No One Has ADHD. Sorry, It Is Complete Bullshit
(NRB Opinion) The other night, a couple of teenagers came over to my house. I had never met them before, they were tagging along with a friend of mine. They were dressed like they had money – and real spiffy, like a lot of thought went into their outfits. They were also two of the rudest people I have ever met. No big deal to me – I am used to rude people, and I don’t take it personally. Besides, they are kids and I am almost forty years old. Anyway, they were a couple “in love.” She seemed to be the nicer of the two, but it was hard to tell, as she rarely got to finish a sentence. He interrupted her endlessly. He really had a lot of opinions. He knew a lot of things about a lot of things. Then it came out: “I have ADHD,” he informed us, almost like he wore it as a badge of honor. So did she, she told us. They both had ADHD.
I’m no doctor, but I will tell you a story. Years ago, in about 1995 when everyone I knew started getting diagnosed with ADHD, I met a kid who told me about every ten minutes that he had ADHD. We became friends. One day I pointed out to him that whenever we talked about him, or some band he liked, or some girl he wanted to nail, he was all ears. There was nothing medically wrong with him. He was just a selfish dick. Those wound up being his own words he used to describe himself. A selfish dick. After a while, he proudly exclaimed on a regular basis that he had never had ADHD.
I was thinking while I was talking to these kids last night that their parents just didn’t want to deal with them. “My kid is being difficult. I will put him on some medicine.” It all probably has to do with the fact that both parents commonly work these days. Kids hate that. I promise. But that is for another blog, another day.
I still do not know anyone who has been diagnosed with ADHD who gets distracted when they are talking about themselves. The whole sick thing seems like an excuse to not learn manners, politeness or decency. Like a license to be self-centered to the extreme. Just my opinion. And my apologies to the few people out there who really have it. But they wouldn’t be still reading this, would they?
N.R.B. 
January 20, 2011 at 10:52 am
Seriously, you really think that? So the past two years I’ve spent rehabilitating from AD/HD is all just bullshit? Sorry, AD/HD is aa very real and serious neurological disorder that can only be treated with therapy and medication.
February 8, 2011 at 5:20 pm
Rehabilitating? Are you fucking kidding me? Being a selfish dick with no self-control or discipline is different than being a drug addict or alcoholic. Had I been born a few years later I’m sure I’d have been diagnosed with this bullshit as well. Thankfully I dodged that bullet. Seriously, as a kid I had every single “symptom” of ADHD. But you know what? I turned out fine because society expected me to learn some self discipline, quit whining and do what I’m supposed be doing and I did it without medication.
Now we have a generation of pansies that are using this fake “disease” as an excuse to not have to suck it up and do their homework even though they really, really don’t want to.
October 18, 2011 at 9:55 pm
Amen to that.
January 16, 2012 at 9:43 pm
Well, it appears that you have some internal aggression aimed at society for boxing you up into submission.
If you did have ADHD as a kid, you never wonder why you acted the way you did? No matter how hard you tried to play by this agrarian/industrialized based society rules…that you really didn’t fit in it?
ADHD could be bullshit, but it could also mean that early humans in a tribal setup lead to farmers or hunters (nomads). Of course we saw what happened with the nomad, he/she was conquered and placed into submission into the world we live in today.
Look at Native Americans, forced from their lands and their cultural ways to farm and stay sedentary….it destroyed their identity and many are still portrayed as to be substance abusers.
Now I know I am making a leap, and this is only a theory….but I think it explains a lot.
January 17, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Sorry I’m an old prick I just didnt take my back pills so I was a little moody that day. Wheres my walker? I need to get out of my old folks home to yell at those whippersnappers outside playing basketball having fun, NO ONE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO HAVE FUN IF IM TOO OLD FOR IT
August 17, 2012 at 9:00 pm
First of all, you are an entitled shit that hates what you see as other people getting away with being distracted kids without discipline and calling it a disease. I can understand that, but you are wrong.
There is a genetic and physiological basis for it. fMRI scans can SEE the lower dopamine related brain activity that is the cause of adhd.
I have adult adhd, basically my brain produces less dopamine (pleasure neurotransmitter) which is why stimulant medications which raise dopamine levels help me to concentrate. Low dopamine levels in humans and mice have symptoms identical to adhd – impulsivity, fidgeting and stimulation seeking.
Most people learn to manage their adhd by adulthood.
I agree that many people think they have adhd when they don’t and that others just want to abuse stimulant medication. I’ve only met three people who I actually thought had adhd, my mother and a couple people I know.
April 7, 2014 at 7:05 am
I agree completely. It’s a cop out.
July 11, 2014 at 3:08 am
Exactly!! I’m sorry I completely agree with you, maybe some very rare instances people have legitimate attention problems, 99% of the people who claim to have it is complete bs, my cousin who was diagnosed with ADHD used the excuse for everything he ever forgot or did wrong. Amazingly he wmcoukd sit in his room for 6 hours and practice guitar.
I talked to another couple who were both diagnosed Adhd, they tried explaining it to me, and knew my cousin and said he definitely had a bad case, when I pointed out how he can play guitar or draw for extended periods they said “oh ya well even people with adhd can focus on things that interest them, but if it dosent then they CAN NOT keep their attention on it”….read that sentence then put ur face in both your hands and weep for the future of mankind.
May 3, 2015 at 12:58 am
Forget it guys. Genevia is a lost case. He undoubtedly has some grudge against people suffering from ADHD, and I suspect that he’s just a very lonely, unpopular person. Just let him be. No need to take your anger out on this poor man.
June 17, 2015 at 10:27 pm
To be fair, school is bullshit. Everytime I go back to school I just don’t give a shit, yet people will tell me “no there’s something wrong with you”. No I just don’t give a shit, school is nothing but memorizing and regurgitating useless information. What have I learned during my first two years of high school? Nothing, I have a course all about tech, now do you think we’re gonna learn anything significant surrounding technology? Nope, at best all you’re gonna learn is that you need a basic understanding of technology in today’s day in age. But it’s pointless anyways because everyone has a fucking phone and most kids are deeply ingrained in technology, social media, and etc. So most of the shit we learn in that pathetic excuse of a coarse is shit we already know. But that coarse is there because you need just enough courses to meet the number of credits you need to pass. I live is a rural area so our school is lacking in courses, so it’s no wonder we have these bullshit courses. School is all about being an obedient little worker, not being an independent individual and making something of yourself.
January 12, 2016 at 7:13 am
i do did and will continue to do so but thats juat your experiance buddy its harder for some and much more extrem variations and fluxuations ahhh fuck ya your generation is brain washed as fuck u arnt worth trying to reson with a member of brain washed jeneration ladys and gentlmen
September 1, 2016 at 6:46 am
Exactly. What all these dumbass doctors and teachers call ADHD today,was just considered “Being a kid.”when I was young. And it’s true,parents and teachers,etc just don’t want to deal with a kid that’s more difficult than others,so they blame their behavior on a made up disease and put them on drugs.
November 20, 2016 at 8:14 am
Fucking kill yourself you’re saying that fact that i am an academic prodigy when i have taken ritalin tablets and yet am a teachers worst nightmare when i forget them is bullshit? Go Fuck yourself cunt
March 29, 2017 at 12:55 am
Totally agree! It’s complete BS. Even when my son passed all the tests and stayed attentive for a whole hour they still issued a memo that he has “features suggestive of ADHD”. My immediate thought was WHAT~?!?! Seriously, show me “clean” letter and I might start to believe medical institutions are not trying to profiteer from this paranoid delusion
July 3, 2012 at 9:49 pm
Complete nonesense. ADHD is a fabrication to SELL and DRUG children to death. These wackjobs will continue to come up with this garbage just to make money on it. Even By-Polar is complete nonesense.
January 12, 2014 at 7:21 pm
Firstly it’s bipolar not by-polar you doofus. Secondly it is a very real problem. The real problem is how liberally people get diagnosed with it, and it’s become a somewhat chic condition to flaunt, and subsequently excuse shitty behavior by people who want excuses to act like a jerk.
January 24, 2014 at 8:41 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more ATI and here’s why. Every single person that is defending this has been convinced that they have a neurological disorder. The simple fact is that they are hooked on methamphetamines. If the doctor showed up and said i’m sorry we were wrong i’m going to have to take you off now. They would fight the doctor and buy the pills illegally. since they are convinced they need meth to be normal. I’m pretty sure that if you ask any pill junkie why they take them. They will respond with I feel normal on my Xanax, Vicodin, etc…. Just because meth makes you feel smarter or more focused does not mean you need it. If people would use their brains instead of just saying “I always knew I was different” And now I have a diagnosis that says I need meth. It’s just so crazy. Doesn’t matter though since another strung out Adderall popper will list below how he needs his meth and pulled his life together after finding meth pills.
February 6, 2014 at 9:18 am
Well said- and anyone who dribbles about adult ADHD? Hehehehe what’s their excuse? Ooh my dopamine levels are low bla bla bla- lol go do some exercise, which releases dopamine, or in a lot of cases- stop taking narcotics which play havoc with our seratonin/ dopamine sites in our brain.
Good to see someone else with half an idea and once again- well said good or sir or lady 😀
May 9, 2014 at 4:02 am
If people wanted to MAKE money out of pills wouldnt they have already have one for AIDS CANCER DIABETES and more to be rich. But the one pill that will get them rich is the pill for ASSHOLES LIKE YOU.
September 1, 2016 at 6:50 am
No. Bi-polar does exist. Though I believe it is rarer than what is
December 26, 2012 at 5:42 am
ADHD is bullshit. No doubt in my mind. Back in my day, if I was caught daydreaming in class, the teacher whipped out a plank and spanked my ass in front of all to see. It’s called conditional training. I walked the line and knew not to space out. Also, If I ever talked back to teachers or parents, I got the shit kicked out of me… I learned not to talk back and I learned to have respect for my elders who were trying to teach my monkey ass. Today… NO HOLDS at all. You can’t even suggest to the current generation of school aged children to sit still and focus. So, let’s give them a pill and not let them learn how to control themselves. What happens when the pill goes away?… Or what happens if the pill causes some unwanted side-effects? No! Let’s not train… let’s medicate. Bullshit.
We are raising a whole lot of over-privilaged, hyper-entitled, non-disciplined and no-consequences children in this generation batch and we as parents, elders, lawmakers and caregivers have poisoned a whole batch people that in my honest opinion will not have the skillset or fortitude to take care of what really needs to be taken care of in the very near future.
Now add smartphones, facebook, twitter… and the other bullshit…
ADHD is not a condition it is a man-made condition because of all the other bullshit distractions we have put upon our children.
Buying a smartphone for your teen? Really?
Full Internet access on their iPhone, home computer etc… Really?
December 26, 2012 at 5:51 am
Please remove above comment to “Genevia”. I did not intend to comment on the poster’s input. “Genevia” may actually have a condition that needs attention… Me, I just wanted to generally post what I think about the over-use of prescribed “fashionable” drugs just because the child has energy to burn in a classroom that seems boring to them when the actual problem is discipline and training… Pills? Please!
October 17, 2013 at 4:09 pm
RESPONSE TO 596: I guess you didn’t read the actual MRI studies, did you? I DID! First of all they used boys b/w ages 12-17 and found those with ADHD had smaller brains, more condensed frontal lobes and other nerve areas were condensed. The interpretation of these studies don’t tell you that they didn’t break these boys up into age groups – of course a 12 or 13 yr old is going to have a smaller brain. It’s still growing. The clincher – those that were found to have “normal brains” (those w/o ADHD) were never medicated for it, as they had no reason to be. Those with ADHD had all been medicated prior to the study. Some stopped medication a week or two before the study, some stopped months before and others had not stopped being medicated at all. They don’t tell you this in the interpretation b/c anyone with half a brain would know that this factor alone could be (and most likely is) the reason why those with ADHD were found to have smaller/condensed brains. Another study on those with ADHD that have never been medicated has NEVER been done. The study was never replicated with two groups of kids that were never medicated. Learn to read the actual studies, not the interpretations of them. You’ll be surprised what you find. Can you figure out why? WAKE UP!
April 3, 2014 at 7:15 pm
Yesssss!
November 1, 2016 at 4:16 pm
I haven’t even hit my 40’s yet and can’t stand people with this ADHD BS. I was a hyper active kid, still am somewhat, but I don’t lie to myself. It’s fucken self discipline. If I want to pay attention I simply focus and check myself when I start spacing out. I don’t need a fucken pill. And I don’t have ADHD. I’m smarter than the average, get bored easy so I move onto something else. I remember my mom beating my ass for getting out of line. Best thing she ever did was teach me boundaries by knocking me silly when I didn’t listen. Dear God why couldn’t I just listen more 😦 when I was younger.
November 6, 2016 at 9:44 pm
Your a redneck moron!
April 3, 2013 at 2:49 am
ADHD is just another excuse to turn all of our kids and some naive adults into drug addicts. ADHD is real? No it’s not. Wake up. You’ve been lied to by your Communist mind control government once again. And you believed it…. AGAIN !! Dummy.
April 3, 2013 at 2:53 am
Oh and by the way; When I was a kid I couldn’t Pay “Attention” and I was Hyper and couldn’t sit down and never listened. Then, I went to go and live with my father. You know. The “Other” Parent in my life? Ya. A couple good ass beatings from him and I was cured. No drugs were used in my “Rehabilitation” either. Pharmaceutical companies; Nothing but Snake Oil salesmen.
April 8, 2013 at 4:36 pm
No it’s not
June 2, 2013 at 11:55 pm
you’re an effing idiot.
really lousy parenting is the reason people like you exist.
a good kick in the a** is the cure for ADD/ADHD and the other combos
August 11, 2015 at 7:32 pm
Oh really?! My mother grounded me on a regular basis, gave me consequences like not being able to go out with friends or ride my beloved horse for a month, yelled, punished, and was strict with rules. I have ADHD, and I wasn’t diagnosed until I was 24. You have no Idea what the fuck you are talking about. You and other’s commenting here are NOT doctors. And yes, there is a medical reason those with ADHD can concentrate more easily on things they’re interested in: our brains need extra stimulation to stay focused, and the flipside of our inattention to boring stuff, is hyperfocusing on the not boring stuff. You’re (and other’s here ) moralizing is purely you projecting your beliefs and judgements on behavior you don’t understand. The behavior is just a symptom, and is NOT a conscious choice. Most people I know with ADHD including themselves, feel terrible about themselves and how their behavior affects others. I am not an entitled narcissist. I grew up poor, (the horse was at my grandparent’s place, and was the only thing I had in a life of otherwise paucity.) with a strict parent. I have suffered many many consequences in my life due to this disorder–and I resent the discrimination in this blog, your comment, and other’s like it. I’m sorry if you’ve been negatively affected by someone with ADHD, or have heard it to many times as an “excuse” for poor behavior, (I never do this anymore, btw. I take responsibility without using the “ADHD” card–but it’s taken me years to get there.) You have no idea what this is like. Why would I, or anyone else choose a life of losing jobs, losing friends, losing relationships, etc.. You haven’t got a f*&^%$ing clue.
July 7, 2013 at 5:54 pm
I was diagnosed with ADHD because I wouldnt pay attention in class. Lets forget the fact that ADHD medication has huge effects on the body in certain doses…. The only god damn reason I was put on ADHD is because not only did I question everything I didnt do anything in school. This is the reasoning behind most ADHD diagnosis, and it has nothing to do with a disorder….. its that school bored the crap out of me, being a complete waste of my time, and when I turned 15, i dropped out got a wavier, at 17 and went to fucking college….
So take your goddamn ignorance about “ADHD” and shove it.
October 17, 2013 at 3:55 pm
Give me ONE valid, medical test that can test the dopamine levels in your brain, and give me ONE medical test that can measure your levels after drugging yourself to see if your “chemical imbalance” has leveled out. Stop believing everything you hear and read and do some research – which includes learning how to read studies PRIOR to them being interpreted for the general public. You’ll be extremely surprised at what you find. It is not a medical issue, and there is no medical proof it even exists.
May 28, 2014 at 2:15 am
You are obviously an idiot. A five second search on Google Scholar came back with 400 independent studies performed worldwide and a huge variety of people with ADHD. It is a neurological condition and it is very real.
October 24, 2013 at 2:32 pm
I fidget all the time and my teachers always said i had it and needed meds. my parents were always against it so i was never diagnosed but i fidget all the time cant sit still cant pay attention if the topic don’t interest me and will procrastinate like a mother fucker and guess what im doing just fine. im in collage have a great gpa and am doing fine being a spaz isn’t an excuse for being a moron sorry my roommate has it diagnosed and he is just a complete idiot and trys to use it as his excuse but his just plain dumb adhd or not.
March 1, 2014 at 10:29 am
You have a great gpa in collage? Like your collaging class in college* perhaps? And his just plain dumb what? Maybe you mean he’s* just plain dumb in which case he’s mute and I feel bad for him. I normally never comment but I thought the irony of this was too good. But agreed with everyone else, ad(h)d is bullshit.
January 23, 2015 at 11:42 pm
No it isn’t, you just have behavioral problems due to lack of outlet. You just want an excuse.
April 7, 2015 at 11:46 pm
Thank u! I am glad i am not the only one who thinks that
September 21, 2015 at 11:39 pm
Sorry ADHD is bullshit. And you just ate 2 years of shit
September 1, 2016 at 6:43 am
Yes. You most likely are full of shit,and looking for excuses for being an airhead.
January 24, 2011 at 2:25 pm
ADHD is the biggest bullshit I have ever heard. Just a way for parents to excuse their child’s appalling behaviour. Adults with ‘ADHD’ just use it as an excuse to get speed of their doctors. Low life junkies.
March 2, 2011 at 8:58 pm
“Just a way for parents to excuse their child’s appalling behavior.”
Kids these days just need a good beating. Kids misbehave because parents of today are too pussy to actually discipline their kids.
Fortunately for my kids, I am not one of these parents. I’m an old-school parent who firmly believes in the philosophy of misbehavior is nothing that a good beating can’t cure. One of my favourite quotes of all time (not sure where it’s from) — “Lessons not learned in blood are soon forgotten.”
