Hello there, I am 24 years of age, recent College graduate entering the Health field (Health/Science major.) I was tested, and diagnosed with ADHD when I was in the second grade, and began medication treatment (Ritalin.) I was on Ritalin through most of adolecent years- elementary, middle school, and High school. I started Adderal in college as well. Medicine did prove very effective for me as I did well in school, and it subsided "Hyperactivity disorder" that I displayed in my youth. I am still perscribed to Adderal XR medication, but only use when needed for focus. Obviously ADHD is a real issue that affects many Adults, and children. I pose a question/question"s" to think about, and to comment on for purposes of informing, and understanding . I believe/know that as I said ADHD is an issue, in todays society that affect many people. I don't understand fully why it is such a problem today, than in the past and ask for your comments on issue. I just recently started to research ADHD and have read many posts on parents/adults with questions and problems they experience resulting from ADHD. Not all but a great deal of these problems with children come from broken families or divorced parents. (Please do not take this the wrong way just observation I too come from family with divorced parents.) Could this recent diagnoses of ADHD in past 20 years stem from our change in culture/society/family behavior/practices? I mean to say that from what I understand my parents, and grandparents generation had never delt with such an issue because they explained it never existed as an issue when they were growing up. It was a different time where divorce was alot more uncommon, and discipline/family (how should I say) was more valued then maybe? I find that some of these children today are just some times undisaplined, or lack some of the learning/growing experiences instiled in past generations that may not be practiced, or are absent today. Maybe this is a correct assumption then again I could be way off! I worked with children in College after school for work study in turoring them and Alot of them are just out of control behavior wise and I personaly believe that alot of it has to do with the lack of disapline they receive at home, because half of the parents I encountered their child controled them not vise versa. I just believe that there are alot of children diagnosed with ADHD that just have discipline/control problem. Also as far as discapline goes in todays society we deal with alot of our problems with medication not facing our problems head on and I believe medication is handed out like candy to children sometimes because Adults are treated in the same manor when they have problems and it really is not fair to our youth in some manners. Is this healthy? (I am not reffering to every case I believe modern medicine is wonderful and can be used as a tool but not a reliant for life.) The magic pill so to speak. Just thought I might get some of your views on ADHD and my views comments appreciated. Children do need and profite from medication treatment who have ADHD the question is how far will this issue go? It grows every day more and more people diagnosed with ADHD. Also long term affects in growing youth? I personaly believe the only thing I can account as a long term side affect is some social interacting/growing in elementary and middle school (wich is in it's self a very hard time period finding identidy being socialy accepted etc...) What helped me out alot was that I played sports in High School and I gainned alot of friends and I think that if I was not active in this I would have had a hard time socially being accepted. Any way your comments are appreciated.
mkoffskey~
I am a grandmother. This thread, 'For those who don't believe in ADD/ADHD', may interest you. We have had a rousing discussion going there that could join you here. It has been getting too long. You can read what I think, there~ [url="http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000731.html"]http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000731.html[/url]
I know that this problem is occurring in but few other countries. I think you are dead on in your perception, and the jury is still out on it being a true biological disease, though there are those that accept it as such. BUT it IS a real problem to this society.
Personality and relational traits get handed down from person to person in families, too. I think long term effects of diet has something to do with this, too, as that affects whole generations of families. Lack of parental support plays a HUGE role in development, it always has, and this gets repeated from generation to generation. There is substance abuse, legal and illegal, that affects whole families.
People learn, think, and relate to life in different ways, and this is not taken into account in public schools; indeed, it cannot be, with the crowds that have to be handled. People are so busy we don't take time to really get to know each other even in families, running from game to work to school to practice to church to doctors, etc.
Many grown ups have the maturity of children and children are expected to act like grown ups. There are children literally taking care of parents' emotional needs. Most parents doing this have no idea how dependent they are. Then they wonder why when children act out.
I am not speaking about anyone on this board. I am speaking about people I have known and have observed and have interacted with.
I have recently been reading a book by a British scientist who is basically hypothesizing that AD/HD is no less pervalent in outher countries, merely less aggressively treated with medications. Her thinking seems to be that diagnostic criteria differ to widely for real comparison between say th US and Great Britain. She also goes on to say that AD/HD is recognized as a biological problem by the World Health Organization (WHO). I feel that there are environmental as well as biological and social contributors to AD/HD. My son was symptomatic before his father and I got divorced and when we did divorce, it was amicably. We have a close knit extended family and my son spends lots of time with his grandparents who he adores. That said, my mother would be considered ADD and I myself would be considered AD/HD if we were to go through the diagnostic process. However for us, at our ages, we have developed coping mechanisms for handling our respective disorders. I wish that I HAD been diagnosed as a child so that maybe i would have been able to do more with my life in terms of education and career opportunities. As it was, I barely made it through high school regardless of a very high IQ. I found recently while taking Wellbutrin in an attempt to quit smoking that the drug increased my focus, helped me be far more productive at home and at work and lessened some of the compulsion that I have come to attribute to AD/HD such as restless legs, the inability to sit still ( I work in a rennovated Caboose so walking around theoffice isn't really an option), pencil chewing and hair pulling to name a few. I am off the Wellbutrin now and all of these things are back, my performance at work is off and I can't seem to get anything done at home. I feel that there is a biological component to AD/HD that has always been there but is exacerbated by environmental pollutants, poor quality foods and possibly in part to societal influences. However, on the other side of the societal issue, I grew up in the woods with no TV!
chippie~
The hair pulling and pencil chewing are indicative of extreme anxiety. This may be from emotional issues or environmental such as diet, etc, or both. I chewed my nails past the quick and mastered peeling them so they did not bleed. This did not stop until I began to take vitamin B complex and underwent therapy. And I grew up with farm fresh food. but my childhood was abusive and I did not relate well to others or believe anyone cared for me.
BTW, all ADD/ADHD tests are rather nebulous at best, in any country. They are very subjective, often depending on what others say about the child.
I agree that if we are helped, or help ourselves, earlier, our lives have can have a better quality.
Mickmac, the anxiety comes from the ADHD and not being able to dope with the compulsive, obsessive need to move, fiddle, touch etc. I have an excellent diet and take vitamin supplements. I exercise daily. I don't drink or use drugs and quit smoking ages ago. When I quit smoking, the symptoms got worse. Why? Because nicotine is a stimulant.
ADHD believing/not believing? 
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