp://cchr.org/files/7515/child_drug_EN.pdf\nhttp://www.ablechild.org/\n\n"We are not "overdrugging" or misdiagnosing" ADHD. ADHD is a total, 100 percent fraud. The many millions of schoolchildren around the world who are being drugged have no disease." Fred Baughman, Jr., M.D. Child Neurologist and a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology.\n\n"Parents are seldom told that Ritalin is ‘speed’—that it is pharmacologically classified with amphetamines, has the same effects, side effects, and risks. Yet this is well-known in the profession...." Dr. Peter R. Breggin & Ginger Ross Breggin, The War Against Children, P. 84.\n\n"...But because ADD is so vaguely defined, even for a psychiatric disorder, it is tailor-made for bogus claims. There are, as the American Psychiatric Association’s latest diagnostic manual concedes, "no laboratory tests that have been established as diagnostic" for "Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder." Richard E. Vatz, Professor, Towson State University, "Attention Deficit Delirium," The Wall Street Journal, July 27, 1994\n\n"The diagnosis of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is entirely subjective… There is no test. It is just down to interpretation… The lines between an ADD sufferer and a healthy exuberant kid can b
288831
The syndrome Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) defies a concrete definition. There are no blood tests, brain scans, or psychological tests that definitively diagnose it.  However, in the United States, ADD/ADHD is the most diagnosed childhood psychological disorder. Not all Attention Deficit Disorders display the same exact symptoms.  There are many combinations of cognitive and behavioral problems that may exist.  Symptoms of this syndrome may include: Poor impulse control and internal self-monitoring, attention inconsistencies, chronic procrastination, the need for instant gratification, poor organizational skills, hyperactivity and hypoactivity, poor peer relationships, poor concept of time, and the need for highly stimulating activities.\n\nADD/ADHD is not an imaginary disorder.  It is a chronic developmental disorder which is genetically based.  It is not a learning disability, but can coexist with learning disabilities in approximately 25 to 33 percent of those diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.  ADD/ADHD places people at risk of everything from school failure to drug abuse. \n\nEven though the syndrome Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) defies a concrete definition, people should not be left to flounder with their difficulties when there are treatments available that will help.  Failure to treat ADHD carries significant risks whose lifelong consequences are well known.
728190
You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy (aimed more at women but men could learn from it too) --- has great personal stories and excellent ideas on how to help yourself.\n\nADD: A Different Perspective --- excellent because it does not consider ADHD to be a disorder but an adaptation to survive.\n\nPlease remember that ADHD is not something to be fixed! I was diagnosed 7 years ago and tried for years to 'fix' myself and become like very non-ADHD people I know and that did not work.\n\nMake the ADHD work for you and give yourself time to adjust to the shock of knowing you have ADHD. You'll be amazed to learn how many things you thought were 'wrong' with you are really just ADHD. No, it's not an excuse to be lazy, stupid or crazy but it explains a lot!
57923
acually Nick more kids get ADD everyday. There was this boy i know he was 8 when he got treated for it now he takes pills because he became out of control. (sorry to disagree)
176099
The syndrome Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) defies a concrete definition. There are no blood tests, brain scans, or psychological tests that definitively diagnose it.\n\nThere are many combinations of cognitive and behavioral problems that may exist.\n\nADD/ADHD is not an imaginary disorder.  It is a chronic developmental disorder which is genetically based.  It is not a learning disability, but can co?exist with learning disabilities in approximately 25 to 33 percent of those diagnosed with ADD/ADHD.\n\nThere are studies that have found that stimulants are the single most effective way to treat this disorder.  Followers of the news know that more and more people are being treated with Ritalin and other stimulants, and the treatment rates are different from one community to the next.  \n\nUnfortunately, there is no type of medication that will cure ADD/ADHD.  The use of medication to treat it, however,  is very controversial.  \n\nRitalin is stimulant which increases brain activity, enabling those with ADD/ADHD to control impulsively, regulate behavior, screen out extraneous stimuli, and increase attention span.  This may appear to calm the ADD/ADHD person while over?stimulating those who do not have this disorder.  Most people who need medication, that is with abnormal brain function, do not abuse it; however, the potential for abuse is always there.\n\n College students cramming for an exam and professionals preparing for a presentation are turning to Ritalin.  They obtain Ritalin by telling doctors that they are having problems paying attention.  This kind of abuse is dangerous.  Ritalin affects a normal brain differently, and it can make you sick.  For the person with normal brain function, there are many potential side effects including elevated blood pressure and heart rate, nausea, agitation, headaches, and insomnia.\n\nA thorough evaluation of the person’s abilities, including appropriate screening for learning disabilities, should be made.  A diagnosis of ADD/ADHD may then be determined by assessing the difficulties the person has with their ability to stay on task, control impulsivity, and maintain attention and organization.  A person with ADD/ADHD, left undiagnosed and untreated, is at a greater risk of underachievement in the classroom and on the job, substance abuse, poor relationships, lack of self esteem, and problems with the law.  While Ritalin is effective in reducing these risks among ADD/ADHD sufferers, it should be used in conjunction with other methods.