I would never beat my kids for no reason – that’s just plain child abuse and is wrong. While that may make me seem like a hypocrite, I believe disciplinary beatings are a necessary evil.
July 24, 2011 at 2:05 pm
You’re using the word “beat” but then you say its not abuse?
You sound like a complete idiot!
September 3, 2012 at 12:23 pm
Very narrow minded view my brother has struggled for 8 years not knowing what was wrong and now has been diagnosed with adhd,autisim and aspergers and his life is difficult hopefully nothing like this happens to anyone in your family.
January 8, 2013 at 10:07 am
You’re really not doing your kids any favors by hitting them.
January 23, 2014 at 7:52 pm
Anonymous, i got my ass tore up when i misbehaved and i am doing fine now, because i know that actions have consequences, and that has carried over into adulthood, i am 19 years old and have never been arrested or committed a crime, more than likely because i know that there are consequences for actions, both negative and positive.
January 24, 2014 at 8:54 pm
God there is such a difference in generational gaps. The new age whiney apathetic cry babies vs. the get your face slapped for speaking out in class. Even though I grew up with liberal cry baby shits that are all hooked on some pill or convinced there is something wrong with them I want nothing to do with them. I also got my ass beat when I was not paying attention in class or being stupid in public or any of the things that all children do. Guess what? I don’t hate my parents. I don’t feel resentful. I have a great job and amazing family. I am 30 years old and have a beautiful family and an amazing job as a Physical Therapist. I am so scared for our future because of how easy people are to manipulate now. And it appears to me as though the new generation wants to have something wrong with them. So many people are on bi-polar, anti-depressant, adhd and every other possible thing. And the way they market these pills to ignorant idiots “Are you feeling sad, is it hard to go out and play with your children, do you not want to have sex” All of these are how any person is feeling that is barely getting by! should they all go take pills? Hell no. How about not whining on the couch shoving doughnuts down your pie hole and forcing yourself to exercise? Even though i’m only 30 I hate the direction the country is headed. I wish I had been born back when “men were men”.
January 16, 2012 at 9:37 pm
This is ignorance. ADHD is over diagnosed, because drug companies do make money when subscriptions are made out to desperate parents.
However, identifying the problem is the real issue here. If someone is autistic or has Asberger’s we know that this is a brain abnormality. ADHD/ADD is on the same spectrum of these two types of brain disorders.
Fortunately, these brain disorders only occur 6.5 per 1000 (http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/topics.html)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html
Granted, I do agree with others statements. How in the fuck can you really determine real diagnosis from such questions?
Real way is through analyzing Beta waves or PET scan….
Now, I could be full of shit; but I’d like to be proven wrong. That way, I can go back to the books; and see what the real issue is in my life.
April 8, 2011 at 7:42 pm
I couldnt agree more. My son has been diagnosed thanks to his marvelous teachers and now i am forced to medicate my child who in all honesty, is just a selfish ahole. I am furious that teachers and pediatricians throw this diagnosis out like its a cold. Then the therapist back them up to push meds. I would like to say to those considering medicating your children, i wouldnt do it. Im going through hell trying to find one therapist that will label him normal so i can get him off dangerous and addictive drugs. Im a medical professional and the side effects of these pills arent worth having the perfect child temporarily. They are killing and setting up our kids for worse problems later. Im diagnosed bipolar, adhd, and borderline personality disorder and i function just fine without meds. These illnesses are complete bullshit, Its about money. Dont let these idiots screw up your kids as they have my son.
April 13, 2011 at 12:03 am
The teachers diagnosed your son? I would’ve demanded to see their medical licenses immediately. Schools are not hospitals. Teachers are not physicians. They don’t get to tell us what medication to put our kids on.
January 16, 2012 at 9:22 pm
I strongly agree with you; but to play devil’s advocate, maybe the teachers are seeing something that you haven’t seen due to bias. Biochemistry and the food we consume, affect our behaviour.
Perhaps diet is the only change or maybe there is a genetic history of ADHD in your family. The literature available says that it’s hereditary and affects only 3-5% of the population.
January 16, 2012 at 9:30 pm
If you don’t agree with the meds, then you have to look at possible vitamin supplements and diet….moreover, exercise and structure are the best ways to manage ADHD, that and great planning and use of technology for reminders, alerts, and bundling things together to avoid hassles, I know….yadda yadda.
I know I’m coming off strong with my greater than thou methods, but I too have the disorder, and this is what works for me. Diet, exercise, and meds along with good therapists who actually care and want you to be on your own, rather than having you come back to get your money, work.
If you completely disagree with me, that is fine. However, I would strongly recommend that you look at http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/09/30/us-adhd-genes-idUSTRE68S5UD20100930
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structural_variation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurotransmitter_receptor
If that starts getting you onto the path I’m on in understanding our biochemistry and makeup, then start limiting the stimuli intake and identify the triggers that get your dopamine moving.
Best of luck.
Johnny
May 17, 2012 at 7:27 pm
The way you wrote your reply does show that you might want to try meds or at least see a psychiatrist for anger issues. but that is beside the point. AD/HD meds don’t function the same way in a truly AD/HD person as they do in a regular person. while adderall and other stimulants raise energy levels and make time seem to go slower for regular people, its a bitch for us with AD/HD it causes headaches, lack of hunger, and inability to sleep and these can last for almost 6 hours, but it is worth it at least for me i dont have overwhelming energy i cant keep up with and allows me to focus on just one thing at a time. I do hate that i don’t have the significantly increased reflexes, greater sensitivity, more creative thought process, increased spontaneity, and better environmental awareness (not the tree kind), that i have only because im AD/HD, which adderall and similar meds inhibit. But what I hate more than any fukin thing is that i have to deal with all of this so that i can fit into the idea of “normal” that dicks like you come up with.do your research before you open your mouth you are completely, well almost completely ignorant on what AD/HD is. speaking of which this should not be filed under opinions because since when is ignorance an opinion. did i mention i freakin hate dicks like you. huh that felt nice.
May 25, 2012 at 6:51 pm
they really do work for some people, i think the real problem is in making a blanket term, and treatments, for being hyper. ur son may just be a prick, but that does’nt mean others are.
September 8, 2012 at 3:50 pm
To those who think ADHD is real I pose the question. How do you know. Is there a brain scan blood test or anything other than a subjective test such as connors or basc? statiscs show 91% of all children entering a shrinks office get the lable. Why – it’ is simple it’s about money. Look at the testimony of DR Fred Baughman JR – Just google it or his book the ADHD fraud. While you are all at it google Ablechild.org. People today face child abuse charges if they dont adminsters theese class 2 psychotropics. The shrink know better than us common folk because they have a degreee. Bullshit look at the warning label that comes with bottle. Liste to the tail end of the commercials. Look on the FDA website. The truth is all around but people cant see it because money has blinded them. Did you know drug companies spend BILLiONS (yes with a B) lobbying congress with their products. No one will ever give a shit about you or your children but you because the people who control it are bought and paid for by them.
October 17, 2013 at 5:54 am
Actually, yes. ADHD can literally be seen with MRI scans. It’s amazing how IGNORANT some of you people are. Now before you jump down my throat telling me how it’s a scam bla bla bla. Let me tell some of you jerkoffs something. I have ADD/ADHD and I only was recently diagnosed in my mid twenties. Growing up was so difficult due to excessive lack of drive (what some of you simply call lazyness).
However, what I eventually learned was that I was not lazy, I had a form of depression that was still in its infancy and not quite pronounced yet. I decided to try the medication when I was about to be fired for, yes, being UNABLE to follow through properly and complete tasks at work. The fear of losing my job was not helping motivate me, either.
I went to the doctor and requested medication after years of hoping this problem would go away. I tried the diets and exercising, etc. Nothing worked for me. Well, now that I’m on my medication, I’m MUCH more productive and I actually enjoy being a productive, contributing member of society.
So to all of you assholes trying to claim this is fake – fuck you! How dare you make an assumption based off of your own personal experiences. It really is REAL, they have fucking MRI scans to prove it, you morons!
Took me many years of pain in misery to learn that I have a fucked up reward system and that I require medication to function as normal as I’ll ever be. Believe me, I’d rather not be on medication, but when I’m not, I’m fucking useless and extremely depressed. Anti depressants won’t help, either since my depression is directly related to very low dopamine levels. I’m lucky that my medication addresses my depression and attention issues.
So yes, fuck off, it’s real – get the fuck over it and stop feeling so embarrassed if your kid has it. Heck, it’s a fucking epidemic, so again, get. the. fuck. over. it. Some of you people sound like awful people who are trying to sabatoge their kids progress.
ADHD medications are not THAT dangerous when taken in the proper intervals and dosages. Abusing these medications IS dangerous. Use common sense people. OH! One more thing, I wonder how many of you hypocrite assholes smoke cigarettes, which contains nicotine, which acts VERY similar to how these medications work.
Yes, they are technically addictive, but only because the patient is already defficient in the dopamine their body desperately needs. This shit is not crack – relax.
October 11, 2014 at 9:37 am
To Bob, then give us all amphetimes so we all can crank out more work like in the 40’s and 50’s when everyone could use them
November 26, 2012 at 5:55 pm
Hey watch John Breeding on YouTube bipolar doesn’t exist. It’s a person with problems with shame and fear. Lots of shameand fear unresolved causes irritability etc!!
January 24, 2015 at 12:02 am
The kid needs an outlet, not public school. Get him into something he actually is good at and it’ll go away. Not everyone is the same. Our public school system is set up to create little cogs for the machine to work in and consumers to spend what little money they make.
Perhaps the kid could find another outlet, not pills.
June 2, 2011 at 12:16 am
This diagnosis is total bull and just a way to negate what the parents have not taken the time to teach them. It also is a money maker and a monthy appt. with the local shrink, whi is getting his medicaid fix each month at your child’s expense later on. The parents these days have no idea how to dicipline and teach thier own children and follow like sheap of what some disfunctional pgyciatrist want to say.
What happened 30 years ago to kid that just had normal energy for thier ages?..NO, this is just about lack of knowing how to raise a child with manners and dicipline and nothing else!!…They send thier undiciplined child to school and the treacher has to deal with a kid that has been taught no manners or had anything taught to them as far as manners, respect etc……
January 16, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Wow….and on that same train of thought, you would probably agree with doctors from the 1850’s who said black people had smaller brains and were not as smart…or that women weren’t capable of handling stress or that homosexuality is a perversion and mental illness…..
And if you don’t believe me, here is the article: http://www.answers.com/topic/african-american
I will not disagree with those of you who beleive that biased science hasn’t led to abuse or oppression. However, I would argue that science in regards to ADHD has provided evidence to this disorder affecting 3-5% of the population. This is a small number, folks. This means that a classroom of 30 kids, only 1 kid in that classroom has it, or at most 2 do. So why is everyone denouncing this disorder?
Now let’s not forget, this age we live in is also the most stimuli consumed generation that the planet has ever seen. That what Sir Ken Robinson describes in this TED sponsored video:
Check it out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
But then again, some parents are ignorant. Some states don’t want to educate their citizens, because it would then create people who could think for themselves….imagine that.
August 16, 2013 at 3:24 pm
Funny, only 1% of the population is diagnosed with ADHD in Great Britain, yet 3 to 5% in the US (quite a range, by the way, don’t you think? 3 to 5%, which is it?). Why the disparity? And why also is ADHD twice as high among first-born children? Could it be just plain spoiling?
September 7, 2011 at 11:20 pm
U guys r fucking pricks. Im 13 and have adhd. Its a real disorder. I hate the side effects I get, like depression and I cant sleep and other shit like that, but it doesnt matter. I know I have to take my pills, if I dont, I just feel like shit. And the stuff u people say, pisses me off. Dont say its not real cuz it is. But I do agree that a lot of kids use it as an excuse, which is bull, but technically, it is sorta.
January 16, 2012 at 9:51 pm
Shiloh,
I see that your post is from a while back….but I want to let you know to not dwell too much on your sensitivities. People with ADHD, tend to be too sensitive and wear their heart on their shoulder. In this world, you’ll be eaten alive for displaying such emotional behavior.
What I do want you to know is that it takes strength to stand up for your beleifs; but if you can’t back those beliefs up with hard evidence…then it’s like an atheist berating a young pious person. It’s hard to defend, and it hurts your self being.
I encourage to be resilient; but you need to learn that this world is one of comparison. Humans don’t have a value meter, only the ability to compare and judge. So…people will always judge you, talk about you because we all do it. We can’t help it. It’s in our nature to compare ourselves, so we can place value on ourselves….my daddy is better than your daddy crap, but that mindset goes to my dick then to penis extensions like money, cars, how many lays you got and so on….it never ends if you keep playing.
Bottom line, quit playing this game. Know yourself through education, sports, martial arts and believe it or not…spirituality….Buddhism, Yoga, Judaism, Christianity, etc.
Hang in there buddy, life is tough, it ain’t easy. And having ADHD is only going to make it more challenging if you let it. You have the power of choice, you can believe everyone here and have them affect you, or you can laugh it off; and keep on trucking on.
Best of luck,
Johnny
October 17, 2013 at 6:05 am
Johnny, what you say is true about adhd people tending to be sensitive (as a sufferer I am guilty of this). There are some groundbreaking studies and research being carried out that involve MRi scans that show symptoms that are/or resemble brain damage in areas that control emotion, coordination, etc.
So, this disease is quite serious, and it’s very scary that many believe it is a fake one. There is LITERALLY, I repeat, LITERALLY scientific evidence that proves that this disease exists! Yes, there are people out there who pretend to have it to gain access to the stimulant medications, but this is no joke.
Before I started taking medication (in my mid twenties), I could never hold down a job. I had no issues with arriving on time and I hardly ever called in sick, but what many confuse as simple ‘lazyness’ was actually a major symptom of the disorder. I also had serious attention span issues where I would lose focus in the middle of conversations uncontrollably.
This is a statement I am making to ANYONE reading this. LAZYNESS is a symptom of a problem! It’s not some simple discipline type issue. Brief periods of lazyness is one thing, chronic lazyness is a symptom of a compromised brain reward system not functioning correctly. Often, but not always, obesity is linked with the ADHD sufferer because they have such low dopamine, they will crave lots of junk foods as a mechanism of securing short bursts of dopamine from the sugar, which gives momentary release, but then returns with a vengence and thus, a viscious cycle of weight gain commences which also affects health in other areas of the body.
I cannot believe how serious this disease is and how many people still think it’s made up. Sure, there are companies who will profit off of drugs, that’s a given; but that alone doesn’t prove that it’s fake disease. That’s like me saying that hunger is fake and made up so that grocery stores can make money. Cmon, people. Some people have low dopamine and don’t really have a choice but to take the medication to allow them to function properly. DO THE FUCKING RESEARCH and stop buying into the damn hype! I can tell that a lot of you don’t research and just make stupid assumptions of random crap you hear. Ironic since you’re all calling others lazy and etc when you can’t yourselves do some simple reading and investigation. What a joke.
October 28, 2013 at 6:02 pm
If people with so-called ADD are “sensitive” it’s only toward themselves and how they are perceived because they sure as hell aren’t sensitive to the needs of those around them.
And Bob, STFU. There is NO science confirming ADD, otherwise where is it? And a magazine article doesn’t cut it. You keep referring to dopamine whic proves to me you are relying on the very old, very unproven catecholamine theseory of mental disorder, a THEORY that is questioned extensively.
December 25, 2013 at 5:55 am
Alagon and Shelly: Show me a single valid scientific study that proves the existence of pain and, maybe, your argument against the existence of ADD/ADHD will have some merit.
Can anyone prove to me pain exists? Anyone? Sorry, your personal report or symptomology is invalid in Alagon and Shelly land – only physical manifestations will do. Can anyone produce a cup of pain for these two to see with their eyes? No? I guess it must not exist then. Quit asking for general anesthesia before surgery or opioid meds after for the pain, you addicts.
Sounds about as ridiculous to me, to be honest.
January 24, 2012 at 1:20 am
I agree, I hate the side affects of the pills. I had a long state of depression as a side effect, why would I put myself through that? Because without the pills, I can barely stay afloat in school. I am always quiet and respectful, but I get distracted easily and have a hard time remembering facts.
May 3, 2012 at 12:53 am
adhd medications are speed. amphetamines and methylphenidate or whatever. regardless they are speed. the depression and inability to sleep come from the DRUG you are taking to treat your ADHD. You feel like shit when you don’t take your pills because you are having withdrawal symptoms, because your brain is used to having excessive amounts of dopamine, among other things, which aren’t as prominent when you aren’t on your medication.
ADHD amphetamines and speeds are the disease, not ADHD itself.
October 17, 2013 at 6:08 am
You are partially correct. Withdrawal is a definite side effect one has to learn to manage when not on the medication on weekends (to prevent drug tolerance from developing). But the alternative is no better. Every time I quit my ADHD meds, I would feel a bit better after the withdrawal, but then I’d be depressed and lifeless like I had been my entire life before medication. Seriously, this really isn’t something adhd sufferers can ignore. Most sufferers have to be on medication. It has to do with a malfunctioning reward system in the brain.
September 1, 2016 at 7:01 am
Exactly. I was dating this girl that was told she had ADHD and the medications used to cause her to get very scary chest pains,and she’d tell me that some times her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest. I few years back,while still in her mid 20s,her heart stopped and she died in her sleep. ADHD meds are nothing but legal versions of methamphetmaines.
May 12, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Ur addicted to the meds thats why u feel like shot when you don’t have them, not because it actually helps you “ADHD”
August 11, 2015 at 7:44 pm
Oh, I’m sorry, do you have experience with this???!. I do. I have ADHD. Facts are, ADHD meds when taken properly, are not addictive. The fact is, that most people with ADHD have trouble remembering to take their meds. I go off them all the time because A: I don’t like how they make me feel despite the fact that they do indeed help with concentration, and B: I just plain forget. Most people I know with ADHD are like that, so their goes your addiction theory.
