Is Adhd Real?

By Author: Henry Ford
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As a parent whose child was diagnosed with ADHD six months ago, I am still grappling with the understanding of this disorder. My greatest worry is, if this disorder is for real or just a fad; an imagined problem. According to Gregory Fitz who is a Medical Director at Bradley hospital, ADHD is non existent as a psychiatric disorder in a real sense, but it is more of a mislabeling of childhood behavior that is actually normal (ADHD Report). This label is promulgated by parents who are ineffectual, as well as pharmaceuticals and teachers who are incompetent. I would like to conduct research to determine if there is, indeed, proof of ADHD as real disorder. The biggest question that one grapples with is whether to medicate or not. There are so many varieties of drugs currently being used to treat ADHD that it often leaves a parent confused about which one is the most effective (ADHD Report)

Is ADHD Real?
The emergence from obscurity in the last 30 years of ADHD and its ascendance as a psychological disorder that inflicts most children going to school in America is worrisome. The popularity has been completed and validated ...
... by teachers, scientists, psychologists, parents and educators. Is ADHD a real diagnosis medically? The lack of criteria that objectively determines who is suffering from ADHD or not, only serves to make the issue more difficult to analyze. The fact that this imaginary disorder is diagnosed by psychiatrists only adds to its mystery.

According to Rall Judie who is trained in counseling, the reason why most children are positively diagnosed with ADHD is very simple. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health has listed 18 symptoms and a child has to exhibit only 6 of those to qualify as having ADHD. The diagnosis solely depends on the person doing it and this makes it easy for many doctors, who have little understanding on the nature of children to make faulty diagnosis.

The perception of the clinician or parent matters during diagnosis as they provide evidence that impairment is present at work, home or school. If a child is perceived to be troublesome by either, then a positive diagnosis is likely. Adult’s treatment of a child has a lot of influence on how a child behaves (Armstrong). A good example is the general consensus that children should not be heard but seen. If an adult who agrees with this is to encounter a child who talks a lot, has uncontrollable movements and is very enthusiastic, they will positively identify this child as a candidate of ADHD (Armstrong) Curiosity and exploration are normal in any growing child, as the wiring of their brains allows them to be the way they are. Most parents curtail the vital behavior of exploration, as it requires a lot of attention to ensure the safety of a child. The parents opt for the easy way out and limit their children by claiming they are hyperactive. The next step is that the child is diagnosed with ADHD and put on drugs such as Ritalin which makes them placid and dulls their senses, making them less receptive about their stimulating environment (Rall). This way, the tired parents are able to do less work in bringing up children as they are too busy with their careers. The enthusiasm that is so natural in children has been squashed and a child who is expressing happiness naturally is threatened with ADHD.

When I took my son to the carnival at the age of three years, he was so excited about riding a pony that he could not keep still. He was dancing and jumping up and down as we were on the queue waiting for our turn. Other parents looked at me like a zombie, as their children were quiet and calm. As my son continued talking excitedly, one of them advised me to take him to be tested for ADHD. I flatly refused as I wanted my son to enjoy being a child as he was doing what nature demands of him. Could somebody explain to me who made it wrong for kids to be kids? Since time immemorial, kids have been known to act immaturely, act over excitedly, move around and have very little self control. After all, that is what differentiates them from adults and being a child is exhibiting all the above mentioned characters. It is normal for children in a certain age to behave in a certain manner (Rall).

There has never been any concrete evidence scientifically that ADHD is a disorder. Dr Fred Baughman concluded that, symptoms that commonly brought discomfort to the emotions of the children have been listed as diagnosis of a disease (Armstrong, 2000). Most of these emotions that are listed are the ones that bother parents and teachers most and this makes this disease to be devoid of any scientific proof. Adults who are diagnosed with ADD normally lack emotional stability due to the ups and downs of life, while children’s emotional stability is protected by their carefree and happy approach to life. A study which has been going on for the last 25 years has not come up with any validation on ADHD as a disease. Not even one single child out of the 5-6 million suffering from ADHD has any evident chemical or physical abnormality, which indicates they are not normal but diseased. Out of all the 10,000 scientists who have been involved in the research on ADHD, only 75 of them confer that it is a disease that can be approved scientifically (Armstrong ) Although ADHD is just an unauthentic disorder, a variety of drugs have been used to treat it. Stimulants are used to treat this disorder and they include Vyvanse, Concerta, Adderall XR, Daytrana, Focalin XR, Metadata and Ritalin LA. Adderall and Ritalin are commonly used to treat this alleged disease that causes children to be impulsive, hyper active and inattentive (Iannelli). The children are normally bored when in class and this causes them to squirm. It is evident that most of these kids are just normal and smart and possess a lot of energy, and they simply get bored of sitting in class. There is a consensus that these kids who have been administered with these psychiatrist drugs are just smart kids, but who are always bored of waiting for students who are slow to catch up with them.

However, many of these drugs cause minor side effects such as stomach upsets, headaches, dizziness restlessness, jittery, appetite loss, depression, mood swings, irritability, sleeping difficulties and heartbeat racing. Conversely, there are other major side effects associated with stimulants that are used in treating ADHD. These include; these stimulants are known for interfering with brain development of youths, when used at an early age (Smith et al). Children who have heart ailments can easily die from taking these medicines. The drugs might trigger psychiatric problems that can make a child more hostile, aggressive, anxious, depressed and paranoid. There is such a high potential for abuse of these drugs among young adults and teenagers. These drugs are a favorite among students in college, since they assist them to trans-night and boost their cramming ability which comes in handy before exams. Many children easily get addicted to these pills when they grow up and they can even sell them to other students or share them out (Cosh Colby). Strattera, which is a non stimulant, can also be used in the treatment of the so called ADHD symptoms but it is no better, as it has similar side effects like the stimulants. The abundance of diagnosis ADHD has made it possible to access stimulants, which has led to the creation of black market which is burgeoning (Cosh).

I have made a decision not to medicate my son since it is clear to me that medication will be doing more harm than good to him. There are other alternative methods of treating ADHD such as teaching kids techniques that help them calm down like yoga or Tae kwon do. The teachers should teach children to minimize their activeness, but increase their attention. This can be done by integrating pro- active learning where the children are allowed to contribute in lessons instead of the teacher always running the show. Discussions on various topics will make the children more active and reduce their level of boredom. Before deciding to put a child on medication, one should observe their behavior over a long time and in different environments to prevent clinicians from misdiagnosing children who are otherwise normal and healthy. ADHD is not an emotional disorder but a manifestation of stress in children from home and not necessarily by school work (Iannelli).

Parents should provide children with the right environment to grow up in and shelter them from abuse and neglect. They should also let their children to grow naturally without expecting them to act like adults as they are still young. Most parents have left the roles of parenting to teachers, who are already burdened. This is why most teachers opt for the easy way out of giving these children psychiatric drugs to lessen their heavy burden. Children can also be effectively treated through behavioral therapy and this might extend to training their parents on how to handle them (Iannelli).

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