650663
My son has ADHD, in the worst way. It is very very hard. Especially when he has a schedule to follow. Most tasks are very hard for him to complete because he is so easily distracted. He is 7 and is on medication, and even that isn't 100% effective. You take a deep breath, and tell yourself they are not doing IT to irritate YOU, they just can't help it. \n\nGood luck, let me know how it goes.
174786
Causation is sometimes difficult to determine. Kids playing sand lot ball and breaking a window with a lucky home run hit is pretty clear causation, but almost nothing in biology or medicine is anything like as clear. So the answer to your question might be, sure. Or maybe not. Answers are easy, it's finding which one (or ones) actually corresponds to reality is less so.\n\n==========\nVaccines causing this or that effect\n\nADHD is presumably the result of the working out of many different causes. In any case we don't know that there is a simple cause, so this is a reasonable model for analysis. So, let's assume that something in the MMR affects one of these threads in such a way as to increase the chance of developing ADHD. \n\nSo, here's the situation. In a group of 50 kids all given MMR, 2% (or 1% or whatever) get ADHD. Even if MMR increases the likelihood of ADHD, the action of other circumstances on the other threads wil lhave counteracting or reinforcing effects toward or against ADHD independent of the MMR. Whatever the cause, it is not a simple MMR --> ADHD effect, or there wouldn't be so much controversy. And so ADHD is certainly the consequence of many things, most of which, at our present state of ignorance, we can only speculate about. We actually know very little. \n\nSo in the case of this example, was it the MMR which pushed those few kids to develope ADHD or was it something else? Or some combination of several things? Perhaps something different in these kids as opposed to those. We have no idea at present. Merely a lot of speculation -- which may or may not, at some future time when we understand more about a great many things including brain development, turn our to be correct. And perhaps some statistical hints; keep in mind that statistics is a very slippery thing in these matters and that sampling errors, analysis errors, interpretation errors, study design errors, etc etc can produce entirely bogus results. And nothing in the statistics provides any reliable clue that any of those errors have occurred. Bogus statistical answers look very much like reliable statistical answers. Remember the political polling serveys which predicated assorted wrong results in US politis in the '30s. Even statistical predictions based on actual votes counted can be spectacularly wrong. Remember Truman holding up the headline announcing Dewey wining? Or the problems the TV networks had with their statistical contractor in the 2000 election. Or ... \n\n==========\nOther aspects of vaccination\n\nBut there is another side to the MMR arguement. Childhood diseases are hardly benign. Before, say, 1900 any childhood sickness was a serious problem and might lead to death. for instance, President Coolidge's son nicked his foot while playing badminton on the White House lawn. The infection progressed and he died a few days later. This was in the mid-20s and before antibiotics of course. But my point is that, without the vaccines which sort of teach immune systems how to respond to particular germs, thus giving them a head start, all our children would be in something of the same position as Coolidge's son, confronting some infections without any effective support. \n\nFor instance, it's thought that measles was one of the primary plagues afflicting the Roman Empire in the period after Agustus consolidated it. That is, between, say, 0 BCE and 250 or 300 BCE. Partial, and intermittent, records have survived documenting these plagues. They seem to have come by in waves, one disease this decade and another the next, and then repeat the whole cycle a few decades later, as the vulnerable population varied in its susceptibility. Something like rolling waves of the Black Death, sloshing slowly around the Mediterranean for hundreds of years until commerce and travel decreased enough to prevent transmission from one region to another. \n\nThe reason for childhood vaccinations is clear; there are dangerou
694910
In children, it is often difficult to distinguish between bipolar and ADD/ADHD, so it may be worth getting a second opinion. If you haven't read it, can I also suggest you get a copy of the Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide (Amazon link below). It may also be worth looking at http://www.crazyboards.org as you will get some good advice there.