June 10, 2012 at 5:30 am
Son, you should mind your manners. If you can take the time to read these comments and type a response, guess what sonny you don’t have adhd only a severe case of jerkistis. Now go somewhere, sit the hell down, and shut-up. Until you are paying rent or a house note you have no say-so. Brats are seen are NOT heard, period.
February 8, 2013 at 5:05 pm
ADHD is not real! Im not diagnozed with anything and guess what kid, sometimes i cant sleep either and sometimes i get depressed. Its called being human. Youve grown up brainwashed. Enjoy your happy pills when your deciding which suicide attempt to make.
February 17, 2013 at 9:51 pm
You are an school example of ”ADHD”,a stupid kid who can’t watch his language,has a lot of self pity and thinks he is ”depressed”.everybody is sad sometimes,GROW UP!
October 17, 2013 at 6:18 am
You grow up! Wait until you develop a mental illness and let’s see how your attitude is then. Watch your mouth and hope to God you don’t develop a neurological disorder. Not EVERYONE suffers with this. Learn to do some simple research, you will see that there are MRI scans that prove that this is not a fabricated illness. The problems ADHD sufferers go through are serious because:
1. People think it’s fake and a way of the person trying to excuse themselves from normal activities (which is fucked up since the medication PREVENTS THIS VERY BEHAVIOR! DERP!)
2. If a sufferer is undiagnosed and not taking any medication, they are very likely to end up abusing hardcore street drugs as an unconsious way of self-medicating. The reason why a lot of people end up addicted to drugs is because of a compromised reward system in the brain they aren’t even aware of, so when their brain tastes the dopamine they’ve been starving for, it is almost a guarantee for an addiction to develop.This is a genuine epidemic that people don’t even fully realize how serious it even is yet.
3.The sufferer is often plagued with other issues related to the disorder (unexplained hostility for example, and other possible mood disorders). Listen, I used to feel angry torwards people all the time and had NO IDEA why! and this was for years without any drugs or medication when my adhd was in full swing. Now, whenever I am medicated, I am much more friendly and sociable and actually take pleasure in working at my day job.
Look, I’m sorry for being rude, but please try to understand that this is not a made up disease, some people have these negative traits far worse than the average person. By attacking those with this disease and claiming it’s fake, all you are doing is hurting victims who were born with a defect. You might as well go and make fun of some down syndrome people while you’re at it because according to you, diseases are made up based on your own visual intepretation of a person’s actions.
You, sir, need to grow up. That kid is lashing out and does not possess the maturity (probably delayed from adhd, too) yet to convey his frustration in an intelligable manner. Have some compassion and do the research and you will see that I am right. You owe it to your mind to educate yourself and learn more about all of this, you never know when you may need to take advantage of it.
October 17, 2013 at 4:20 pm
We’re fucking pricks b/c you got sucked in? Look at your mouth and the way you express yourself. Your meds are working? Learn to suck it up and do what you gotta do, kiddo.
September 12, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Yes, it is quite true when I want to be surfing the internet and I lock myself in my world, I leave aside my responsibility as a mother and let my kids do whatever they want …. ADHD! … false, They need my attention, my dedication, my full time and my love … and my children are cured in an instant … I love them and better I hope to fall asleep to “my stuff” … thanks for your article
May 17, 2012 at 7:34 pm
uuuhhm not to be rude but nothing you said had anything to do with adhd…
May 17, 2012 at 7:40 pm
oh and PS most kids do show symptoms of adhd hi type and thats why most young kids aren’t diagnosed until they are in at least middle school. and that picture isnt showing a picture of a kid with adhd, our symptoms dont do that to us. that kid’s butt just needs to be introduced to a belt.
October 2, 2011 at 12:14 am
Shilo said “I hate the side effects I get, like depression and I cant sleep and other shit like that, but it doesnt matter. I know I have to take my pills, if I dont, I just feel like shit.”
Wow, real human emotions are side effects of aDtotalbsHd? If you don’t take your pills, you feel like shit? This coming from the mouth of a 13 year old? A 13 year old who is sadly addicted to pharmaceuticals. It’s not too late Shiloh. Get yourself off of those pills…please, I’m serious…save YOURSELF
I just saw an ad for intuitiv showing an 10 year old kid happily stoned on this adhd drug and everyone in the ad was so happy about this little kid being a pillpopper….AT 10 YEAR OLD KID POPPING PILLS. Wow. Ugh.
October 17, 2013 at 6:25 am
Are you for real? You’re going to interpret the lashing out of a 13 year old as his confession of being an addicted pill popper? Wtf is wrong with you. He’s referring to the withdrawal experienced on weekends when he most likely isn’t required to take the medication. This can happen literally with any substance. Wtf do you think an alcohol hangover is.
Do some damn research and get off the internet until you’ve educated yourself on the topic. I hate when people make ignorant remarks without knowing what it is they are talking about. The medication is potent because it acts as a dopamine re-uptake inhibitor (prevents dopamine from leaving the brain while the medication is in your system) which promotes higher attention span, energy, and drive. Of course, this is in CLEAN pharmaceutical doses, not some crazy street meth that’s probably cut with Windex or other harmful substances.
Also, the kid is lucky he’s on medication. I did not have the opportunity to have access to this medication and I was lucky enough to be able to cheat through school, otherwise I would have been another drop out statistic. Luckily, I started medication just in time at the tender age of 25 and am now ACTUALLY learning and growing mentally much faster than I ever had. I’m actually making real progress being I’m treating my disease finally.
Just ignore the kid’s statement, he’s not fully aware of what’s going on yet which should be obvious to any sane adult.
October 7, 2011 at 5:01 am
I spent 10 years on Ritalin and I actually called it quits at age 15. It killed my appetite and made me a mindless zombie. My folks were loving, caring, and did whatever it took to help me. I was just out of control, it was my fault, not theirs. To this day, I love them for teaching me the difference between right and wrong and I am proud for who I am. I work with computers and networks, not a family man, but I live with my best buds of four years plus and still going. I see my God Daughter on it and it upsets me to see her so out of it. She has it worse than I did and she isn’t the spunky perky girl I remember.I remember I used it as a crutch and I blamed all my problems on it instead of taking responsibility for myself and my own actions. Around college, I got more respect. I stopped believing in it and my life has never been better.
October 26, 2011 at 2:44 am
I have adhd and i do not use it as an excuse i always get good grades and i am rarely ever rude. However i do get hyper and i am the most disorganized person you will ever meet. ADHD is very real and although some people may use it as an excuse doesn’t mean everyone does, i certainly do not, and I was almost offended by this website or whatever the heck it is until i saw this write your comment thing here and i decided to tell you this information about myself which I will delate in a few seconds. I have ADHD and I am almost proud of it however when people like you write meaningless things like this, which I only read because I find it interesting the way people react to things like this (by the way why did you even write it?) it makes me wonder did you know Albert Einstein had ADHD and so did the Wright brothers, and so did Mozart and Beethoven and many others, Why then would people use ADHD as an excuse to be lazy when some of the most creative and ambitious people ever known had it?
October 7, 2013 at 1:27 pm
You are using it as an excuse for your hyperactivity and disorganization.
August 11, 2015 at 7:47 pm
What’s your excuse for being an asshole?
October 27, 2011 at 7:09 pm
Agree. This has been used on me for such long time I have ceased noticing it.
November 2, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Probably being the youngest here at 16, I also think it’s bullshit. When I was 10, I was bullied at school by someone who ‘had ADHD’, I had a squeaky clean track record yet because he had ADHD I was obviously lying and/or overreacting about it, twice I told teachers about and twice they did nothing, that prick got away with hell, well done society.
October 17, 2013 at 6:28 am
That has to do with more of a failure of the school staff to address your situation properly. He should have been punished ADHD or not. ADHD SHOULD NEVER excuse anyone from bad behavior period. Not even when they also have ODD (Oppositional defiant disorder). My girlfriend’s little brother has ADHD and ODD and he’s definitely a borderline bully. ADHD can often be linked to hostile and aggressive behavior due to defects in the way the brain is structured as has been shown in recent case studies.
But you shouldn’t have had to have gone through that. ADHD should never be a way of excusing rude behavior.
August 11, 2015 at 7:50 pm
O.k–so you’re using one bad experience with one person who “had adhd,” and your using that as a basis for discounting the entire disorder? How scientific. Anecdotal evidence is apparently allowed in school research papers these days.
October 25, 2015 at 7:30 pm
Shank that bastard !!
November 21, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Aha, look at this troll!
Herher
No sir, actually ADHD is entirely real. It’s just overdiagnosed to any random fucking punk that wants to bitch about their hyperness to get free meth pills on their parents’ dime.
However, there are in fact real ADHD sufferers out there, and the problem is that people don’t understand, but those who have it truly do.
So you sir, should kindly fuck off.
November 22, 2011 at 2:39 am
So so true my gfs 13yr son is all fuckered cuz of his meds. He never eats and has more mood swings than a women on the rag. if its wrestling or call of duty hes all ears. Ask him to pick up after himself or to get off the t.v after 4 hours he ignores me or comes up with some shitty ass excuses. He always follows it up with “why”. Man im so happy my Dad kicked my ass a few times growing up. He always said “boy youll thank me when im older” never in my life did I think id thank him for that “abuse” until meeting this child.
December 24, 2011 at 2:25 pm
My son from a previous relationship has been diagnosed with ADHD. It doesn’t surprise me. his mother is an undisciplined slob who thinks that life is supposed to be fun and games 24/7. if you tell her she’s irresponsible she says you’re mean. She raised my son to believe life should always be fun. She kept him occupied with fun and games constantly. He never learned to sit still and behave because that was boring. Now she’s reaping what she sowed. her answer? give the kid meds and take him to a shrink. Let me tell you something, when he’s in front of a video game he has no problem focusing. His problem is, he’s like his mom, irresponsible, undisciplined, and rude.
January 16, 2012 at 9:18 pm
I can see how you feel that individual was a selfish dick…which is symptomatic of ADHD/ADD. And I agree, it is way over diagnosed. There is no ‘real way’ to determine the symptoms of an individual has the disorder, because you basically have to get a MRI or PET scan of the brain to determine the issue. However, I am not saying it doesn’t exist. It only affects 3-5% of the population and can be misdiagnosed when people actually have Hypoglycemia, OCD, or iron deficiency.
Strong scientific evidence supports the conclusion that ADHD is a biologically based disorder. Recently, National Institute of Mental Health researchers using PET scans have observed significantly lower metabolic activity in regions of the brain controlling attention, social judgment and movement in those with ADHD than in those without the disorder. Biological studies also suggest that children with ADHD may have lower levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in critical regions of the brain.
Moreover, being diagnosed with ADHD/ADD is not a blank check to be a selfish, lazy and malinger. It’s diagnosis is to provide the level playing field to that individual who is trying, trying their best….and still failing when everyone around them who doesn’t try or care as much, succeeds. That is the difference, and moreover; our education system must change to offer real learning rather than pushing an industrialized based education model.
That’s my 2 cents, and I hope everyone gets something from it.
January 17, 2012 at 6:28 pm
this guys a fucking moron, just cause one of your friends was misdiagnosed it’s now not a real disorder? grow the fuck up and do some research on dopamine. depression acts similarily on seritonin, is that a real disorder? if you think depression is and ADHD isn’t, you just contradicted yourself and therefore proved my point, you don’t know shit about this disorder, you just made a few guesses cause one of your friends was wrongfully diagnosed. doesnt mean EVERYONE that has this disorder is just a selfish dick. STFU and dont post unless you know your subject, your about as informed about the subject as Tom Cruise is.
January 17, 2012 at 6:36 pm
whats the matter, I proved you wrong so you had to take down my comment? hilarious, you’re a coward who cannot face the facts that it’s a real disease. terrible blog, which explains why no one visits it to hear what this nutjob has to say about controversial subjects
January 24, 2012 at 1:17 am
The problem is the lack of testing before diagnosis. I was vigorously tested for ADHD before being diagnosed. I had therapy before and during the medication. An my parents NEVER let ADHD stand as an excuse for anything. Only my closest friends know of it, not even my teachers. I have to work twice as hard to earn average grades, even though I have an unusually high IQ. Just because people use ADHD as an excuse, does not mean that it does not exist.
February 2, 2012 at 7:19 am
I was very very much against ADHD and accepting it as a real condition. I have been in denial with my son for some time now. You do not know me and the struggles I have faced with my son. Or the struggles my family has endured. I love him very very much and I do not pawn him off or do not want to deal with him. In fact I DO DEAL WITH HIM and it is DRAINING. He is very very smart but there is definitely something very wrong with him. He was born at 27 weeks and premies are very prone to ADHD. For example:Tonight as I was trying to do his spelling words with him. I had to move him from the table, from the counter and several times to different standing positions because HE COULD NOT STOP FIGETING AND PLAYING OR ALLOWING HIMSELF TO GET DISTRACTED BY THE THINGS AROUND HIM. He simply cannot control himself. I can yell at him until I am blue in the face, punish him and reward him amd at the end of the day it is just a matter of who he is. I put a lot of time into my son and it has been very hard. I do not appreciate the people saying that its all parents that do not watch their kids or want to deal with them. Until you go through it, you will not understand it. It took a lot of tears before I accepted this condition with my son. He was recently diagnosed and has not started any sort of treatment yet. and FYI NO ONE can diagnose except for a doctor. There are real cases of children with ADHD out there and they are struggling. It is not fair and in fact cruel for you people to say the mean things that you saying. Cruel to the poor children and their parents. God Bless.
June 27, 2013 at 2:14 pm
typical women
November 18, 2013 at 6:54 pm
If you made your kid sit at a table and read an actual book for an hour a day, I guarantee that his adhd would be cured within a few days. Turn off the tv, turn off the game system, turn off the internet and TRAIN your kid to behave and pay attention instead of whining on the internet about how HARD it is.
Kids learn by example. You should also consider turning off the computer yourself – I bet you are one of those moms I see who can barely look up from her smart phone. It’s called discipline, lady. Addiction to the internet and devices by both parent and child causes so -called adhd. Fussing and whining that “it’s soooo hard! tm” is pathetic. Your child obviously learned not to take responsibility for his behavior from you. Grow up.
February 5, 2012 at 7:08 am
I was into everything wrong as a mail child. Bad grades, misbehaving, etc. Thanks to the hard work of my parents, and not giving me drugs which would have given me liver damage and cancer, I became the adult they are proud of. Be a parent, not a slacker.
February 8, 2012 at 4:53 am
I used to teach Karate and half my students in my kids classes were adhd and medicated, most all of the parents took their kids off the drugs after six months of classes. Honor, respect, discipline, a goal, and most important, an adult who would do something with them other than send them to there room with playstation was all it took.
I always called the “disease” AADD = Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, because the adults refuse to pay attention to their kids.
July 10, 2013 at 7:29 am
ADHD isn’t a disease it is a beautiful way of thinking.
February 22, 2012 at 4:21 am
i agree adhd is bullshit. In my opinion it is a couple of different reasons for this kind of behavior. OK maybe three or four. I’ll just state them as they come to me. one being how this generation has so many divorces and such. If one parent has to raise a child alone then they may feel guilty about punishing the child for fear of the child not”loving” them. They let the child call all the shots and get the roles reversed. a child is like anything else. They learn from what they are shown. You show them everything they do is ok then thats what they think. Another is wanting to”give” your child a better life. Nobody has a right to anything. It takes work and discipline to have a satisfying life. Again those qualities are refined by the parents. I was raised old school and came from a broken home. You have to make them act right.Trust me your child may not like it now but they will love you when it matters and they see all their friends f’ing up and they dont. a parent has to make a child believe they see all and know all. put the fear of GOD in them.
July 10, 2013 at 7:27 am
Don’t be mad just because our generation gets cooler shit than pong. My single mother who worked overseas, worked for the military, and still found time to ‘punish’ and ‘love’ me. I could not have made it to where I am today without that gorgeous woman, so would you be so kind as to find another article to make overzealous generalizations about. If your parents didn’t ‘want’ to ‘give’ you a better life that sucks, it truly does. But don’t project that insecurity onto other people.
Any star wars fans out there know what the opposite of fear is.
Fear’s opposite is love.
Phantom menace– somewhere in there.
May 3, 2012 at 12:56 am
In school I got prescribed ritalin (15 years ago or something) because I was diagnosed with ADHD. Later I found out I had hypoglycemia. I monitored my sugar intake, and PRESTO. No more ADHD. ADHD is a SYMPTOM of various causes, not a disease.
October 17, 2013 at 6:34 am
Wow an actual intelligent comment! I 100% agree. It’s a symptom of a faulty reward system in the human brain or a faulty mechanism affecting the reward system, in your case hypoglycemia. Good post!
May 4, 2012 at 5:27 am
99% of the people I have seen with “ADHD” are full of it. I have found myself the prey of one of these “selfish a-holes” (love that by the way) I volunteer at my son’s school and one of the children is diagnosed with this BS. I have never seen this girl act squirrely, misbehave, have trouble concentrating of fidget in class. She always does neat work and takes her turn speaking. Then she gets around her mother and all hell breaks loose. She tells her mother she hates her, throws things at her, is rude to the other children and has “meltdowns”. I have witnessed her saying to my son on at least 50 occasions that she doesn’t want to play with him because she “doesn’t feel like it” and watch her mother say nothing. I took it as a great opportunity to teach my son how to not take what rude people say to heart and to go on to greener pastures. I let it slide. MISTAKE! My son finally had it with her crap and told her one day that he never wanted to play with her again. That evening, I got a call from he mother expecting me to have my son apologize to her daughter. LIKE HELL! Now I am the black sheep among the parents for not having the decency to force my son to apologize to her brat. I have been singled out as not being empathetic to children with special needs. I was a caregiver and aid for Autistic children (another over diagnosed condition). I would also like to know why so many famous people are being diagnosed with ADHD and Autism post-mortem. Some have been deceased for centuries.
July 10, 2013 at 7:11 am
I love your work. Pirates II wonderful. and you totally deserved that BASS AVN award in 2009.
May 25, 2012 at 6:41 pm
i have adhd, im not a dick, i tend to brake things and fiddle a lot. I get on with people though, it really does’nt effect my life much. Anyway i read in new scientist that the first to leave africa had adhd, dont ask how they determined this, so yeah-on the the topic of dicks you come off as a bit of one yourself….
