What is ADHD?
It seems that the "What is ADHD" question is not very easy to
answer, despite the plethora of studies, research and
Hyperactivity Attention Deficit Disorder testing over the past decades.
In asking the question, "What is ADHD," it is easier to answer
by describing what ADHD is not. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder testing and research has not proven that ADHD is a
medical condition. There is no concrete research that supports
that Attention Deficit and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder is a genuine disorder or a disease.
What we do know is that Attention Deficit Disorder and ADHD is
becoming a modern day American plague. It is the fastest growing
diagnosis given to children and teens, often based on subjective
Attention Deficit Disorder Hyperactivity testing of parent ratings
and doctor observations.
Doctors use a standard checklist of characteristics when
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity testing to make a diagnosis and
prescribe a standard course of stimulant drug therapy in the
treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity.
ADHD symptoms commonly include aggressive behavior, constant
activity, easy distractibility, impulsiveness and/or the inability
to concentrate. These ADHD symptoms may include fidgeting or
constant movement, excessive talking and difficulty participating
in "quiet" activities like reading.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder children always seem
to be in motion. They dash around, wiggle, squirm, fidget and talk
nonstop. They are whirlwinds that leave messes, throw tantrums,
start fights and act obstinate.
It's hard to miss ADHD in children but if the parent happens to
miss the signs, the child's teacher certainly will make a point of
clearly pointing it out to the parent.
The most prevalent, and most controversial, treatment of
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is
drug therapy. The top
drugs of choice being Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine and Concerta.
Now here's the scary part; These commonly prescribed drugs in
the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and
Attention Deficit Disorder fall in the same drug category
(Schedule II) as cocaine, methadone and opium.
Only a decade ago, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
testing and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
was virtually unheard of.
The 1987 edition of the Webster's Dictionary, touting 50,000
entries and modern definitions, does not even include the word
"Hyperactive" or "Hyperactivity." The American Psychiatric
Association did not name Attention Deficit as a disorder until
1990.
Young boys, by nature have higher levels of energy than their
female counterparts. Boys are diagnoses at a rate three times
higher than girls.
When did active, high-spirited, strong-willed and oft times
uncooperative kids move from kids being kids to children having a
mental disorder? If using ADHD medication sales as a marker, this
shift began right about the time the American Psychiatric
Association named this set of characteristics as a disorder.
Since 1990, prescriptions for ADHD medications quintupled.
As Attention Deficit Hyperactivity testing and treatment of
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder reach all-time highs and
continue to climb in this country, other countries around the
world seem relatively unaffected by this "disorder." This is
America's plague.
This country uses 500% more Ritalin than all the rest of the
world combined.
It is rare to find an Asian child undergoing Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder testing, much less receiving treatment.
European children are diagnosed at a rate of about 10 percent of
their American counterparts.
Either the United States has some pretty hyped up kids or
American doctors are over-diagnosing Attention Deficit and
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
We at Attention Deficit Disorder Help Center believe it is the
latter.
Some people argue that Attention Deficit and Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder are not disorders at all, but simply
personality types. Some people can sit still, pay attention,
concentrate on specific tasks and exhibit proficient social
skills. Others get fidgety, jump from project to project or just
do not fit in the societal "norm."
The argument is that ADHD people are not "sick" and in need of
dangerous drug therapy but simply have a different way of dealing
with the conventional world.
Sure these high-energy and on-the-go kids can be incredibly
irritating to teachers, energy draining to parents and general
all-around hassles in the grocery store but they are also unique,
creative, expressive and full of life. And boy, are they full of
life!
Maybe we, as a society, should encourage some of these
freethinking traits instead of expecting these children to sit
quietly.
After all, had Albert Einstein, Lugwig Van Beethoven, Frank
Lloyd Wright, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and
Henry David Thoreau grown up in today's society, they likely would
have been slapped with the Attention Deficit label and placed on
medications to make them conform to societal standards.
Should we stifle the natural enthusiasm and fervor of
hyperactive people with drug medications? Would we have the genius
of these incredibly unique minds if stifled by altering drugs?
You have to wonder...
In the conventional treatment of Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder, the goal is short-term, as are the
effects. The goal is to make the child more compliant (usually so
they can sit quietly in school) and ADHD medications do work
effectively for the majority of children.
However, the price paid for compliant children can be
detrimental to the child's mental and physical well being is high.
You want your child to be able to focus, sustain attention and
behave calmly and appropriately on his own instead of relying on a
pharmaceutical drug to do that for him. We do not want a
generation of children to grow up automatically thinking that
drugs are the answer.
Treatment should address the root of the problem instead of
temporarily masking the symptoms and it should produce lasting
changes instead of "fixing" the problem for a couple hours.
A large body of research indicates that environmental factors -
nutritionally deficient diets, lead poisoning, food allergies and
such - cause ADHD symptoms.
We at Attention Deficit Disorder Help believe that by ruling
out environmental toxins, food allergies and other possibly
causes and by increasing the body's strength and wellness
through sound diet, nutritional supplementation and effective
ADHD remedies, Attention Deficit problems
can be gently and effectively addressed without the use of
dangerous medications.
We also believe that ADHD should stand for "Absolutely
Delightful, Hardy and Daring" young children that will one day
grow into fine adults if raised in an accepting, loving and stable
environment.
So what is ADHD? Nothing to be feared, nothing to dreaded,
nothing other than a label placed on the societal wild children
that need a little extra love and a whole lot of patience.
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