ADD is Quite The Overused Excuse, it Would Seem...

[CaseySmith]

Because they quite simply make more money from diagnosing more people with an illness. Especially if they can prescribe a pill.

If you're in America, I hear that practically everyone's on some kind of medication. But that's what an American friend once said to me about their area. =p

 

[nightwolf667]

I dont have ADD, I can sit and listen to stuff that interests me for hours on end, and i can sit still all i want, But then again im 21.

Notice how you never seen any adults with ADD...Do you just grow out of it?

I'm 23 an I have ADD, it manifests itself in many different ways. One of them is to sit and watch or listen to stuff that interests me for hours on end. Except the problem is that I can't get up and walk away from it. I end up getting locked into one course of action that sometimes can last for the entire day. This is one of the things that can happen with a bad dosage of medication, because meds like ritalin and especially adderall are stimulants and act like low grade dosages of speed. The brain chemistry in someone who has ADD or ADHD is different, so stimulants actually end up slowing them down and letting them think rather than speeding them up.

But to answer your question: yes, some kids do grow out of it and some adults develop it at later stages in life. Some people like me, it stays with them for their entire lives. I was diagnosed in the third grade and it's been with me ever since.

 

[Blueruler182]

I agree entirely. I mean, real ADD/ADHD is hard to deal with, I'm sure, but I know this girl who functions perfectly fine, focuses perfectly fine, was even heading up yearbook with an iron fist, and she was diagnosed with ADHD. She's loud and has difficulty thinking, but we honestly just think she's an idiot, so...

What really irritates me is when they use it as an excuse to be a dick. I don't care how hard it is for you to focus, if you're told to leave the classroom, you fucking leave. Don't keep coming back and being a dick or the teacher may look away while I deal with you...

 

[Brotherofwill]

Man there's no such thing as ADD. Makes me so angry...all this pharmacy bullshit making money and prescribing...I rage so I can;t focus and con...cen..trate.

What were we talking about again?

 

[Cabisco]

Hm, I don't know anyone with it in my area, except for one person with ADHD (it shows). Perhaps that's the old "Yorkshire Mentality" - no one is ill unless a limb is missing and they're covered in plague boils.

I was thinking the same, you have to go an extra length to be classed weird from where we are from. Though I really think it's an American thing, everyone seems to have it there which is a shame because you know some people will generally suffer from it, but then their will be so many who have it because "when I told them to stop playing with the ball, they didn't immediately stop".

Maybe doctors in America just want more money off you

 

[SquirrelPants]

Hmm.
I was labaled "might have it" at a young age.

Yeah I agree, it seems to be mainly an excuse for hyper-activity.

I think what that implies is that it's mainly an excuse for BEING A CHILD.

I was diagnosed as "kind of ADD" or something once. Luckily they didn't put me on medication or anything.

 

[Weaver]

Here's a protip for doctors:
NO KID LIKES TO PAY ATTENTION IN SCHOOL.

 

[Eggsnham]

Because they quite simply make more money from diagnosing more people with an illness. Especially if they can prescribe a pill.

If you're in America, I hear that practically everyone's on some kind of medication. But that's what an American friend once said to me about their area. =p

It's pretty true actually, everybody's on a pill and it's considered child neglect (not legally) to not make your kids take em'.

I dont have ADD, I can sit and listen to stuff that interests me for hours on end, and i can sit still all i want, But then again im 21.

Notice how you never seen any adults with ADD...Do you just grow out of it?

No, it's just a much rarer condition than most doctors will admit.

Both of my older brothers who are 18 and 21 have legitimate ADHD and it SHOWS.

Come to think of it, most of my siblings have ADD or ADHD. I sense shenanigans.

 

[The Grim Ace]

My cousin is a great example of its overdiagnosis. He did well in school but he was always rather kinetic, he just hated sitting still. His teachers couldn't keep up with someone who loved to move so they called my aunt and uncle in to tell them he had ADHD and had to be put on medication if they wished to continue enrolling him at the school. They looked into this teacher's record a bit, since that is a large thing to ask either way, and it turns out this teacher had a history of having the school issue ultimatums like this. They ended up home schooling him until high school after such treatment.

It seems to be that many diagnoses of ADD and ADHD all stem from laziness on the part of some kind of authority figure, a teacher that can't deal with an active kid, a parent who doesn't have time, etc. It's really sad that we live in a society that complains about a sedentary lifestyle yet we actively encourage it with giving just slightly active kids pills to mellow them out.