May 25, 2012 at 6:47 pm
I would say though that a lot of young people with adhd try make it into a bigger deal than it is for attention, but that is true of almost all young people to some extent. The facts are that we tend to more sociable, not less, as many sites would say, but also more disruptive and more likely to end up in jails which sucks anyways im off to go be a dickhead somewhere else. Wait what was I saying, where’s my pen.
October 17, 2013 at 4:33 pm
Kindly explain how young people tend to be more sociable? How are you sociable on f/b, texting on your phones in the company of others and playing Xbox online all day long? Young people today have NO social skills whatsoever and are isolated. You’re far from “social”. You are so misguided, it’s not even funny.
November 18, 2013 at 7:16 pm
I really think “adhd” is device addiction. I have been on the internet for many years and recently discovered that I had a hard time making myself read a physical book, even fun fiction, for more than a few minutes. By turning off the computer and forcing myself to read for an hour a day, my patience and concentration are already improving by leaps and bounds.
These kids have never known a world where they didn’t have a constant barrage of electronic stimuli. Patience and the ability to focus are learned traits and must be practiced. It doesn’t help that their parents are device addicted and hate being patient too. Like parent, like child.
May 30, 2012 at 1:05 am
Bwahahaha. You said it well. Let’s call things what they are and quit excusing bad people for bad behavior. ADHD in children = undisciplined brat. ADHD in adults = selfish dick or bitch. I’m right there with you. Here’s something to think about: if you want to make friends be friendly. If you want to keep friends, have good manners.
October 17, 2013 at 6:37 am
Ok so for people like me who have been polite all my life but could not focus (uncontrollably) during many times properly, then what? The disease is fake? You, Mrs. Smith, just showed how ignorant and uneducated you are on the subject. Shame on you. Go do some research on Dopamine and come back here when you’re ready to have a sophisticated conversation on this horrible disease. Such ignorance, I feel sorry for you.
June 1, 2012 at 1:28 am
Do you want to solve ADHD = cut out the coca cola. To look at al my family members you would think they have ADD but they are just hopped up on sugar and caffeine and talking over one another like jerks. It’s the ALL ABOUT ME show. I just watched a documentary on Net Flicks which stated that there is NO standardized diagnosis for this ADHD. Also back in the 50’s Dr.’s were prescribing Ritalin to “give people pep.” It’s all about the pharaceutical companies making money at the expense of human beings. Kids need to cut the sugar and caffeine and better more hands on strict parenting would help too but unfortunately our bad societal system has everyone being ground down so parents are too sapped to deal with their demanding kids after working all day and puttiing up with being squeezed by corporate greed.
June 2, 2012 at 11:58 pm
I’m a teacher – it’s the perfect storm. Teachers can’t disipline (can’t even use the ‘D’ word anymore – it’s called ‘welfare’) Parents don’t care, teachers aren’t allowed to care ( can’t say anything – child will call you a pedofile), Education department doesn’t want any trouble from bad parents (good parents are easily fobbed off) and along comes a magic pill that gets everyone off the responsibility hook and the drug companies and the doctors make money out of it. Perfect. – Only one question – why do the doctors and drug companies lose interest in a particular drug once the patent runs out ? MONEY . It’s all about money – and the child ?? who cares about the child ??? no one really.
October 17, 2013 at 6:39 am
It’s true that there are monetary interests at work. But the disease is real. Abused or not, there are actual sufferers of the disease and it’s unfortunate that their treatment will be more difficult to tackle because of all of the misdiagnosed people out there making things more difficult. It’s kind of similar to those who require synthetic hormones (steroids) for hormone replacement but struggle to get a prescription because of all of those idiot bodybuilders who abused a drug they didn’t even need to begin with.
August 14, 2014 at 6:35 am
thank you i was telling my dad all they want is to make money off of you buying all the medication and stuff
June 13, 2012 at 12:00 am
I’m a pretty successful sixthform student and was recently made a senior student. As a child I had the majority of the ‘symptoms’ of ADHD, and still have a few today. Agree with most point made in the blog. I think that ADHD is just another label, or excuse, i know someone who would’ve definitely have been put on medication as a child, if it had of been around then. But he’s an adult now, with all the same symptoms, i think it’s just his own personality. Some people weren’t made to sit in a classroom, it’s not a condition. We’re all different, i really hope that one day people will stop boxing and labelling everything because they don’t fit into society’s expectations or conformities.
July 10, 2013 at 6:59 am
ADHD becomes a part of our personality. It is a part of who we are. just like schizophrenia becomes a part of a schizo’s personality, or how being in a different culture affects a person’s personality.
June 14, 2012 at 2:09 am
People stopped calling me a selfish dick when I was 14. I grew up, just like everyone else. Kids are selfish. Everyone knows this.
No one I know considers me a selfish dick. I interrupt, but stop and apologize and ask them to continue. I ask people to repeat themselves and they get frustrated, but more often than not, my friends say I’m caring.
When I’m talking, I do the same thing. I interrupt myself. My favorite subjects? off track after three sentences. I sometimes even ask whoever I’m speaking to, “what was I just saying” so I don’t lose sight of why or what I had to clarify.
I have met people who claim to ADHD and talk (especially about themselves) for no reason. Drives me crazy. People with ADHD lose focus, but they still have a reason for what they say. For example, this post here. I’m talking about myself right? but aren’t I using me as evidence to the contrary to your blog? Its about the idea (though it is getting kinda meta, and that stuff becomes awkward with where to draw the lines). With these people, the ones who claim to ADHD but have no problem with talking about themselves, its almost like the me stuff comes out of nowhere.
I have a friend who claims to have ADHD, but I watch as closely as I can, and he never spaces out. He doesn’t miss any social cues, except that fact that nobody thinks he’s funny. He thinks he’s hilarious. All in all though, he understands culture. ADHDers dont understand culture.
He even says things like “i dont care” while the other person is talking. He interrupts other conversations with random meaningless bullshit like it’s a punchline or something. I’ve been so sick of it that the last time he did it (and he does this like thirty times a night) I didn’t say anything. I listened patiently and he kept speaking saying nothing and looking at me like it was hilarious. I was silent and finally he said, “well dont just stand there quietly” so I said, “oh i didn’t want to interrupt, i thought you had a point” and he said, “does it need to have a point?” I said, “at least a reason.”
ADHD right there^
off topic completely^
back to the topic. is ADHD bullshit? about 50% of the time.
Outside of forums, people with ADHD only bring up when the relationship is being affected or the discussion is intimate. When someone says “oh I just don’t care because I have ADHD” then goes on being a dick. He’s just a dick. A fat, wart-covered dick.
July 10, 2012 at 4:26 pm
You deleted my comment. Do you delete every comment that doesn’t support your argument?
July 23, 2012 at 6:41 pm
With the lack of fresh fruits and vegs and the fact that kids don’t ever go outside and play 3 hours a day like we did in the 70s & 80s I see why kid today need to be medicated.
August 3, 2012 at 10:39 pm
@shiloh, you’re an idiot. You just described “puberty” and being a teenager. There’s no such thing as ADHD. It’s a label created by the pharmaceuticals to sell more useless drugs.
August 14, 2012 at 7:07 pm
LOVE THIS! My nephew “has” ADHD. . . He used to be a normal bad 2 year old with lazy unattentive parents and now he is a medicated zombie child at the age of 3. I did my best to get them in contact with professionals who would show them how to work with him for free but they refused and told their Dr. something was wrong with him instead. He hits his baby brother and doesn’t listen. They decided ADHD was the cause. I honestly think many of these kids are walking CPS cases just waiting to be discovered.
September 8, 2012 at 4:01 pm
To those who think ADHD is real I pose a question. How do you know? Is there a brain scan blood test or anything other than a subjective test such as connors or basc? Statiscs show 91% of all children entering a shrinks office get the label. Why – it’ is simple it’s about money. Look at the testimony of DR Fred Baughman JR – Just google it or his book the ADHD fraud. While you are all at it google Ablechild.org. People today face child abuse charges if they dont adminsters these class 2 psychotropics. The shrinks know better than us common folk because they have a degreee. Bullshit look at the warning label that comes with bottle. Listen to the tail end of the commercials. Look on the FDA website. The truth is all around but people cant see it because money has blinded them. Did you know drug companies spend BILLiONS (yes with a B) lobbying congress with their products. No one will ever give a shit about you or your children but you because the people who control it are bought and paid for by them.
m
July 10, 2013 at 6:49 am
did you know that, ironically, 91% of statistical data are highly bias/skewed to show results that matches what the blogger wishes to prove. Also when citing statistical data you should use a source, or your data are irrelevant. A datum without a source is a waste of text. Thus the base of somebody’s argument is existent. Not you though, Anon, that’s not at all what I’m implying. I’m just saying a better way of citing your information would be like this. Here is how I would cite sources.
“Brain imaging studies have revealed that, in youth with ADHD, the brain matures in a normal pattern but is delayed, on average, by about 3 years.1 The delay is most pronounced in brain regions involved in thinking, paying attention, and planning. More recent studies have found that the outermost layer of the brain, the cortex, shows delayed maturation overall,2 and a brain structure important for proper communications between the two halves of the brain shows an abnormal growth pattern.3 These delays and abnormalities may underlie the hallmark symptoms of ADHD and help to explain how the disorder may develop…
1. Shaw P, Eckstrand K, Sharp W, Blumenthal J, Lerch JP, et al. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by a delay in cortical maturation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Dec 4;104(49):19649–54. Epub 2007 Nov 16. PubMed PMID: 18024590; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2148343.
2. Shaw P, Malek M, Watson B, Sharp W, Evans A, Greenstein D. Development of cortical surface area and gyrification in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 2012 Aug 1;72(3):191–7. Epub 2012 Mar 13. PMID: 22418014.
3. Gilliam M, Stockman M, Malek M, Sharp W, Greenstein D, et al. Developmental trajectories of the corpus callosum in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biol Psychiatry. 2011 May 1;69(9):839–46. Epub 2011 Jan 17. PMID: 21247556.”
October 14, 2012 at 5:52 am
Your article is excellent and I agree 100%. Amen.
November 26, 2012 at 5:50 pm
I agree it is bullshit. I have a son who was diagnosed with it at age 6. With all the research I do on my own I see this personality type had trauma the body and mind try to release and are naturally more active. Divorce and lack of structure made my kid a hyper rude kid. There is nothing wrong with him other than I had been a parent with no clue how to shape my child. He is hyper and uncontrollable at times because as a toddler I spoiled him not knowing how to be a good parent. The pill they suggested only worked for a little while.when I found out later the side effects I took him off and read 4 parenting books instead. I am drained exhausted and overwhelmed at times. BUT I know that he is learning boundaries, how to control himself and I am proud to be giving it my all even though I screwed up totally. My parents are dead and my ex husband deployed so he has no one but me and his school and cub scouts. Watch John Breeding videos on YouTube. He can explain adhd in more depth and the myth of it.
November 18, 2013 at 7:23 pm
Good for you! Taking responsibility is what so few parents are willing to do. I applaud you for genuinely working on the situation rather than putting your head in the sand. Your kid and society will thank you for it later.
November 30, 2012 at 3:16 am
ADHD is indeed complete bullshit. Like tons of other diseases that we need meds for like xanax etc
December 26, 2012 at 5:46 am
ADHD is bullshit. No doubt in my mind. Back in my day, if I was caught daydreaming in class, the teacher whipped out a plank and spanked my ass in front of all to see. It’s called conditional training. I walked the line and knew not to space out. Also, If I ever talked back to teachers or parents, I got the shit kicked out of me… I learned not to talk back and I learned to have respect for my elders who were trying to teach my monkey ass. Today… NO HOLDS at all. You can’t even suggest to the current generation of school aged children to sit still and focus. So, let’s give them a pill and not let them learn how to control themselves. What happens when the pill goes away?… Or what happens if the pill causes some unwanted side-effects? No! Let’s not train… let’s medicate. Bullshit.
We are raising a whole lot of over-privilaged, hyper-entitled, non-disciplined and no-consequences children in this generation batch and we as parents, elders, lawmakers and caregivers have poisoned a whole batch people that in my honest opinion will not have the skillset or fortitude to take care of what really needs to be taken care of in the very near future.
Now add smartphones, facebook, twitter… and the other bullshit…
ADHD is not a condition it is a man-made condition because of all the other bullshit distractions we have put upon our children.
Buying a smartphone for your teen? Really?
Full Internet access on their iPhone, home computer etc… Really?
July 10, 2013 at 6:23 am
not to be rude but what generation are you from.
January 27, 2017 at 6:06 am
ADHD is all too real
January 9, 2013 at 1:26 am
ADHD – Another Diagnosis Hypercondriacs Demand! Seriously children in circa 1980s were not aware that they could have this condition as it hadn’t been “invented” yet by lazy children; whom I note were so lazy they could not be bothered to even reply to this post in correct English.
Children opt for text speak because they are lazy, they opt to use curse words because they are disrespectful and they have a limited attention span because they live in an age of readily available instant entertainment.
Agreed parents work, it is part of this small thing called survival yet this is not an excuse for ‘little Johnny’ to spit at people, throw things at the teacher, ignore his parents or become hostile without provocation,
“Beating your child” and “lessons in blood”… REALLY! Do the CPS know where you live? Those of you who have stated that loving your child, teaching them right from wrong and raising them as a ‘parent’ should is the solution, I tip my metaphoric hat to you. Like some mighty Buddha you have uncovered the knowledge ‘parents’ have possessed since time in memorial.
ADHD is nothing more than a “cop-out” for inferior parents and unruly children. Note that with the rise of under-age and teenage pregnancy we have seen a growth in ADHD diagnosis. Also note that with the launch of the PS3 and the X-BOX 360 we have seen a rise in truancy figures… Does someone see a pattern?
Children need discipline granted (note not a sound beating or to be bludgeoned into a bloody pulp). Children need love, respect and understanding. If a greater emphasis was placed on the failing of the child instead of this “every child is wonderful and society is failing” drivel preached by the ‘bleeding-heart societies’ today we would have less crime, more freedom and more respect for one another.
The medication issued to children with “ADHD” can cause blindness, neurological malfunction from synapses to cognition and depression (when the effects dull down). In essence you are opting to turn your child into a Zombie with the possibility of becoming a vegetable for the sake of a “fad condition”, as stylish today as a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes or a Pandora charm-bracelet.
January 22, 2013 at 4:55 pm
As an elementary school teacher, I have had all sorts of kids with attention and behavior problems in my classes (always boys, of course), and there are always a few who I cannot crack in a week or two. Invariably, I am told by teachers or administrators that they are ADHD or something, but the only difference between them and the other kids is that usually the ADHD kids are smarter. You are right that they are self-obsessed, but I think that is some kind of defense mechanism. I have found that you have to brutally crush that selfishness while at the same time giving them a face-saving way of obeying. You have to check them but you have to resist the urge to punctuate your victory by anything that can be regarded as gloating or forcing them to acknowledge your authority. You also have to be careful to choose which things you are going to react to. A ‘no tolerance’ policy from the beginning will emotionally destabilize them and make things worse in the long run. If you can communicate to them that you are not there to waste their time or lord it over them, once they realize that, they change almost immediately, and they start working and become almost embarrassingly affectionate.
In other words, they are kids, only moreso. ADHD is bunk.
January 29, 2013 at 4:51 am
Agree with you 100%. I work with children. ADD and ADHD are just excuses for people having jerk kids. Actually, it’s just an excuse for white kids being jerks. When I worked in black neighborhoods, no parents said their kid had ADD/ADHD. They just openly acknowledged their kid was misbehaving… then they beat the crud out of them. The white parents would just give them “time outs”… to think about what they’ve done. And no, I’m not a racist. I’m just a realist.
January 30, 2013 at 7:59 pm
Adhd. Is so a myth, being hyper is what kids do. Plus how does someone with Adhd sit and play on games for hours at a time. But can’t sit still in class for a hour. Its lack of caring. Due to parents and the internet. Thank what you want but me a nd brother were suppose to have it yrs ago we sold meds and never took them. We both have kids and both own are own company. Even thou we dropped out. But we had no guidance growing up. So we did act up alot due to that not Adhd. One thing i know is my son is just like me and i will not put him on something. If someone told me he had it.
February 5, 2013 at 5:02 am
When I was younger I was diagnosed with a.d.h.d teachers suggested I be put on Ritalin… Now that I am older 24 years old I look back on my life, I strongly feel what these people are saying. IT IS COMPLETE BULLSHIT! Some of them have suggested a good beating, but in my case I was not a selfish person and I was well mannered I respected others. I think the issue is caused more by neglect. I give explanations and if you read this you will see the light. My parents were broken up before I was born and my mother was always at work or watching t.v. when she got home. I seen my father on weekends. My parents did not take the time to raise me properly and make sure that I was in a healthy environment. My older brother was abusive towards me he still is to this day. Everyday he would physically and verbally abuse me. I did not have peace and quite or time to concentrate. My dad believed I was starting it all those years until last year. Which said to my dad there must be something wrong with him(me). My mother did not know how to deal with my brother. She would tell him to stop and continue watching t.v., she would not get up and beat his ass. My brother is now abuse towards my dad which is where he picked it up to begin with. Now my dad is aware that it was my brother not me. I honestly believe that if my parents took the time to actually be involved in my life school would not have been an issue what so ever! Also, that comment early came from someone with a brain, Teachers suggested I be on Ritalin well as was said before they DON’T have medical licenses. My mother and father were like sheep following what others say and lazy. They were listening to people that don’t know what the hell their talking about! Mother not involved in my life took the option of drugs why not pay fucking attention to your child!! Dad was never around thought I was a trouble maker his #1 son could do no wrong! He didn’t know what was going on at my mothers or to me! Instead of paying attention to me and addressing the issues my brothers abusive problems, and helping me do home work teaching me what to do ensuring peace an quite they went the drug route because it was more convenient then doing something about it.