593231
Pick one environment vs. genes. Some children with other disabilities like ADHD, without proper care and treatment can become Oppositional and or conduct disorders. Sometimes it can be the cause of environmental issues, which in my opinion is harder to discover, because they don't just tell you.
379639
FIRST get him off the Concerta! It is most likely the cause! Second, improve his diet and see that he gets more exercise! The leading cause of ADHD (which is all BS anyway) is the lack of physical activity. Stop poisoning your children with all the crappy foods and quick-fix medications!  Do the research, you'll be amazed!
370654
i guess it depends. how did you arrive at the conclusion that this little one has ADHD? is this only one doctor's opinion? and have you come to this only after pursuing a new diet for her? (lots of parents say that diet can help quite a bit--you'll have to google ADHD and Diet.) \n\nand why does this doctor think she has ADHD? has he/she done a battery of tests on her, or is this based on a simple visit? what has gotten you to this point? most children aren't diagnosed with ADHD until they become a disruptive presence in a classroom, so what are this little girl's symptoms? did you get to this because you were fed up with her behavior and the doctor is trying to make things better for you? \n\nhere's my take on it: i have taught in schools with kids diagnosed ADHD. some of them i believe truly had a chemical imbalance, and the drug worked on them. but most of them were having a range of behaviors that were disruptive, but mostly because of the environment. one study i read about said that ADHD symptoms might disappear for boys who take a 40-minute walk with their fathers in the woods before school. so it it really that this girl is in an environment that doesn't suit her temperament, or is being expected to behave contrary to her nature because of the adults around her? \n\nif you are having doubts about medicating your child, then you obviously have reservations. and thus, perhaps you shouldn't. i would certainly say that if it were my 3-yr old, i would be pursuing all kinds of research on alternatives to try first. because drugs should only be because nothing else works. if i've tried a few different diets suggested by researchers and given it a good long time to work, if i've tried hard to be more patient, and i've worked on adjusting her environment, if i've asked her what she thinks about it, and i've experimented with behavior management--then i'd consider pills. but not before.
381513
You might define ADHD partially as a behavior of valuing many things at one time.  The result of such behavior is continual movement, esp. to and from different tasks.\n\nThe advice I'd provide for you in dealing with ADHD kids without medication is taking time to learn their interests, setting forth for them what you need from them, and experimenting with various ways of giving them what they want/value while also getting what you need/value from them.\n\nAs a behavior, ADHD could then be defined as choices a child is making unconsciously, namely the choice to spread attention on different objects of value than to focus on a small set of objects of value.  When you reduce valued stimuli, you reduce the potential for distraction from a primary task.\n\nTeaching a child to focus by reducing distractions I should think is a highly effective approach for dealing with their behavior without medication.  They thus learn to manage their own interests.
421676
IF the child does not have a medical condition interfering with concentration (e.g. ADHD), then you indeed must raise the value of education in the child's perceptions of it.\n\nIf the child does have a medical condition that interferes with concentration, not only must you raise the value of education for the child, but also address the condition interfering with concentration through a doctor's help.\n\nFor a child to value education, they must perceive:\n--why are long-term goals important?\n--why is working as an adult important?\n--why is schooling relevant to adult work, and/or adult free-time activities?\n--how does the child's effort (especially if the child does not learn as fast as his/her average peers, or has an LD making reading/math difficult, or other extra challenges) bring about achieving the level of education needed to achieve his/her goals?