 

[Zackary Yakumo]

I work in a hospital and every kid that i have as a patient has ADD or ADHd. Im wondering if its just the norm nowadays.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

I have ADD as well. The symptoms aren't as severe as yours, OP, but I do have moderate attention problems with an inability to sit still unless I'm doing something that catches my attention. I have this feeling in my gut that I feel whenever I stop moving. It's not pain, it's sort of like anxiety and for some reason I want to get rid of it and the only way to do so is by moving. If you start me I will never stop talking and don't even get me started on my memory. If I get distracted I will easily forget what I was trying to do.

My grades were decent enough until 6th grade due to the fact that I enjoyed studying and that kept my attention. The moment I reached 7th grade, however, I noticed I could not pay attention to what I was doing. I got bored of homework and lessons and ended up focusing on things that actually kept my attention, like playing games. This led to my parents blaming my poor grades on the computer rather than actually realize that for the past 13 years I had experienced ADHD symptoms. (I didn't even believe I had ADHD when in 7th grade until I looked at a tape of me when I was younger. I talked constantly, I moved constantly and was distracted extremely easily).


Up until now I haven't taken meds and probably won't do so in the near future.

In regards to your original idea I agree. There were quite a few kids "diagnosed" with ADD by the school psychiatrist which basically got them out of a lot of trouble(like for e.g. bullying) which makes me believe to this day that the respective shrink was a moron and was undeserving of her degree.

 

[Chardan]

I feel the same way about people who say they feel a 'bit depressed' I posted this elsewhere yesterday : 'I feel annoyed when people use the phrase 'I feel depressed' when they clearly aren't....like every girl I know just throws the phrase around. Its hard to explain, but anyone who suffers from genuine depression will understand a certain fury at how its used commonplace, like it nullifies the moment when you may admit you're depressed to a family member, and just just pass it off as being a 'teen thing' Well, thats just me, but I'm sure others can relate.'

 

[Con Carne]

lol, ADD didn't exist back in our parents day. If you couldn't pay attention or sit still, you got a slap to the back of the head or you get your mouth cleaned out with soap......and guess what, you didn't act up and you worked just fine. Know what else that sounds like? Nintendo. Are you seeing a trend here.
You can't slap consoles anymore, it'll mess up the disc and the insides, same thing essentially happens if you slap a child now a days. Things were made with higher quality standards back in the day....children included.

 

[Marmooset]

I've observed over the years that anybody who exhibits a minor problem with paying attention or a small hyperactive tendency is immediately diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD.

Yeah, I played AD & D for a while. Then I think the lead from the figurines got into my system.
I haven't played ADHD yet, though. Is that the Hi-Def version?

 

[silasbufu]

We don't have ADD. We're just ignorant and don't give a crap about stuff.

 

[Eggsnham]

I've observed over the years that anybody who exhibits a minor problem with paying attention or a small hyperactive tendency is immediately diagnosed with either ADD or ADHD.

Yeah, I played AD & D for a while. Then I think the lead from the figurines got into my system.
I haven't played ADHD yet, though. Is that the Hi-Def version?

I see whatchu' did thar!

lol, ADD didn't exist back in our parents day. If you couldn't pay attention or sit still, you got a slap to the back of the head or you get your mouth cleaned out with soap......and guess what, you didn't act up and you worked just fine. Know what else that sounds like? Nintendo. Are you seeing a trend here.
You can't slap consoles anymore, it'll mess up the disc and the insides, same thing essentially happens if you slap a child now a days. Things were made with higher quality standards back in the day....children included.

This was a very awesome post. I commend you.

 

[CaseySmith]

Because they quite simply make more money from diagnosing more people with an illness. Especially if they can prescribe a pill.

If you're in America, I hear that practically everyone's on some kind of medication. But that's what an American friend once said to me about their area. =p

It's pretty true actually, everybody's on a pill and it's considered child neglect (not legally) to not make your kids take em'.

Wow, really? Seem they got their claws in quite deep in this profiting market. Lets just hope the socialized health-care will help tackle this problem; it SHOULD stop claims of illness for the doctors' benefit.

But you never know. I'm sure those greedy pigs will find some way of taking advantage of the socialized system.

 

[runnernda]

My brother has ADD. He takes...not Ritalin, something similar, and now his grades are way better and he can actually pay attention to people, movies, whatever now.

I agree it's way overdiagnosed.

Along with being bi, it's very "popular" to have it.

People who claim they're bi for attention or because it's "in style" drive me up a wall. Sexuality isn't something you can throw out when you're finished with it.

I should tell my mom it's in style...maybe she'd stop praying over me then.