If my parents had set my brother straight, helped me do my homework, and did their job as parents making sure I was getting school work done things would have been different. My parents did not though. If you do not pay attention to your children and teach them what they must do and to do a good job from a young age they will not. It’s as simple as that when your parents do not teach and discipline you. You have to learn on your own because you have not been taught. Children do not know any better, mom comes home watches t.v. brother abuses me. As a child you think thats just normal. It’s not! It’s on the adult to make sure the child is doing what their supposed to be doing and that they’re in a healthy environment!
A.D.D. and A.D.H.D. are bullshit. The problem is at home! The effects of what is or is not going on at home, is what is showing in the class room!
Basically it means you have an attention problem, but as someone said before if you talk about someone or something that person actually takes an interest in you will have their undivided attention! It Is not that they are selfish, In which case I make my point, when you pay attention to them and their interests they actually respond because their parents at home do not! THE PROBLEM STARTS AT HOME! In actuality it is a cry out for attention from a child that has been neglected…
Parents must pay attention to their kids, period! This story is true it is about the events that took place in my life and I give explanations for actions and reactions that took place and my theory to the problem. Neglect and a healthy environment.
the effects later in life
Also raising your children in an unhealthy environment and neglecting them has long term effects, such as committing crimes, drug abuse, lack of caring about others because you were not care for. It has a significant effect on society as well. Majority of those committing crimes and being involved in gangs and selling drugs are products of their environment. it all start at home. Raise your kids pay attention to them. I myself was involved in a lot of bad shit in my life. That I strongly believe is because of everything that happened. Now that I am an adult and I spent the last year correcting my life, finishing my education, leaving drugs, gangs, and crime behind me. I am on my way to getting a career.
I am not stupid, I never was, I did not have a disease. I had a lack of guidance in life. Now that I am an adult I do not point the finger and blame I took responsibility and did what was necessary to change. Sadly most people like this will never change. Do not raise kids in poverty, do not have kids for government checks, even people with money neglect there children but poverty makes it worse I have viewed it in my life time and experiences. The effects on society are greater than you may think.
thank you.
February 16, 2013 at 11:24 pm
i feel like punching you guys in the face! u fucking twats, adhd is actually real im 13 and have it and if i could get rid of it i would because i wouldnt purposely ruin my life which i feel like i am doing so go fuck yourselves because i know the truth and you deny it, you know that deep down. nuff said
March 2, 2013 at 6:15 pm
I agree with it being a bullshit diagnosis, but some people really aren’t just selfish a-holes…some people are really just bad at concentrating /focusing. I tried to focus on something easy for like 10 minutes today and my mind just wondered off into nowhere. I pretty much have all of the symptoms of someone with this ‘disease’, but I honestly think a lot of it has to do with psychological problems like low self-esteem or lack of confidence . I don’t think that’s the case with everyone though. I think schools need to start teaching students ways to make learning more interesting so that children aren’t forced to take speed. I once took a ‘learning styles’ quiz. If you look it up, it’s pretty cool. That quiz really helped me in college when I was struggling through Neurology. At that point, I was ready to get an Adderall script, but my father (who’s a doctor) made a serious case against it. I was so pissed at the time, but I’m actually happy he talked me out of it. I see some of my sped out friends who have been on Adderall/Ritalin for years and it’s pretty sad. They just seem more robotic and less happy. Anyway, not sure if anyone is actually reading this since it’s been a while since anyone wrote anything, but this thread caught my interest.
March 19, 2013 at 2:27 am
I am a social worker based in the UK and I agree ADHD is mostly bullshit.
April 1, 2013 at 7:52 pm
Anyone who has the nerve to ignorantly give there bullshit opinions on adhd and its down to a lack of will power and no self discipline u are all clueless fucking idiots who get off on there own self impowered bullshit and ingnorance, the reason why it seems on the outside that people with adhd lack will power is because this disorder directly effects motivation and reward and numerous other pathways of brain function but these are things they simply can’t control even though they want to they need to. People simply don’t understand that the brain an organ of the body may not be functioning properly and the mind a product of the brain will show its effects u may not notice it as much as down syndrome because of obvious reasons but the problems are there behind a normal appearance, anyone who has adhd knows they have it unless u have and fire ignorant remarks at these people need a fucking slap for there un educated remarks these people struggle evry day of there life continuously hoping the next day will be better but this disorder controls there ability to make the changes needed and remarks of dening there struggle is not wanted. The world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and some are tested more than others, would u ask someone with no legs to hurry up and run, seriously pisses me off when people say adhd is bullshit ,it actually shows us that we are better people becuase u are so ignorant and any wonder the world. Is a mess because people are ignorant judgmental fools
April 1, 2013 at 8:17 pm
Seriously what the fuck is wrong with u people u are all biproducts of the media bullshit opinions on the internet and curcumstantial behaviors u have happen to experienced and a social worker saying its bullshit u are an uneducated fool how are you even employed as a social worker would defnitley not want you around my kids,I have adhd I am 23yr old am employed I own my own house and have my own car so I’m doing alright, was diagnosed at 12 I used to treat people like crap until I realised what everyone was saying that I had adhd I was a popular kid until I grew up with untreated adhd which eventually will get you in the long run I still don’t take medication but I have read a lot about this condition and even went to america to get brain scans at a specualised centre and the research showings were all there on the scan,i allready knew I had it I was allways the high flying wired but fun guy until it started to take its toll on my mental health and my life this condition is very real and to me its almost a cleshay hearing the usual adhd isn’t real bullshit it is very real and is know across the world u people are the minority in the group of ignorant fools open a book do your research , and if u do have the disorder forget about people with ignorant veiws they could never comprehend the struggles we live on a daily basis and the un ending turmoil are minds are in,
April 8, 2013 at 9:01 am
Back in my day, we didn’t have ADHD. If a kids played up in school, they would get the cane, if they played up at home, their father would sort them out with a back hander. I think this “so called” disease is utter bullocks, bring back proper discipline, from school and parents, and watch ADHD disappear. Stop making laws that stop parents disciplining their kids ffs !
August 9, 2013 at 11:46 pm
Very well said. Thank you.
June 1, 2013 at 9:53 am
I don’t understand why so many people on here feel the need to beat up on people that think they have ADHD. If the treatment they are doing is helping them to contribute more positively to the world then so be it. It really pisses me off when comments on an article like this turn into a pissing match or a group of angry people venting. No one really cares about your opinion when it basically consists of “Yea man fuck that bullshit!” If you need to vent and beat up on something why not work out at the gym or join a boxing class. I think this would prob be a healthier outlet and give you more utility then mindless rants, but that’s just my opinion.
June 2, 2013 at 2:59 am
Man, I came on this site by pure accident, and I must say that I hope I never come across you people in person. You claim ADHD is an excuse to act up in class, that it’s fake just like mental illnesses and you talk in such demeaning language.
So, what is your excuse? If you do not believe mental illnesses exist, what research have you done? Is anecedotal evidence sufficient to come to such hateful conclusions? All men are born ignorant, but it takes a very stupid one to stay that way.
Do yourselves a favour, and confront your object of hatred, ADHD in a non-biased and informed way. Do not read news articles and blogs, and think you understand this “disorder”. Go to the journals in medicine, physciatry and other scientific research. Read the diagnostic resources and talk to people who have ADHD in a respectful manner and ask them about how they see the world, why they act the way they do.
You will find that it’s a matter of difference merely in the wiring of the brain. A different lifestyle, a different outlook and way of seeing the world due to the difference perhaps of one neurotransmitter or a gene. People who learn to control their mental disorder can be successful and kind, others who cannot can be disrespectful, hateful, and react in ways they shouldn’t in order to overcompensate. It’s a common way humans react to things we cannot accept or understand. Much like your hateful words.
If one neurotransmitter is low compared to normal, you can end up with autism, ADHD or depression. If you lack insulin or have damage to certain organs, you get diabetes. If you have too much LDL or too little HDL, you can have a heart attack from clogging your arteries. Cancer may be caused by downstream pathways over-reacting. The human body lives in an intricate balance, in which if one things goes wrong, it can cause a host of problems.
If you cannot understand biology, neurology, physcology, microbiology or anatomy… then don’t spew your hate and ignorance to others.
I have ADHD and I’m already worlds ahead of you. ADHD is my thorn in my side and makes me more compassionate to others because I understand what it’s like to be at the bottom end of the stick. I only hope you never need to have a thorn in your side to see others in a different light.
I’m sure my words will pass right over you, and you only spew hate. But it’s what I’ve come to expect from the ignorant and those blinded by hate.
August 9, 2013 at 11:45 pm
Studies that you are referring as scientific sources of proper information about ADHD which confirm such thing exist and prescribe drugs for it are done by corporations who has benefit through selling the drug.
I’m amazed by your logic in comparing Diabetes with ADHD. Diabetes is detectable by measuring fasting blood sugar and insulin administration has a scientific basis through the way the body works. How do you MEASURE and DETECT ADHD?
Sometimes sitting in silence and logical thinking for few minutes sometimes can show the right answer. Understanding biology, neurology, physiology, microbiology or anatomy is an advantage in finding the way of life but if somebody doesn’t know all those, it doesn’t mean he/she is stupid and should just blindly follow what others say so. Following others blindly is ok as far as they don’t want to exploit you by making money from you; an example is forced ADHD treatment.
Ask yourself this question: “What if I’m wrong?” “What if ADHD is a crap?”
There are many documentaries in YouTube helping people for free.
December 25, 2013 at 6:02 am
By that logic, how do we know anything in Psychology or Sociology is real science (considering we can’t measure it with a blood test like you want)? Is all of psychology just a corporate invention? Seems like a Luddite view of modern medicine.
August 16, 2013 at 4:17 pm
Dear “I Feel Sorry”
Whether your brain is wired differently is not the issue. It is obvious to everybody that we are all wired differently in someway or another. That actually is a very good thing! The issue is whether medication is required for it and if this is really a disorder or just a label and a new form of discrimination.
Are we all eventually going to have a disorder, or some label that we will need a pill for? We all have a thorn in our side of some sort. What you make of it is what marks you as a person, not the issue itself.
By the way, the term, “thorn in the side” comes from the Bible. The Apostle Paul referred to a “thorn in his flesh” that GOD sent to afflict him. Nobody knows specifically what the thorn was, maybe poor eyesight. It may not have been a physical ailment at all, it may have been a psychological issue! May have been depression!! Paul asked God three times to take it away and God refused. God told Paul that it was actually a gift! Because Paul was privileged to see some pretty awesome stuff, there was a temptation for him to become stuck up about it. His affliction kept him humble. To my knowledge, he never took medicine for it.
I see people who claim ADD/ADHD as normal, even superior in several ways to the rest of us. Unlike most of us, they challenge everything, are highly independent, headstrong and do not take no for an answer. I admire that! Properly channeled, these are the movers and shakers of tomorrow! The ones who don’t behave like sheep or lemmings, and are motivated to go their own way and do their own thing. They have strong convictions and follow them! I believe medicating most of them kills their spirits and destroys that motivation. Such a shame!
These are the ones who will be spared during the zombie apocalypse, because they don’t run straight into the zombies to certain death like everybody else! Haha. If it ever comes, follow them!! 🙂
November 18, 2013 at 7:27 pm
Actually, you just sound like a narcissist. That condescending attitude will bite you in the ass someday, I promise.
June 4, 2013 at 6:55 am
Legendary article, it’s so true, ADD is just a bad excuse to misbehave. but I bet everyone below this comment is so self centred they wouldn’t even know that either. Silly kids.
June 16, 2013 at 10:55 pm
ADHD started out as ADD and they added the “H” somewhere along the line to sell even more drugs. It really IS an utter and complete load of bullshit as much as “Restless Leg Syndrome.”
July 19, 2013 at 2:59 pm
Well said, I agree with you completely. Its a baby sitter in a bottle, a lack of the ability to own up to responsibilities.
Friends that divorced i see ,one parent puts the kid on pills but with the other parent the kid will behave without.
August 9, 2013 at 11:25 pm
ADHD is an absolute bullshit created by drug companies. All they want and all they care is more money, appreciated by capitalism. If it is going to be through putting healthy innocent kids on addicting nasty drugs every day, it doesn’t matter as far as it makes money for them. According to their definitions, everybody in this planet has ADHD.
A behaviour problem in some kids is more due to bad ignorant parents who don’t give a good care and/or crappy junk foods and crappy fast foods.
Give right natural foods to the so called ADHD kid and give a good care and then see the change. You need to be patient too.
Of course for careless parents, “don’t-give-shit” teachers, and capitalist societies [appreciating more money whatever it takes], crappy stupid drugs are the solution for healthy active kid.
August 16, 2013 at 3:45 pm
I hear you, Bill. I divorced in part over parenting style differences. When with me, the kiddo is obedient, focused and does okay. But with Mom she requires coddling and medication. I have another divorced friend whose situation is identical to mine. Neither of us believe our kids should be on medication at all.
Whether a kiddo is more hyper and less attentive than most is no reason to shove drugs down their necks. Instead, parents must do the harder, sometimes heart-wrenching work of parenting. That means saying no and sticking to it, following through on consequences (no matter how much they scream) and taking every opportunity to assure them of your love. Do that and they will be just fine without drugs.
On the other hand, if you throw drugs at them, coddle them, make excuses for them, label them and go easier on them it will backfire on you. They will love you now, but will ultimately lose all respect for you.
You choose, parent: be hated in the short term and deeply loved and appreciated later, or be loved in the short term and hated for the rest of your life.
You do want to know your grandchildren, right?
August 16, 2013 at 4:41 pm
Check this out. The scientist who developed the whole idea of ADHD said ADHD is a ficticious disease and mostly kept alive by phamaceutical companies!
http://www.worldpublicunion.org/2013-03-27-NEWS-inventor-of-adhd-says-adhd-is-a-fictitious-disease.html
October 20, 2014 at 12:48 am
Gee, pretty telling, isn’t it? I didn’t doubt that for a second.
September 6, 2013 at 3:48 am
According to Google and I quote “For these problems to be diagnosed as ADHD, they must be out of the normal range for a person’s age and development.” I think its perfectly fine for kids to be overactive even though it says they cant focus and at times i’m pretty sure everyone loses focus in class, meetings etc it doesn’t mean you are diagnosed with some fake disorder. I feel the same way mostly everyone else does in the comment section that ADHD is just some stupid title to give to people who either cant own up to their responsibility’s
October 2, 2013 at 1:21 am
ya know people with ADHD come across this and are looking for support and it harms them phiscley
November 18, 2013 at 7:47 pm
If you come to a post titled “no-one-has-adhd-sorry-it-is-complete-bullshit” looking for support, you are, as they say, doing it wrong. Also, it is impossible for a website to hurt you physically – you might get your feelings hurt, but that’s about it.
Also, I suggest you learn how to spell. If that is too difficult for you, you should realize that the red squigly lines under your words means they are spelled wrong. The program will even suggest a correct spelling for you, but I understand that as someone who has ADHD you are probably too lazy to bother.
October 20, 2013 at 7:22 pm
well i have ADHD 😦 and liek some of the other ppl here i do know i have it yes i do belive most ppl diagnosed with it dont have it becuse i have seen some ppl who dont relate to almsot any symoms but please dont jsut say it is not there it just is not as much there as ppl thought
November 13, 2013 at 4:18 pm
You’re all ignorant. (Those who don’t believe in it)
December 19, 2013 at 1:15 am
Whoever wrote this is small minded idiot. I have ADHD and am legally diagnosed with it. You have no idea how hard it is to deal and cope with somedays. Somedays it’s worse than others. You are the complete idiot! I’m on extremely low dose of Ritalin just so I can concentrate, you’re the selfish one. Fuck you.
December 24, 2013 at 9:16 pm
Recently, I have struggled and washed out of the Nursing Program and have been seeking out why I seem to study twice as hard as class mates yet make little progress. I have started a million novels and ended none of them and can’t ever seem to focus. I am going to see a doctor about it but the initial consultation with my family doctor caused him to say I probably have ADD and refer me.
Is it my discipline? As a kid, my step dad used to get drunk and beat me with his fists (knocked me unconscious a few times) so that isn’t it – I wasn’t coddled, as some suggest. Is it self discipline? I routinely mortify my flesh with blades, heated irons, and pound bruises into my skin to punish myself for personal failures, so it isn’t that as the scars and self inflicted pain prove. Am I a junky just looking to score drugs? Never been big on Cocaine or Phenteremine (uppers tend to make me feel sick) so I doubt this would be my goal.
Just because kids today maybe narcissistic a-holes doesn’t mean ADD doesn’t exist. I am tired of not living up to my potential and if taking a Sherman Scorched Earth approach to my own brain using drugs is going to take away the shame of being so useless, I will destroy my brain and remake it in my image – bend it till it breaks to my will. My brain has opposed me for the last time.
December 28, 2013 at 9:06 am
You’re so cool! I don’t think I’ve truly read something like that before.
So good to find somebody with original thoughts on
this issue. Really.. thanks for starting this
up. This site is something that’s needed on
the web, someone with some originality!
January 3, 2014 at 5:42 am
The diagnoses is a joke. Whether or not it’s real it’s kinda disturbing how kids are being drugged to death to the point where they are robots or sleeping in class. The brain is too complicated and anyone assuming it’s absolute is dumb.
Some kids just don’t like school, how is that a mental disorder? It’s like trying to force someone to play golf who’s not interested in it then labeling them sick.. Just because the majority learn to cope with school and sit still doesn’t make them more normal. Put anyone on a chair for 5 hours and have them stare at a wall and see whether or not they either go insane or fall asleep.
The drugs work on both people who are labeled ADHD and people who are supposedly normal. They enhance thinking and everyone will act like a robot on them.. Just because you can’t focus on boring school work w/o your meds also doesn’t prove its real.
What I’m saying is, we don’t have a genuine answer whether or not it’s real, yet.
Even though they have scans indicating the differences on what is thought to be a normal brain vs an ADHD brain, the brain is too complicated and to assume you’re going to fix a problem with a pill is also dumb.. The medications obviously increase dopamine in the brain, period.
So, the theory that those who suffer from ADHD are low on dopamine or have different brain structure is still in question; why don’t they do the actual scans to diagnose the problem? Why is it always about children not behaving or doing their work who get the diagnose?
