This man is peddling a book. I'm not saying that precludes his correctness but it does mean that the more analytical of us should apply a little more salt to our appraisal of his motivations than a journalist might.
Exactly what I was thinking.
Doctor: ADHD, as currently defined, does not exist
21–30 of 139 posts
Re: Doctor: ADHD, as currently defined, does not exist
#22[deleted]
Re: Doctor: ADHD, as currently defined, does not exist
#23This article is so potentially harmful, even if it's more nuanced than the hyperbolic "ADHD Doesn't Exist" title would suggest. The reality is that -- whatever the underlying cause -- a lot of people struggle with attention span issues, and that these issues cause a lot of pain and unfulfilled potential. Even if ADHD medications are overprescribed Band-Aids, people benefit from them. We should try and find better dia…
I agree the article is potentially harmful. The paradox is that people who DO NOT have ADHD easily get hooked on meds but people who DO have ADHD hate taking meds. Saying ADHD doesn't exist is cruel and shows how badly it's misunderstood. The newer drugs that have countermeasures that prevent snorting/abusing should change the debate. Older meds that can be easily abused should be taken off the market. Then let's see who wants to abuse them? Anyone with any proximity to ADHD kids knows getting them to take their meds is a chore, they enjoy just being themselves and perhaps the bigger questions is WHY DO WE HAVE TO MEDICATE PEOPLE TO MAKE ENGAGE IN AN EDUCATION SYSTEM THAT SUCKS?! EH? I'm proud I don't sit still and do what I'm told, I don't think that's an illnes... so in that sense they are right ADHD doesn't exist! (steps down from soapbox, exit stage right) :)
Re: Doctor: ADHD, as currently defined, does not exist
#24This article is so potentially harmful, even if it's more nuanced than the hyperbolic "ADHD Doesn't Exist" title would suggest. The reality is that -- whatever the underlying cause -- a lot of people struggle with attention span issues, and that these issues cause a lot of pain and unfulfilled potential. Even if ADHD medications are overprescribed Band-Aids, people benefit from them. We should try and find better dia…
I think the article is trying to say that ADHD is an umbrella term used for a range of symptoms, rather than 1 disorder. I can imagine this being true for at least some of the cases, but it didn't provide much in the way of evidence. Although it does have a sensationalist headline, it's asking for a better look at ADHD rather than saying it should be ignored.
Re: Doctor: ADHD, as currently defined, does not exist
#25I feel like this headline is terribly irresponsible. People with mental health issues suffer from a stigma associated with them, as well as denial of their suffering. Going out with both guns blazing to say their condition does not exist - not that it's a symptom of a larger problem, or that it's a gross oversimplification of a number of unrelated diseases, but instead the crude headline "doesn't exist" - that only m…
This guy is putting on his white overcoat and trying to look like a scientist, but he doesn't actually cite any real research in favour of his claim, and instead uses anecdotal evidence ("Usually, once the original condition is found and treated, the ADHD symptoms go away" and such) rather than statistics to support his conclusion and sell his book.
This isn't to say he's incorrect in his conclusion, he just isn't supporting it very well. I would hope the book has referenced stats but this article isn't very promising. He's not too far removed from a pilot claiming his story about a flying saucer must true because he was in the airforce.
For the record, I've been diagnosed with ADHD and have plenty of anecdotal evidence that it's for real, but may be suffering from confirmation bias.
Re: Doctor: ADHD, as currently defined, does not exist
#26This article is so potentially harmful, even if it's more nuanced than the hyperbolic "ADHD Doesn't Exist" title would suggest. The reality is that -- whatever the underlying cause -- a lot of people struggle with attention span issues, and that these issues cause a lot of pain and unfulfilled potential. Even if ADHD medications are overprescribed Band-Aids, people benefit from them. We should try and find better dia…
So I agree this article is kind of a mess, the title misleading. This is the nature of ADHD. It's a magnet for people wanting to cry "overdiagnosed"!
However, tolerance is a big question. Taking an ADHD medicine for the first week or so after not taking any for months prior is a pretty profound experience. But that tapers off. And leaves one to wonder... is my condition still improved?
I have seen very few studies (though the ones I saw were positive, indicating positive effects even a year out). I've heard of doctors prescribing drug holidays to minimize tolerance (and also heard this was no longer current practice from an expert in the field).
It's an area I'm always somewhat concerned about. I've read anecdotal stories suggesting that one becomes tolerant and experiences less of certain effects (such as appetite loss, and the 'buzz' feeling) but not others (such as attention span).
I will say that as physical effects go dependence is not an issue. But it is for mental ones - without the medication I'm just exceptionally tired and hungry, and almost entirely useless for anything that requires focus.
