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The Drugging Of The American Boy

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Re: The Drugging Of The American Boy

#51

Post by jpendry »

ddoolin wrote: post #46
curiousDog wrote: post #38

To me, as an adult, getting a diagnosis on ADHD was a godsend. However, after a couple of years, I see the drug's affects waning. I can also see how damaging this dependency creation can be for children. Fortunately, when I was a child back in India, ADHD was virtually unknown (probably the case today as well). Most of the time, my parents chalked off my inattention to "lack of discipline" and were happy as long as m…

I actually was never diagnosed with ADHD as a child or an adult. I exhibit a similar coding pattern as you did, and still do, since high school. I get bored very, very quickly and kind of live off of the "aha" moments, from one to the next. It's not that it's not genuinely challenging or interesting to me, but I just can't focus much of the time. This is true for just about everything I do these days. Thoughts and id…

This sounds an awful lot like imposter syndrome, but with your own health instead of programming ability.

See a doctor. Be honest. Let them do their job and then trust their diagnosis.

Re: The Drugging Of The American Boy

#52

Post by DerpDerpDerp »

eruditely wrote: post #32
DerpDerpDerp wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your response doesn't actually address the article, which acknowledges that ADHD is a real condition, but suggests that fewer than 1 in 5 boys have it, and that a large number of misdiagnosed cases is bad, considering that they're given serious drugs because of it. In fact, the only number it suggests as being inaccurate (based on an old study) is 25% of cases - that 1 in 4 cases is misdiagnosed. However, given the n…

Your response is vague apologism for irresponsible journalism justified on a minor technicality. The articles is so stupidly charitable to it's own worldview(in the sense of lying) and omitting so much from the other side that it is ridiculous. You are wrong to think that these people deserve "serious consideration", when the article is written itself to produce knee-jerk reactions "The drugging of the american boy..…

No one is saying we shouldn't be giving drugs to some kids.

It's saying we're over diagnosing, and giving drugs to kids who don't need them.

Giving 1 in 20 boys amphetamines for no reason is not a good thing - it's a dangerous and bad thing.

Re: The Drugging Of The American Boy

#53

Post by ddoolin »

jpendry wrote: post #51
ddoolin wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually was never diagnosed with ADHD as a child or an adult. I exhibit a similar coding pattern as you did, and still do, since high school. I get bored very, very quickly and kind of live off of the "aha" moments, from one to the next. It's not that it's not genuinely challenging or interesting to me, but I just can't focus much of the time. This is true for just about everything I do these days. Thoughts and id…

This sounds an awful lot like imposter syndrome, but with your own health instead of programming ability. See a doctor. Be honest. Let them do their job and then trust their diagnosis.

Honestly, I had to look that one up and I do recall reading about that last week via a post linked on HN actually and telling my coworker that that didn't describe me much at all. In both my health (physical fitness) and other accomplishments , I can say I take them very well, and have an ego a large portion of the time because of them.

I should definitely go see a doctor anyway, if not just to make sure that this isn't all in my head.

Re: The Drugging Of The American Boy

#54

Post by DerpDerpDerp »

[deleted] wrote: post #33
DerpDerpDerp wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your response doesn't actually address the article, which acknowledges that ADHD is a real condition, but suggests that fewer than 1 in 5 boys have it, and that a large number of misdiagnosed cases is bad, considering that they're given serious drugs because of it. In fact, the only number it suggests as being inaccurate (based on an old study) is 25% of cases - that 1 in 4 cases is misdiagnosed. However, given the n…

[deleted]

This article wasn't anti-drug from my perspective.

It warned that we're giving a fraction of those kids drugs that they don't need (which happens with other medications as well).

Neither I, nor the article, is suggesting that kids with ADHD shouldn't take pills as a treatment. It's suggesting that 1 in 20 boys is given amphetamines without a need for them, which is bad.