There’s always exceptions of course, there’s no indication that it doesn’t exist either and some adults and children swear they can function better with the medications. It’s not always the case with everyone because a lot of people who are put on the drugs don’t see any improvements and feel terrible. I was diagnosed with the problem and nearly drugged to death, it made me zombie like, anti social, depressed, and overall I did not see any improvements, neither did the school but they did like the fact I was finally still and would shut up..
Overall, there’s no question about money being behind this and drugging children is a huge market for the drug companies. To those who do benefit, good for you, I’m not discouraging people from taking their medicine, but labeling other people is the problem. And lots of us so called ADHD can focus on stuff we want but not things we don’t..
That is all I have to say.
January 24, 2014 at 3:05 pm
Hi to all, my name is rob,I am a self employed gardener and tree surgeon, I am 29 years old and was diagnosed with adhd as a child, I am not sure weather it is real or not but whatever the problem is it’s very real to me, yes adhd best describes me but who knows, I try to get on with my life as best as I can, I am a family man with a wife and three kids and try my best not to let whatever it is get in the way or effect them, here is a few examples of what I experience day to day, I wake up in the morning not knowing what part of the roller coaster I will start on, sometimes extremely angry and snappy, super hyper,anxious to the point of curling up with adrenaline, depressed and tearful, sometimes a mixture of some or all of these or new feelings that can not be explained with a variation in levels of extremity and sometimes I feel perfectly normal, usually my feelings move from one to the other for example, after hyper comes the crash then anxiety then depressed.and my brain seems to be over active constantly, jumping from one subject to another, you have all heard of thinking outside the box, let me tell you now, things in and around the box are simple to me, I seem to be able to and unwillingly think in the most ridiculous and unbelievable directions and in multiple thought trains, this may sound like a super power but believe me it’s not, it is so distracting, the problem is not that I can’t focus but more I am so distracted by the thoughts and feelings and epiphanies that are happening inside my mind, for example my wife will ask me to get something from another room and I will go to get it and just fall into a deep trance of thought, five or ten minutes later she will shout through, “what are you doing”, and I will snap out of it and reply, “I don’t know, what did you want me to do again, sorry babe”. o.k. so I have briefly gone over what I experience, if anyone can tell me why, what, when or how or anything that may explain or help me please do, thank you in advance 🙂 ps I already have some theoroputic hobbies in place that help me a lot and may be useful to others to know this helps, music production, Djing and the gym. thanks again.
January 24, 2014 at 3:24 pm
Ready for a diagnosis?
You are a human being.
January 24, 2014 at 7:54 pm
Wow thank you for that, so you are saying that all of the above is completely normal? I find that hard to believe, I know a lot of other humans and can assure you it’s not, if you think it is normal or are experiencing similar then you also need help, if anyone with a higher intelligence or understanding would like to comment it would be much appreciated, thank you.
February 6, 2014 at 9:13 am
Ayup- ADHD and the like are total and absolute B.S.
Sorry if your parents or you yourself are/were weak/gullible/uneducated to the extent that you believe what Oprah and the chemical companies have led you to believe.
Let’s look at it in it’s simplest terms- a child is energetic and doesn’t enjoy sitting still for long periods- diagnosis- you are a perfectly normal, healthy, human adolescent.
Children are supposed to be ‘full of beans’- if not then which period of life do you think an animal should be most active?
Perhaps during or soon afte birth when they are mostly defenceless, have no concept of safety vs. danger for themselves and others, and have a body which is easily damaged?
Perhaps when you are middle aged and you need to be solid and dependable, ( to the extent that you must provide defence, food and shelter, all of which require cool and sensible thought given as per other’s and your own safety and well being vs. the risk a potential food etc source can provide), to look after the pack/family/group that you belong to?
Perhaps when you are old and your body is once again entering the stage where it may be easily damaged and you are less able to heal or protect yourself or others from dangers?
Face it- juveniles need to be jumping out of their skin with energy and ready to absorb punishment both physical and mental to prepare then for adulthood, where they may and will hopefully have the task of caring for, providing and protecting younger and older family/group members.
Forgive my bluntness, frustrated parents and teens- one of you has the challenge of care while the other has the challenge of self control but I grew up in the countryside every weekend as a child and know what nature has made animal become- and that is things which can survive by being protected while weak or protecting once strong enough.
Maybe people think kids should be docile, quiet, robotic and easily controlled? LOL go spend some wih animals and see the beauty in how silly that way of thinking is 😀 you’re young?
It’s your job to test your limits and the patience of your elders.
You’re middle aged? It’s your job to be tested by the young and to repay the care your elders gave you in your youth.
You’re elderly? Well I can’t tell you what your role is but from observation of my own elderly family members- your role is to sit back and laugh at the silliness of the youths, laugh with the middle aged members about life, and to cluck like a chicken and cuddle like a koala when you’re around the smelly little cute things called babies 😀
We only have one life- the tough times will someday be the treasured memories and the things that make you laugh while enjoying the sunset after your hard life.
Any young ppl who read this- please know that it’s how hard the road is that makes it worth travelling, and it’s the only thing that makes the road into a happy and proud memory once you’ve travelled it.
Again to young people- feel stressed by schoolwork, house rules and just the general B.S that us older people for e you to live through? Go for a run in the fresh air and yell at the top of your lungs about how bad we and our rules piss you off! 😀 it will release a lot of good hormones etc into your body and get rid of some built up emotional and physical frustration/anger/confusion- or conversely- it will reinforce your joy of life 😀
Written by an ex hypo kid who used to get nose bleeds from going too nuts while running around and being stupid in the ozzy summer during those small lunch breaks after sitting in the classroom nearly bursting for most of the day 😀
May 5, 2014 at 7:21 pm
Holy fu*k, so many ignorant people in here. You little shits probably think people with clinical depression need to “man up” too.
I’m sure half of you talking shit about ADHD had a shitty childhood n got beaten silly and now youre frustrated that the new generarions are having an easier time. Well guess what? Humanity has progressed and you need to keep up.
ADHD is real, there is PHYSICAL EVIDENCE!
Jesus Christ, who ever wrote this article is a dipshit and id like to let you know you are part of whats wrong with society. Grow up son.
October 20, 2014 at 12:47 am
Nope. I had a GREAT childhood and NEVER had to be spanked, have a fucking time out, or take meds. I did have a next-door neighbor kid who needed a good smack on the ass, because he literally was Damien Thorn/Satan incarnate. He never got disciplined beyond fucking “time out”-which did absolutely jack shit. YOU’RE the dipshit.
June 21, 2014 at 1:49 pm
ADHD was invented by pharmaceutical companies.
Google ( Before his death, father of ADHD admitted it was a fictitious disease ).
Its a business, tell people they have bad breath and they change thier toothpaste instead of chewing gum ( or blaming the onion rings they had at lunch ), make people think there is something wrong with them instead of their enviroment & then get them hooked on pills.
People who love to tell others that there is something different about themselves just need a good hard punch to the face!
No really………most people just need the stuffing kicked out of them once….& “hey presto” no ADHD! Especially those that cut you off mid-sentance or touch your things whan asked not to……….just punch them…….square on the nose, dont hesitate just do it. That BS “me, me, me, me, me,” attitude will be gone!
Discipline & respect is what is lacking, not some chemical inbalance, either that or they actually do come from weak sperm.
Kids should know their place, if not then they should be put in their place……..with extreme prejudice! Remember when they where seen & not heard?
Has for adults acting like kids, they should have a beating heading their way.
I come from a huge family, there where members who had personality issues but not one on medication & they’re all fine adults now.
Remember kids just say no!
October 20, 2014 at 12:44 am
BRAVO.
July 4, 2014 at 11:17 am
You may surely see your knowledge from the operate you are submitting. The area hopes for much more enthusiastic authors just like you who aren’t worried to cover that they believe that. At all times go after ones heart.
August 14, 2014 at 6:31 am
i’ve been telling my parents this and i hate being called add/adhd all the time i now there are benifits but do they inforce it no only one teacher did. I hate people put labels on stuff and they dont observe it and are your doctors and parents there 24/7 seeing you in a classroom enviroment no and they atomaticlly assume yu are even with your teacher noticing your doing good in that class and actually are the smartest in the class and the only kid that pays attention to them. I stronglly think they just want your money. Also they are saying having opinions is one of the symtoms of it. that is why people think i have adhd/add cause i have strong opinions on things and that i do my research before i do anything. please help me prove to my dad that i dont have addd/adhd.
sincerly,
kid whos tired of being labeled
September 2, 2014 at 5:19 pm
Then you obviously don’t have it. Yes there are parents out there who are over zealous about wanting their kids labeled so that they can use that as a crutch. And unfortunately schools handicap students by being legally mandated to grant then any ridiculous number of accommodations. You are correct that there are strategies to help manage it, but every single brain is wired differently and there are massive amounts of clinical research to support that. My parents are both extremely left brained individuals who tried like crazy to raise me to be organized and responsible. It is a constant struggle for me. I spend inordinate amounts of time looking for things I’ve misplaced because inevitably when I set whatever down my brain was racing on thinking about what to wear, what I would have for lunch, who would piss me off today, what I had to complete at work, what chores I forgot to complete this week, why my cat keeps puking on my comforter and did I remember to pack my daughter’s lunch. T is real but it cannot be an excuse. I’ve learned do the best I can and when I do screw up,loose something,forget to do somet
hing or miss a deadline, I humbly take responsibility for my actions. It’s the taking responsibility part that people think can be excused by saying I have ADHD. Setting kids up for that response is a huge disservice to our kids. But to dismiss that it exists is assinine.
October 20, 2014 at 12:44 am
LOVE your article. Agree 100000000000000000%. All these little shits need is a good kick in the ass–and, for the record FUCK “time out”. Just MORE bullshit from people who can’t/won’t/don’t have the first clue about how to discipline their brats in the first place.
November 6, 2014 at 10:33 pm
Hi,
I am sorry that you had that bad experience and relate it to adhd misconceptions. Although, i do agree with you that some parents try to fix behavioural problems with false diagnosis, you need to educate yourself on the matter a bit more. I am a mother of a true attention deficiate desorder child. I never had any behaviour problems with my son. He is kind, generous, funny, extreemly athletic and very intelligent. However, being a professioñal in education, i always knew my child was adhd but because of comments like yours didn’t want to medicate him as he was a good kid and it never bothered me. I knew what to do until it started affecting him. He knew something was different with him and it started to affect his self esteam, grades and his social. In grade four, i was left with a child that was totaly in dispare. Of course, after proper medical advice and other psylogical examinations, it was, with no doubt, confirmed. I opted to help my child and gave him the minimum dose that he needed. It made quite the difference in his academic journey. Now at 14 years old and in high school, he has an average of 86, plays for provincial and national sports and is an all around happy teenager that doesn’t party nor want to and alis focused. One day this year, as we are so used to his normal routine, had forgotten to refill his prescription so went to school forgetting that he didn’t take his medication. That day, he missed the bus, went to the principal,s office because he was distracted, talked to much in class, was late to every course etc. The teachers were surprise saying thay he was not acting bad but couldn’t focus and distrated. He was talkative and was not even aware that he was disrupting the class. He was just happy and veeeery social. When I finally realised what was going on it made sense and again confirmed that it it a condition that he was born with like any others…..when you are diabetic, you need insuline, when you have thyroid disease, you need medication. This is no different and it is commemts like yours that make parents and children feel bad and ashamed of having a health issue. It really is a misconception that adhd children misbehave. If you raise all children with moral values and respect for others they will be great human beings even if they have an attention defficit disorder. I just wish that people would stop judging and critisising when you have no education nor background in the matter. Ido not beleive that you posting your opinion on one event merites you being a professional on the matter.
P.s. the way you communicate to others on this matter and any others, i am quite sure, is purely behavioural….
November 6, 2014 at 11:43 pm
I do want to add, that for the ones that just have an opinion because they have nothing better to do, and for the ones that had a bad childhood and maybe bad parenting and were wrongly diagnosed, i feel bad for you. However, for those who have actually had a great upbringging, strong values and do live with this, please do not let these comments affect who you are and what you actually know as being what is best for you. When someone comments about a good woopin, it just means they has their own issues that were never resolved. I have raised two children on my own and never would I physically hurt them. I decipline, teach them good morals and give them all the love, attention, respect, acceptance and education. Please don’t let uneducated people or just ignorance change who you are and inspired to be. Absolutely nothing is wrong with you. Thrive to be the best you can be and ignore and do not waist your time with ignorant people on the internet. I tell my son every day that I am proud of him and he can be anything he wants in life. Have confidence in yourself and accept and be proud even if you are not the same. It is not your fault and absolutely nothing is wrong in being add. It is known, that you are highy intelligent and can do what you put your mind too. These negative people might need hormonal medication or cancer treatmemt one day and I am pretty sure they will do what is best for them. Please do not waist your time in trying to prove to uneducated or just opinionated people on how great you are medicated or not. Always thrive to be the best you can be.
November 17, 2014 at 8:19 am
Here here, you are spot on. My Dad raised me old style. All of my siblings, we never spoke back and when we did, he put us in our place quickly. End result all six of us turned into fine clean living adults. Guess it’ s easier to label someone so you can sedate them with a pill. What a crock. All kids have rebellion in them.
November 25, 2014 at 3:05 pm
As a 23 year old female living with ADHD I think you need you head read, I am so tired of hearing people say its mind over matter, my learning disability was brought to my parents attention when I was about 6 years old, the day dreaming could follow instructions couldn’t sit still was very disruptive played a huge part. But it was never in a ugly way. My teacher at the time (bless her) could see I was really trying to please because I hated dissapointing people even today at my age I hate it. But couldn’t quite get it right. My mother took me to doctors not just one a few and it had come out that I had ADHD. My mother did all the research and we then found out my father has ADHD. My mother was dead against drugs she tried to control it by balancing meals excrise (I had then found a passion for horses) and my mother the pursued this passion with me and pretty much devoted every second out side of school hours to me (I was an only child because she felt I needed all her attention) but my grades were still bad (for the first three years of school)yet none of the teachers hated me infact they were on first name basis with my mum because the could see the diheartening look on my face when I failed a test or forgot a project at home or lost something ( dont get me wrong there were still consequences to all these actions eg. I had to go to bed earlier or for more harsher actions I wasnt allowed to go to the horses that day) but even at that age I became my own worst enemy, I used to adk mum in general conversation why it was so hard to do things that it seemed everyone can do. This was the point where mum knew it was going to take more than diet or exercise so she started my on a herbal tablet call gamelin gold and for the first 3 months I was make progress but not to the standard of my peers I was now 10 at the stage, but then progress stopped and I started getting self confidance issues because to my peers I was irratating because of my excitement and because I kept feeling like I was dissapointing everyone I became a people Pleaser would do anything to get approval but somehow still never had any friends I was never ugly intetionally, mum then took me to one of the best physician in our country at the time amd this was when they decided to trile me on Ritalin, and my mother will tell you it was the best decision she ever made. When I hit fourteen mum decided that it was time to ween me off due to the fact that mum was worried about it stunting my growth as i am quite short and patiet and put me back on to the herbal meds and strict diet and then my grades started drop I was socially awkard and seemed quite lazy she put it down as neing a head strong teen ager (my parents we very strict so I have never been a substains abuser nor a binge drinker) I had curfews and I was always picked up and dropped off so I couldn’t use the excuse I forgot. But I was very argumentive in my ten years and could never finish what I had been asked to do or 90% of the time I would just drag out the chorus but as you can imagine my parents then added more to the list and punished me by means nesassary, but I followed rules eventually all so at this stage mum had my sister 11 years later and I adored her I was one proud sister but when my behavior started changing mum thought i was just being a jelouse teenager It wasnt til I started my first formal job that we realised something wasn’t right because I loved my job (accounts) but I just couldnt catch on and I tried for about 7 months until we went back to a few more doctors ( mum always get fourth opinions) and it was infact ADHD, got back onto medication I have stayed at my job for 2 years and 8 month and I got offered a better opportunity I have been in a happy relationship for going on 4 years and I am able to function properly not only because of the meds they are not the only reason to my success but the support I have around me. That to know that you are intitale to your own opinion but before you start throwing acusations like this actually talk to some who is battling with ADHD first because I am a person not a statistics and this symptoms thst you claim everyone has at some point in there life I battle with everyday I just have the abilty now to recognise them and get back into focuse. Oh and before you say the wanted me hooked on drugs every single doctor I have been to and I have been to about 8 or 9 ADHD specialst in south africa and australia I even had a ADHD specialst write a theies on my adhd because I scored a perfect 10 on very single on of the test they did on me! So that private doctor that woukd have cost an arm and a leg actually cost me nothing
April 21, 2015 at 12:37 am
You are hilarious and reliant. I highly doubt you remember half those times that your mother had explained to you. I have been taking medicine on and off for 15 years and I know I don’t NEED it. And that fact alone does me wonders. I do agree having a healthy relationship and great job helps, but once you are in that position, just do me a favor and TRY letting yourself believe you don’t need it. I have done it and it has changed my life drastically. The medication always helps as it has helped me, but nothing is more satisfactory as knowing you could do it on your own because you have everyone you love counting on you and supporting you. Medicine is expensive and it has bad side affects and you can’t take it while pregnant and breast feeding. Think about that.
January 22, 2015 at 1:20 pm
Your article is nonsense. You’re basing your argument according to your experiences with children and teenagers. Anecdotal rubbish that simplifies ADHD to the tee and completely ignores scientific evidence for the disorder and the coping mechanisms and treatment for it. You have no idea what your talking about.