Re: Doctor: ADHD, as currently defined, does not exist
#27I feel like this headline is terribly irresponsible. People with mental health issues suffer from a stigma associated with them, as well as denial of their suffering. Going out with both guns blazing to say their condition does not exist - not that it's a symptom of a larger problem, or that it's a gross oversimplification of a number of unrelated diseases, but instead the crude headline "doesn't exist" - that only m…
Saying that a certain medical condition doesn't exist isn't a denial of the suffering of people who suffer, it's a denial of the label that's been placed on that suffering. As long as an attack on bad science continues to be interpreted by a segment of sufferers as a personal attack, sufferers groups will never exist as anything other than tools for drug companies to subvert the scientific process.
Imagine reading an article on punctuated equilibrium with the headline "Darwin is Wrong". Technically true, but WTF? Or a discussion of potential side-effects of the H1N1 vaccine with the headline "Vaccines Kill People".
Just because it's true doesn't mean you don't need some tact.
Also, I notice you've assumed I'm a sufferer. You might want to put away the "jump to conclusions mat" and maybe just try having a little empathy?
Re: Doctor: ADHD, as currently defined, does not exist
#28This article is so potentially harmful, even if it's more nuanced than the hyperbolic "ADHD Doesn't Exist" title would suggest. The reality is that -- whatever the underlying cause -- a lot of people struggle with attention span issues, and that these issues cause a lot of pain and unfulfilled potential. Even if ADHD medications are overprescribed Band-Aids, people benefit from them. We should try and find better dia…
I agree the article is potentially harmful. The paradox is that people who DO NOT have ADHD easily get hooked on meds but people who DO have ADHD hate taking meds. Saying ADHD doesn't exist is cruel and shows how badly it's misunderstood. The newer drugs that have countermeasures that prevent snorting/abusing should change the debate. Older meds that can be easily abused should be taken off the market. Then let's see…
I think you're wrong there - ADHD is generally associated with a higher risk of abusing drugs than for people without the condition. (And myriad other conditions, including getting in car accidents).
And as someone with ADHD I never hated taking the medication. It was, like for the OP, a great experience that let me do a lot of things I didn't think I was capable of doing.
I do hate taking too much of the medication, granted. Accidentally doubling my dose is always something that I really regret.
Re: Doctor: ADHD, as currently defined, does not exist
#29I feel like this headline is terribly irresponsible. People with mental health issues suffer from a stigma associated with them, as well as denial of their suffering. Going out with both guns blazing to say their condition does not exist - not that it's a symptom of a larger problem, or that it's a gross oversimplification of a number of unrelated diseases, but instead the crude headline "doesn't exist" - that only m…
As a sufferer of various mental things, I feel like the suffering and problems can be real, and the diagnoses and explanations still carry a heavy bullshit component.
Re: Doctor: ADHD, as currently defined, does not exist
#30This article is so potentially harmful, even if it's more nuanced than the hyperbolic "ADHD Doesn't Exist" title would suggest. The reality is that -- whatever the underlying cause -- a lot of people struggle with attention span issues, and that these issues cause a lot of pain and unfulfilled potential. Even if ADHD medications are overprescribed Band-Aids, people benefit from them. We should try and find better dia…
> After four years in college, which were a mix of promise and opportunities torpedoed by procrastination, I worked 10, 12, 14-hour days to finish work that I was more than talented enough to finish in 5 or 6 hours. My happiness suffered, health suffered, and relationships died.
> Then I finally admitted that maybe it was a little more than a willpower issue. If it a matter of lacking willpower, why was I at the damn office trying to work long after everybody else had left? Whatever the hell my problem was, it wasn't work ethic.
Thank you. These two paragraphs are a perfect counterpoint to the uninformed claims I hear about ADHD all the time, so I'll probably mention them the next time I hear people claim that ADHD 'doesn't exist'.
I think the only real problem is that ADHD has always been improperly named[0]. The actual condition itself has very little to do with attention. The condition is named not after the cause, but after a symptom - and worse, after a symptom that is not even characteristic of the condition. Not all people with ADHD actually exhibit attention issues as their primary symptom, or even at all.
It's like referring to depression as "Excessive sleep disorder". Well, sure, excessive sleep is oftentimes a symptom of depression. But taking stimulants won't (necessarily) help, and trying to force people to "just wake up" (or, more commonly, "just be happy!") isn't a solution.
It's no longer socially acceptable to tell dyslexic people that their condition doesn't exist and that they are "dumb". So why is it socially acceptable to tell people with ADHD that their condition doesn't exist and that they're "just lazy"?
[0] Previously it was called ADD, and before that it was oftentimes classified as auditory processing disorders, etc.