Re: The Drugging Of The American Boy

#55

Post by ddoolin »

eruditely wrote: post #50
ddoolin wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually was never diagnosed with ADHD as a child or an adult. I exhibit a similar coding pattern as you did, and still do, since high school. I get bored very, very quickly and kind of live off of the "aha" moments, from one to the next. It's not that it's not genuinely challenging or interesting to me, but I just can't focus much of the time. This is true for just about everything I do these days. Thoughts and id…

What does "abuse" mean in your context? "Abusing it to get by", very anti-humanistic mentality here. "The kids with polio abused vaccines to get by" "The kids with hunger abused food to get by" What does "abusing to get by" even mean? You mean, USING it to get by, and thus preventing failure of the negative kind? You mean ... the desire-able outcome?

I had originally typed "to get through exams" but for some inane reason I changed it at the last minute and now conveys the wrong thought completely.

Re: The Drugging Of The American Boy

#56

Post by gress »

eruditely wrote: post #47
gress wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The loss of self esteem resulting from how school treats kids is due to a fault with school, not with the kids.

You're right, as long as we fix the schools and the parents. Of which the majority have little scientific background, will use vague inprecise heuristics such as you are not disciplined enough, as opposed to the much easier solution of providing drugs so that these kids not crash their vehicles. Irresponsible apologism over and over while not demanding the same from the author. Anti-medication pop-trash.

It sounds as though you are seriously promoting using drugs to control children's behavior to solve the problem of poor schools.

Downvotes? Am I misreading the parent?

Re: The Drugging Of The American Boy

#58

Post by gress »

eruditely wrote: post #44
curiousDog wrote: post #38

To me, as an adult, getting a diagnosis on ADHD was a godsend. However, after a couple of years, I see the drug's affects waning. I can also see how damaging this dependency creation can be for children. Fortunately, when I was a child back in India, ADHD was virtually unknown (probably the case today as well). Most of the time, my parents chalked off my inattention to "lack of discipline" and were happy as long as m…

Again vague appeals to solutions that simply do not work as well as stimulant medications. http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=ADHD&Template=/Cont... T 1. Thirty two percent of students living with ADHD drop out of high school compared to 15 percent of teens with no mental health diagnosis (UC Davis Health System, 2010) 2.Three times as many adolescents living with ADHD as those living without ADHD have failed a…

What is the objective diagnosis for ADHD?

Re: The Drugging Of The American Boy

#59

Post by yequalsx »

andyl wrote: post #6

A few years ago teachers complained that both my boys were too intense on the playground, 'diagnosed' with ADHD. Docs were eager to prescribe meds to make them conform. There is something in our society wants to redefine normal behavior as pathology. Maybe to get you hooked and build revenue streams, maybe just to make you more pliable. Fuck that. Yes there are legitimate cases. But I've only experienced people who w…

My girlfriend is a psychiatrist and we've had discussions about over medication. One thing she said to me stuck with me and may be of help to you in your current situation. She says stimulants work right away (unlike medication for depression) and she said that if the drugs do work you'll see this within a few days. If they do work then talk with a psychiatrist about long term plans and long term health affects of the medication.

The teachers are not professionals and their opinions do not constitute a diagnosis.

Re: The Drugging Of The American Boy

#60

Post by im_a_lawyer »

eruditely wrote: post #2

Why don't you read a fucking ADHD support forum and wonder whether the suffering caused by poor executive functioning/nervous system disorder is real? Why didn't they mention how many more times you are likely to die in a vehicular accident than non-adhd users? http://scholar.google.com/scholar?start=10&q=adhd&hl=en&as_s... Google scholar for ADHD, why don't you realize that these ADHD articles are more akin to anti-…

no one here is saying that ADHD condition is not real.. It's just that some people like me have a problem with the way they decide to treat it. Pretending that this is all "genetics" written in stone and the only way to not go crazy and end up a poor underachiever in jail is by taking these expensive pills and call it "treatment". Your body has absolutely zero need for pharmaceuticals. Drugs are only masking the problem up and as soon as you stop taking it, all your symptoms will come back. How do you people not fucking get it? Why not get to the root cause of this condition instead of taking an easy way out?
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