February 10, 2015 at 4:35 pm
Imagine that when you go about in your everyday life you take in all of your surroundings at once and you can’t drown them out, the birds chirping, the clock ticking, the patterns of light the sunlight is making on the floor, the feeling of your bones shifting in your hand as you move them. Now imagine all that intensified, and imagine that while your attempting to process that you brains working on overdrive “what will I do tonight” “did I lock my front door” “who did that song go again” “that girl I walked by this morning was really pretty” ” do farts smell in space” “I should google what the history of Kiev is”. now imagine you need to get something done all while trying to focus past all that bullshit. That ladies and gentlemen is ADHD and as you may imagine living like this makes it very easy to get distracted. the only exception is when something draws your attention and you hyper focus on it for days, no sleep, no food, no communication with the outside world, all you care about is the thing your focused on at that moment. Until you loose interest in maybe a week or a month and completely abandon whatever you were doing. It is very much a real thing and the fact of the matter is if you say other wise you are the prick who has no idea what its like to have an ADHD brain yet think you know better.
April 20, 2015 at 6:52 pm
[…] judges me for my choices regarding my family’s medical care. They did their research! ADHD is Bullshit! ADHD is invented by pharmaceutical companies because they don’t want to cure […]
April 20, 2015 at 11:58 pm
Lol…. Smaller brain?…
April 21, 2015 at 12:16 am
Sorry to all you ADHD advocates. I just have to say.. Ahahahaha “smaller brain”?!?! Lol now there is An excuse if I ever heard one.. “Sorry teacher, I didn’t do well on my test because I have ADHD so my brain is smaller” !! lol!!
Seriously all of yall are way too crazy on the matter. No it doesn’t exsist. But yet it does. (Contradictory?! Yes!)
Honestly it’s over abused and the actual percentage of human beings that have the “disease” is very minute. And if you have actually met someone with it.. You would know it. They are awkward. They are almost incapable of functioning in public. They stand out in a crowd. The weird people in school. The ones with no friends. The ones that eat lunch by themselves. The ones that can’t form sentences when someone talks to them. The ones that do the weirdest most incapable of explaining out of the ordinary things for no reason. And they aren’t trying to bring attention to themselves. They just are how they are. <<other than these people I have described, you're a fake. The medicine is awesome. I have taken it. But after a while, it does nothing. You get used to it. Stop being on your high horse people. Most DOCTORS would say its fake.. not Psychologists, DOCTORS. Learn the difference. It makes a difference. Is the medication awesome? Hell yeah! Do you need it? More than likely, no. Admit it. Keep taking it even if you know you probably don't need it.. It will still do the same awese thing lol.. But I promise you that if you try to believe you don't actually need it, you will get much further in life. NEED IT OR NOT. Stop limiting yourselves.
April 21, 2015 at 12:23 am
That smaller brain stuff is so fake it’s hilarious. I’m an actuary with a statistics masters. Data is so inconclusive that people will believe they are “entitled” to opinions that they don’t understand just by reading studies that people like ME produce NOT the psycologists. numerically if someone could do the mathematical work it takes to produce not even half the numbers and “percentages” they state in their arguments Id love to see it lol because I can replicate them. It’s my job. It’s BS. It’s just phsyc for produced to make yall feel better
July 28, 2015 at 1:58 am
Its funny bc you pretty much described my grade school years. But you are talking about inattentive ADD. These are the ones who struggle with poor attention spans and often have social anxiety disorder. The ones who are overly impulsive or hyperactive have ADHD. And I can tell 100% that most doctors will tell you its real. I work in a pediactricians clinic and we manage ADHD there, psychiatrist will tell you its real too. Even my general practitioner will tell you its real. These are all medical doctors.
April 22, 2015 at 2:53 am
I have A.D.D. Their are many people diagnosed who simply just choose not to pay attention to things that they don’t care about, and then are diagnosed with adhd or add. This is where you are getting your idea that it is fake. They choose, true people with ADHD or ADD don’t. Your mind just here’s a word or phrase like “he’s hot” or something of the sort that has my full attention (at first) and then my ADD kicks in and Is like: “hot is weird because it’s the same word with two different meanings, like one means really cute and the other means really warm, I wander which was used first, Oh I wander what word was first invented? Friend: “so that’s why I’m swearing off boys for awhile” I don’t like doing this it is just who I am.
May 1, 2015 at 3:19 am
It’s funny you have all these people belittling those who are in a dark place, and talking about “they just want to prescribe you drugs” Blablablabla. SHUT THE FUCK UP. Really,do SHUT THE FUCK UP, because you do not care about the plights of people. You only care about making sure that because you can’t be diagnosed as ADHD, then nobody should be.
Can you explain why I have a harder time concentrating compared to other kids?
Can you explain why I experience burnout every two days of being in school, no matter how motivated i initially am?
Can you explain why focusing on something makes me anxious?
Can you explain the brain fogs? Yeah, I must be intentionally making myself have brain fogs.
I’ve tried the self-awareness path and it can only do so much. Because no matter how hard I believe introspection is the cure, I always reach a point where I realize my genetic make-up hinders me to some extent.
So for people who are commenting from a place of cruelty and inconsideration, think about this next time you want to run your potty smart mouth.
May 1, 2015 at 3:38 am
My hypothesis is that this strong antagonism in regards to A.D.H.D comes from a place of jealousy. You couldn’t get away with misbehaving at school, so you think people should be treated like you, even if we can actually help cure their behavior.
Stephan Moulineaux said a thing about this sort of thinking. And trying to reason with people like you is akin to trying to cure PTSD.
June 18, 2015 at 7:07 pm
While I do know part of what you say is true. Its not only parents that want to medicate their children many teachers as well.
That being said my son does in fact have ADHD. He doesn’t advertise it or put a label on himself and nor do I. He has manners, is respectful. I taught him. We tried to avoid medication and tried many other things. Finally I made the decision to try medication. Nothing is a quick fix. Since then he is able to focus his grades have gone up and his self esteem has gone up. He is on the honor roll, plus two other huge accomplishments Top Student in Social Studies and most positive influence in his class.
I remember the doctor (Pediatrician) saying to
Me you can take him off of it over the summer if you like. My response was “Why I am not doing this for me or the teachers its for him”
June 18, 2015 at 10:46 pm
Your little blog clearly shows a lack of reading on your subject matter and a complete lack of compassion for what you do not understand. Seems like you might be the egocentric asshole. I’d rather be me with my unmedicated ADHD than a heartless jerk like yourself. Cheers.
July 28, 2015 at 1:46 am
You are trying to make a fact out of opinion, alas, your personal opinion. I work as a pediatric nurse and we run an ADHD clinic and while some of the kids have absolutely no disciple, the vast majority have it. You would be amazed of some of the stories from kids going from failing to passing or even A-B honor-roll. Furthermore, there are different types of ADHD. you have the stereotypical Norma ADHD which involves hyperactivity. however, you also have the inattentive form of ADHD which could just be called ADD. the bottom line is if you have ADHD / ADD you have at least one of the following characteristics you are impulsive, hyperactive, or you are Inattentive. personally, I think it’s kind of selfish that you talked your friend into thinking that they are a douchebag. Isn’t that more selfish than someone talking about themselves? I too have ADD the Inattentive form. and I take medication to treat it. I will share with you how the medication has helped me improve my life and those around me. being that I have inattentive ADD I will forget to do certain tasks in a step by step procedure (you can imagine why this is problematic, especially in the healthcare world), have difficulty learning new things (due to a poor attention span, this has led to performance issuses), and generally being scatterminded. However these problems are reduced drastically when I’m on the medication. Im more efficient at my job, i dont forget as often, my social skills are better (I have a major mumbling problem normally), and Im actually able to stay focused even after being interrupted in the midst of something. Now this ia not just my opinion. I have received more liberties at work, praises from management, and even an increase in pay as a direct result of better performance on the job. Im sorry youve had some bad experiences but that doesnt mean everyone is like that.
August 12, 2015 at 7:15 pm
I understand where your coming from about ADHD being used as an excuse for bad behaviour, and thanks for adding that apology at the end. It seems to me that you are hugely misunderstood about the difficulties someone like myself has to face each day, ADHD is widely over diagnosed and that could be the result of lazy parenting or the fast paced consumerism bullshit that we call society. The brain chemistry of someone with ADHD differs from a neurotypical persons, we don’t make the same connections that you do. Information is collected differently, the brain can’t easily process this information it may appear that we don’t listen or only become interested when the subject is more personal. From my own personal experience I can say that I’m not rude on purpose, I’m conscientious towards people and my manners work perfectly fine, however when I get a thought I just go with it. I can be in mid conversation and someone puts a thought in my head which leads to another and then another, before I’ve noticed my attentions drifted away from the conversation it’s already to late. I haven’t taken on board what the person has been telling me and I feel foolish when asked a question in regard to the conversation. This is just one small part of ADHD, it’s hard to stay emotionally resistant when you never truly feel in tune with the world around you. It can cause anxiety and depression along with a poor self image, we try harder and harder to stay at a socially accepted pace but ultimately we always find ourselves falling short. After a lifetime of reading people’s reactions to our behaviour and being labeled as lazy, rude or selfish it can become very frustrating. 90% of the global population share the same brain as yourself, it’s easy to point the finger at someone when your following a social construction designed around time management, organisation and social rules. We don’t follow your rules we see the world differently, we absorb information differently, we are different! People fear what they don’t know or judge what they can’t understand, that’s not a personal thing it’s a primal instinct. This world is built for you, not people like me so instead of being opinionated try being informed. Some of the greatest minds in history potentially suffered from ADHD/autism such as the physicist Albert Einstein, he didn’t fit into the social mold and was considered a brat in school who wouldn’t pay attention or follow through with tasks. That’s until he started learning about things that interested him and look how that turned out! Maybe the level of conversation you were having with this couple wasn’t intellectually stimulating to these people? We find it easier to pay attention when we’re interested! The point I’m trying to make is you shouldn’t say something isn’t valid or real because of your lack of knowledge/understanding. Thanks for taking the time to read this reply and for sharing your thoughts on ADHD.
September 12, 2015 at 7:40 am
It’s bullshit. It’s all because people don’t discipline their fucking kids, the teachers aren’t allowed to discipline them, and “time out” is their only answer for any of it. “Time out” is also a crock of shit. My next door neighbor’s kid years ago got “time out” repeatedly, then immediately went back to doing whatever the hell he wanted to do that got him “time out” in the first place as soon as he was done with “time out”. It’s all a big, fat, money-making excuse for the drug companies and a cop-out for parents too lazy to discipline their kids. Nothin’ wrong with spanking, people. Plus they can’t even legitimately “diagnose” ADHD. It’s crap.
September 21, 2015 at 11:45 pm
We are an RX nation and adhd is a
bullshit. So sad that people really think they need to medicate thier children and thiereelves to get through life. Everyone is different.
September 26, 2015 at 10:54 am
I would like to respectfully add my opinion to this topic.
As a 23 year old female I was finally diagnosed with ADHD-PI, and it has since changed my life (for the better).
I completely agree that ADHD is over diagnosed in young children (my elementary school actually specialized in harboring kids who were expelled from ‘traditional’ schools because their parents didn’t believe in hippy-medicine-non spiritual-whatever). However this over diagnosis in young kids leads to a problem with under diagnosis in adult who need it the most.
I strongly believe that the perpetuation of ADHD as ‘young boys who can’t pay attention/cause a ruckus (honestly, what I believed before diagnosis) has created a significant impediment for adults to get treated and taken seriously by professors, advisors, bosses, etc.
It’s not a case of “I did badly on this exam because…..” but the burning desire to accomplish something, but being unable to do it. So frustrating, disheartening, and alienating.
October 2, 2015 at 7:14 pm
Just wrote a piece on exactly this. Researched and cited, pretty in-depth stuff. ADHD is BS… doesn’t mean people don’t have symptoms… just that they’re just symptoms that can be treated in other ways, without lumping everyone into a “disorder.” Disgusting. http://www.soberforever.net/addictionblog/index.php/fyi-adhd-is-bs/
October 23, 2015 at 10:47 am
Just because you’ve never met someone who here distracted when talking about themselves doesn’t mean that ADHD doesn’t exist. Sure, a lot of people self diagnose or overexaggerate symptoms to their doctors or whoever puts a diagnose on them.
But we still exist. Im autistic and I have ADHD. I get distracted talking about everything, including myself. I remember things me and my friends do together, but I forget who I did it with. I have huge problems concentrating and sitting still. Please don’t claim we are faking it, our struggles are real. Also remember, everything is a spectrum, and everyone is on the ADHD spectrum. Say 0% is good and 100% is horrible bad ADHD. Then the diagnosis would be at maybe around 60%. The people at 75% struggle harder than they at 90%. Maybe average would be at around 85%. So you may know many people who have problems concentrating, maybe even you have, but ADHD affects everyone in different ways.
October 29, 2015 at 10:09 pm
I don’t have ADHD but I do have ADD and it just means I have an extremely difficult time concentrating. Although I hate when people use these as an excuse to act like a right cunt to everyone, they’re just a bunch of dicks.
November 1, 2015 at 3:08 am
You are correct, adhd is just an excuse to get legal speed.
November 21, 2015 at 12:07 pm
Author you are a fucking asshole and I hope you go to hell
January 8, 2016 at 1:33 pm
Yes, I am reading trying to figure out why do I have this horrible disease. I am respectful and polite. I do know for sure that medication changed my life for the better. I can focus, “listen” , not be so impulsive and interrupt people when they talk. I hate the side effects specially now that I am older and have to worry about my blood pressure. I forgot how many times I cry thinking about hurting people’s feelings including my children for not paying attention to what they have to say, because of my ADHD. I wish I did not have this because there is no cure for it. Medication is just like using glasses to fix your eye sight. If I am not on it, my mind is all over the place and it takes me 3 to 4 hours to get something done that normal people would do in 1/2 hour.
January 8, 2016 at 1:47 pm
Yes, I am reading trying to figure out why do I have this horrible disease. I am respectful and polite. I do know for sure that medication changed my life for the better. I can focus, “listen” , not be so impulsive and interrupt people when they talk. I hate the side effects specially now that I am older and have to worry about my blood pressure. I forgot how many times I cry thinking about hurting people’s feelings including my children for not paying attention to what they have to say, because of my ADHD. I wish I did not have this because there is no cure for it. Medication is just like using glasses to fix your eye sight. If I am not on it, my mind is all over the place and it takes me 3 to 4 hours to get something done that normal people would do in 1/2 hour. How about just being able to finish a task at work and get paid for it? You people have no idea what I have been through. Having a brain of a Ferrari with bicycle brakes is not cool dumb ass!
January 12, 2016 at 7:05 am
yes u thoughtless mug i on a good day can read and concentrate . did u no that it is actually probably because of the opinions of people like u who dont have the problem ( if u did u would have taken your own life by now). do u think i enjoy cuting into peoples conversations completley unaware that im doing so .Or risking my fredom to try and make a friend. hay here is an idea go pretend u have adhd and try explayning your condition .but as soon as u are asked a question or u wave to a pasing nabour or freind the next thing u need to do is say sorry i cant recall what i was going to say because i have adhd and at that point is where u will never get it.see the problem is YOU DONT HAVE ADHD here i read youes fuck head now fucking read mine .wanker .Imagine that you have something ‘wrong’ with you that makes you break rules, makes people dislike you and it forces you to withdraw from your peer groups because of ridicule. Continue those imaginative thoughts as you withdraw into yourself, despite your gregarious and extremely lively personality and that this eventually leads to depression. Now stop imagining and accept that for 5% of our population those descriptions describe their condition, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD. 5% may sound like a startling number, 1 in 20, but it’s a medical fact that this number of people suffer this mental health disorder, that’s worldwide, it respects no boundaries, race or creed, and as such, the police service and other agencies within criminal justice should recognise the importance of this on everyday activities.
Perhaps the case isn’t made in this opening paragraph, so let’ apply some robust statistics to the debate to see if they catch your attention:
• People with ADHD are twice as likely to commit crime
• People with ADHD commit three times as many offences as those without the disorder
• People with ADHD are more susceptible to problematic drug use
• People with ADHD are more likely to attempt to take their own life.
The current difficulty with the ADHD debate is the diagnosis, it’s not from blood
results or objective medical tests, diagnosis is as a result of behavioural observations by trained and qualified paediatricians or psychiatrists. It’s therefore subjective and open to criticism and opinion. But those issues should not prevent the service from accepting the seriousness of this issue and dealing with this element of the public in an appropriate manner.
ADHD is a neurological disorder of the brain. In simple terms the chemical reactions within the ADHD brain do not function correctly and this leads to three main changes in behaviour:
• Impulsivity – where the brain activity to control behaviour, to allow people to pause before acting is deficient
• Hyperactivity – where the brain keeps on going, and going, and going to the point where the sufferer cannot sit still, rest or relax, and
• Distractibility – where the attention span is severely compromised to the point where focused attention is nigh on impossible.
There are many routes into the criminal justice system for people with ADHD, an examination of the behaviours listed above reveals the ease in which this becomes a reality for some.
Offences such as criminal damage and violence are prevalent in this cohort, whereby typically the offender is inappropriately egged onto to commit crime by peers, and they go on to do the act to curry favour and seek lifts in personal esteem. People with ADHD are nearly three times more likely to commit arson.
Problematic drug use has two entry pathways for this group. Firstly the way the ADHD brain functions can be simplified as mainly by a deficit in chemical reactions, the uptake of dopamine being the most examined agent. The taking of some unlawful substances, such as cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine and heroin, serve to increase this chemical process in the brain. Whereas for the ‘norm’ this would produce a ‘high’, for the ADHD cohort this produces a more normal state, where the user is less hyperactive, able to focus and concentrate and to pause before acting on impulse. In short, this act of ‘self-medication’ brings about a more normal state and behavioural acceptance amongst society.
Secondly, when challenged with low self esteem and withdrawal from peer groups, young people with ADHD are observed through case studies migrate to ‘hanging out’ with older, dysfunctional’ gangs and groups. These groups often present opportunities for smoking heavily, drinking under age and general withdrawal from the accepted behaviour for the sufferers age group. Being drunk presents similar feelings of acceptance and calm as described for unlawful substances, but this is not sustainable in the longer term. Most participants move, impulsively, under either duress or encouragement from the new ‘friends’ into what are often termed ‘harder’ drugs, which despite the inherent medical risks are more sustainable over time than excessive drink.
The transition from ‘soft’ to ‘hard’ drugs is proven to be quicker in people with ADHD, as is the development from user, through abuser to total dependence.
Disappointingly, when compared to some European models, the US and UK’s drug treatment regimes do not adequately acknowledge ADHD as a prevalent cause of problematic drug use; this fact alone is independently a cause of the failure to keep people ‘clean’ over time.
The key challenges for the criminal justice agencies is to focus on improving services for this population, and it is a key population that both deserves and requires improvement. Recent research suggests that up to 25% of the UK prison population has some form of mental health disorder, typically ADHD, and this disproportionality with general population figures should be a cause for concern.
In interview, a suspect who cannot focus, concentrate or is easily led, should be granted special provisions under the legislative controls of legislation, but with widespread misunderstanding and ignorance of the disorder this is not common practice. Given that ADHD is highly hereditary, more so than height, police and court officers should probe parents as to their suitability to act as appropriate adults.
In court proceedings should be encouraged to acknowledge the condition. Judges admit to forming opinions regarding defendants based upon demeanour and behaviour in the court setting. But what if the lack of attention, inability to sit still and concentrate and inappropriate outbursts are medically driven through illness, not as a result of ‘chosen’ disruptive behaviour, are such judgements appropriate? One can only question the fairness of the trial and the relevance of proceedings if the disability of the defendant, and indeed witness, is not accounted for accordingly.
There is third element to the prevalence of ADHD in the policing environment, that being road safety. Whereas a high amount of road safety education now falls to local authorities, the service still has measures regarding collision statistics and injury reduction. People with ADHD are four times more likely to crash a road vehicle, seven times more likely to have two or more incidents and four times more likely to be at fault. Why, well consider being hyperactive, impulsive and inattentive behind the wheel of a car, or for youngsters, on a pedal cycle, and then you have your answer.
The costs to the criminal justice system for people with ADHD are immense when compared to those without the disorder, rising from £200 in a control study to £20K plus for the ADHD cohort, if the moral agenda doesn’t promote activity, perhaps the financial issues will?
A lot can be done for people with ADHD, especially young people with ADHD. The bullets on these pages offer simple tips for practitioners. Supplementing these tips an examination of when things begin to go wrong for these youngsters, and what the service can do at that point offers more direction. These occasions are beginning to be referred to as the Tipping Points in the person’s life.
Tipping points are:
“those times in a young persons life where if an appropriate and timely intervention is not made, the person concerned has a higher than average chance of going forward into a life that has negative and harmful outcomes”. Typically they occur with:
• Rejection and group exclusion at school
• Transition from junior to high school
• Exclusion, whether temporary or permanent, from school
• Mixing with older children
• Early and continued smoking of cigarettes
• Entry into the criminal justice system
• Difficulties with achievement
• The first job
Activities aimed at reducing the negative impact of Tipping Points are not the sole responsibility of the police, but supported by criminal justice based activities and the moral responsibilities, more can be done with consummate ease. With agencies working together, learning more about their responsibilities, and focusing service delivery in a ‘wrap around’ style with interventions being informed, made with a clear set of objectives and mindful of the particular circumstances appertaining to the young person concerned, improved quality of service is extremely tangible.
A number of areas in the US have support groups for ADHD and are willing to assist the agencies of the criminal justice system. Do you use them?
ADHD will never be an excuse for criminal behaviour but it explains a great deal, and given a meaningful explanation the opportunity for improvement becomes clear.
For the police
If presented with a youth who displays the behaviours described, ask about ADHD Do not ask long, multiple, complicated, leading questions. Expect the use of swear words and strong language, turrettes is a common co- occurring condition. Expect body space to be compromised, lack of self awareness is common Accept that where others have a ‘stop’ sign on their behaviour, people with ADHD only have ‘go’ signs. Consider an appropriate adult, not always a parent. In interview take many breaks to assist concentration.
For courts
Don’t keep defendants waiting, promote hearings at the allotted times. Instruct all legal participants to avoid complicated, leading and multiple questions. Try not to judge guilt or alter sentencing decisions based on the behaviour of the defendant. Allow the court to take regular breaks to allow the defendant (or witness) to re-focus their attention beyond their naturally short span.
For crime fighting partnerships
Work with agencies, sharing information, on what are seen as problem children. Use the skills of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to learn more about the disorder and those who have it. Focus attention on service improvement with agencies that work with people with ADHD, traditional focus on the young person are proven to not work. Seek problem solving activities as early as possible, looking for Tipping Points along the way.
We can anticipate some Tipping Points, we can be sensitised to others. If we don’t look we will not find them. And a final message to clinicians…
…it is time to stop treating symptoms and time to begin to treat the ou
if u read it all put your mind in some of the situations mentioned and u havent got a clue still because YOU DONT HAVE THE CONDITION .one finall example when i am writing if spoken to or destracyed its as if u might as well have put your hands over my eyes for a sec while u stole what i was writing about whitch by the time i remember im probably on to another task threw frustrasion because of a lack of beeing able to rwmember what it was that i was actually about to write but im having a blast to day locked in my dungin. ps my mum is an english teacher and i copied and pasted the bulky guts i deffinantly could not stay this clear headed for that long well i could i gess im just lazy dumb or arigant i might go nec my self now because no one gives a fuck anyway this has to stop the condition needs renaming and some public awarness has to be put forth for god sake u are torchering us.
February 16, 2016 at 12:44 am
It’s just another term. We love terms. ADHD is kids acting up. Bipolar is people that are depressed. It’s all bollox and there will be other terms for other things just to sell more pills
March 23, 2016 at 6:38 am
Thank god adhd is just made up non-sense and I was right all along through out my adolescence thinking I was just a useless idiot.
May 5, 2016 at 11:42 am
i just want to say one thing to all of those people , who are saying adhd is bullshit and doessnt exist and whatever, FUCK YOU ALL!!
i really dont care why you all think so but just dont try to comment on something you have no knowledge, experience or even idea of what it feels like living with a crappy disease and about being drugged up and something.. oh please serously people do you really think adhd patients take meds because they want to or even need to, naaah but to survive in this world, adhd patient had to. you all couldnt even begin to imagine and understand what i am feeling and what i feel on a regular basis, i am in a medical school and soon going to become a doctor i have big dreams and wanna accomplish them all but what i really fell like is that i am tied over with iron chains and am a prisoner of something i cant even see.
and for all those mindless people who think they are intelligent and says give me a test or proof that this exists or even one above asked a test to see if pain really exist well you all overexerting fools tests exists for each and every physiological phenomenon occuring in our body, thats why we know all that occurs.and so you know adhd people well most of them are highly intelligent people with highest creative ideas. i myself have an iq of 168. but to use it for good well thats the problem, it feels like you have a big bag of untouched power. you know you have the power, you want to use the power, you need to use the power the power is inside you, but the thing is the power says back to you fuck you! its like having a personal hydroelectric plant , with river, turbines, generators and everything but somehow magically the plant has gain life or conciousness and doesnt want to give you the electricity it is making regularly. sorry i forgot what i was talking about ! and i dont feel like reading all that what i wrote anyways i think i was trying to make some point there, ohh whatever atleast i am calm now, oh yeah adhd, yes umm adhd do exist people and please try and shut your mouth because whatever i dont feel like saying anything more just that right now my life is in ruin and i really dont need to see some people.. oh whatever do whatever the shit you wanna do who acres buy, wow ithink i really wrote a lot of things and i right now dont even care what i wrote well thats adhd for you see thats why i hate it i cant even remember and focus for sometime even when i am writting this post or is this comment or blog or whatever… anyways where was i yeah adhd aah fuck it bye!
May 5, 2016 at 11:44 am
i just want to say one thing to all of those people , who are saying adhd is bullshit and doessnt exist and whatever, FUCK YOU ALL!!
i really dont care why you all think so but just dont try to comment on something you have no knowledge, experience or even idea of what it feels like living with a crappy disease and about being drugged up and something.. oh please serously people do you really think adhd patients take meds because they want to or even need to, naaah but to survive in this world, adhd patient had to. you all couldnt even begin to imagine and understand what i am feeling and what i feel on a regular basis, i am in a medical school and soon going to become a doctor i have big dreams and wanna accomplish them all but what i really fell like is that i am tied over with iron chains and am a prisoner of something i cant even see.
and for all those mindless people who think they are intelligent and says give me a test or proof that this exists or even one above asked a test to see if pain really exist well you all overexerting fools tests exists for each and every physiological phenomenon occuring in our body, thats why we know all that occurs.and so you know adhd people well most of them are highly intelligent people with highest creative ideas. i myself have an iq of 168. but to use it for good well thats the problem, it feels like you have a big bag of untouched power. you know you have the power, you want to use the power, you need to use the power the power is inside you, but the thing is the power says back to you fuck you! its like having a personal hydroelectric plant , with river, turbines, generators and everything but somehow magically the plant has gain life or conciousness and doesnt want to give you the electricity it is making regularly. sorry i forgot what i was talking about ! and i dont feel like reading all that what i wrote anyways i think i was trying to make some point there, ohh whatever atleast i am calm now, oh yeah adhd, yes umm adhd do exist people and please try and shut your mouth because whatever i dont feel like saying anything more just that right now my life is in ruin and i really dont need to see some people.. oh whatever do whatever the shit you wanna do who acres buy, wow ithink i really wrote a lot of things and i right now dont even care what i wrote well thats adhd for you see thats why i hate it i cant even remember and focus for sometime even when i am writting this post or is this comment or blog or whatever… anyways where was i yeah adhd aah fuck it bye!
May 15, 2016 at 4:28 pm
how do you claim and delete an old response
June 3, 2016 at 1:34 pm
My ex boyfriend is my ex-boyfriend because he’s not too bright. He has a daughter That is not too bright. The woman who birthed her is a complete moron.She was granted supervised visitation and only showed up to 2 and never showed up again.The father got full custody.I encouraged him to get her diagnosis, because she cannot remember anything for five minutes.I believe that this child Probably does have ADHD on top of being incredibly stupid. Or maybe she’s just incredibly stupid.He can’t remember anything either, and he is not a very good father. But he’s a better father than the other piece of crap would have been a mother. All I can say is it is impossible to live with really stupid people that can’t remember anything for five minutes. They cannot follow a conversation, they cannot remember to clean anything up,. The other day we were going to the beach, she is 10, And she was not wearing any shoes. I was surprised that she remembered when she was getting in the car. He will let her wear fancy shoes to school when there is two feet of snow and slush At every corner. I moved out because I could not stand dealing with her anymore, and he was not making it any easier. But here’s the thing, When you have to stupid people combining their Gene pools, what you are going to get is a stupid child. It really is a shame. That movie Idiocracy Is right on point. Stupid people continue to have stupid children, Smart people Have one or two. That is why certain races are over running this country And soon we will be experiencing Idiocracy.So seriously, I do not know if they are both just completely stupid, or if they are stupid on top of having ADHD. Her medicine has not helped her at all.I still spend some time with them as I am trying to break away butSometimes we all end up doing stuff together. I cannot stand to have her around because she is so incredibly stupid.My daughter works with children and she noticed her weirdness immediately.She is 10 and she is Mixed, Her piece of crap mother was black, and her father Has blue eyes and blond hair. She is now starting puberty and has boobs.I am already noticing men looking at her. The stastitcks for Black girls to get pregnant before everyone else is high, and the statistics for supposedly aDHD Girls getting pregnant Early Is high. So she has everything stacked against her. All I can tell you is that it was impossible living with these two, besides supposedly having ADHD, they are just not too bright. He is very very nice but just not too bright.He is diagnosed as bipolar with severe depression, and that’s another thing I moved out for. He stays up late. He sleeps late. He does absolutely nothing day after day because he is on disability and doesn’t have a job.I moved out, started college for the first time in my life, and got a job at the college. I’m so much happier.When I met him, his entire house was filthy dirty disgusting grimy mess. There was 8 bags of garbage in the kitchen because he was too lazy to carry them out the door. That is just a tiny part of what was going on when I’m at home. I helped him clean up his house and tried to teach him how to clean and how to cook. His mother died and left him a whole bunch of money and He then bought a beautiful gorgeous new home, and ever since I moved out, the house is getting dirtier and dirtier and dirtier. His daughter’s room is now an unbelievable explosion of crap all over the place. But of course the poor thing has ADHD so she can’t function. And of course for him, he has depression so he can’t get anything done. He can’t even open the drapes in the morning. How can anybody have any relationship with anybody like this? I can’t. Thanks for reminding me. And as far as the ADHD? I just don’t know. I don’t know if they’re just incredibly stupid and have ADHD on top of it, or if they’re just incredibly stupid.I see absolutely no hope of her keeping any lifelong friends or getting any kind of a decent job in her life. She will probably just be a lump like her father.To top it all off, he is 37 and I am 63. He’s a musician and I’m a singer so it didn’t really matter at first, but the longer we were together the more it became like I was the mother he was the disc interested teenage son and she was the daughter. He does not discipline her he does not set up any rules. I tried and tried for two years to help them. I had to get out.
June 11, 2016 at 11:40 am
ADHD is not bullshit
October 11, 2016 at 2:04 am
ADHD has nothing to do with manners you moron. Your one friend sucked, yeah it happens. Or maybe you are so fucking boring that even someone without ADHD can’t stand listening to you. Fucking faggot, justifying shit like 5 year olds do: “But i had a friend….”
October 26, 2016 at 5:38 pm
This has to be the dumbest writer on the face of the planet!!! Saying add/adhd isn’t real is a insult to anyone who really has it. So since your the retarded type, I will educate you about ADD/ADHD. First off I do agree it is way over diagnosed but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I’ve had ADD my whole life and can tell within 10 minutes if someone really has it. ADD is a gift and also a curse. Depending on someone’s structure in their life, they will either greatly succeed (like Albert Einstein who had ADD) or in bad cases with no structure just complete chaos. The reason we can’t pay attention to boring stuff is because we thrive off excitement. The reason we can focus so well in areas of interest is what scientist call hyperfocus which only people with add can have. ADD is way more complicated than what the schools make it out to be. The lazy stereotype drives me nuts because I work 18 hours a day while people who don’t have it can only last 8-10 hours. Too be honest people with ADD are much more intelligent but hampered by many symptoms that hold them back. Grammer and writing isn’t my thing but if you need skyscraper or nfl football stadium engineering, I’m the best in the business!!! The reason for this is because English was so boring to me that I pretty much came to the realization that watching paint dry was more exciting. But when it comes to hands on and mechanical thinking, it comes natural. Obviously everyone is different but for God sakes I completely rebuilt my mom’s car engine when I was 10 years old never learning from anyone other than reading out of a manual. So basically stuff that is hard for non ADD people is simple to me and the opposite can be said about normally easy thing for regular people being way harder for me. In college I struggled bad in academic bs that has nothing to do with my job. Once we got to the specialized classes of engineering I was #1 in the class. Most of my teachers from elementary school thought I’d be in prison by age 20. I also make sure to send those same teachers all holiday cards with a picture of me standing in front of my 1.5 million dollar home completely payed off before age 26. Basically if it wasn’t for hyperfocus and a passion that most can’t touch I’d of been thrown to the wolves after HS. When you read this, notice I jump subject to subject to subject. Well that’s because a person with ADD brain works way faster than a normal brain jumping from thought to thought. Averaging a different thought every 3 seconds if I’m not in hyperfocus mode. I’m not really going to get into the hundreds of symptoms a real diagnosis brings with it. I mainly wanted to crush your theory that there is no such thing as ADD and saying their actually just lazy. God dammit, I’m so ADD! I didn’t even want to waste time writing this comment about a garbage article. Tired of dummies like you who don’t have it saying it isn’t real. Be about like saying paralysis is just in their head and just poor work ethics. It’s idiots like you that make people suffering from ADD afraid to seek help. The stereotypes that this society has made about ADD make me sick. ADD is just as much a disability as any other bad mental illness. If I didn’t have a good supportive wife and great home structure, I wouldn’t even be able to hold a minimum wage job.I know this because my life was complete chaos before my wife started helping me with organization. No medication, no drugs, just good home structure has helped me live with my disability. I deal with my symptoms everyday but if that home structure were to disappear I’d be homeless living under a bridge. So hopefully if you have one ounze of dignity, you will do your homework, study ADD and correct you poorly written article with correct information!!!!
November 2, 2016 at 8:45 pm
Hey Asshole, you obviously have NO clue what the hell you are talking about. I can’t believe you could even call those kids rude after what you just posted to the world. That was on of the most ignorant posts about ADHD or ADD that I’ve ever read, and there is a difference between ADHD and ADD which you are probably unaware of. This is an actual mental disorder, that must be diagnosed by a doctor. It is an actual chemical imbalance in the brain that is different from the “average”. That is why individuals with ADHD or ADD take stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin to help focus. I can tell you that these are real disorders and that it SUCKS to have it, I personally have ADD, which is the more inattentive type. And to address why people with ADHD or ADD can pay attention to conversations about themselves or things that like is because that information interests them and acts as a stimulant so it is easier to focus. That is the precise reason I finished reading your stupid post, because it pissed me off. My advice to you is do some actual legit research before you go and make anymore ignorant and infuriating posts about things you have no knowledge on.
November 6, 2016 at 2:31 am
Well your experience is quite convincing adhd is an actual disorder which I actually have and for 7 years I struggled to focus, get things done, listen to directions, and more.I was extremely disorganized and hyperactive and I know many people who say they have it because they don’t want to do their homework but I actually have it and it effects my daily life without medication and I’d much rather have no adhd but I can’t change that if you met me in person you would know that I had adhd because you can plainly notice I have it.I constantly am fidgeting with stuff, I have been called crazy, and even told to stop moving or humming without realizing I’m doing it.I have had multiple therapists and many psychological doctors, all of which have confirmed that I have adhd that needs medication otherwise I can’t get anything done I know there are people who will call this comment fake but those are the people who don’t understand adhd.
November 6, 2016 at 2:48 am
Every asshole saying that adhd isn’t real or is just an excuse for “meth” (not met but a stimulant but there are non stimulants as well ) don’t know how it is.I have terrible ADHD an example is basically being the smartest person in the world and you know everything, yet you aren’t able to use it like you can play the violin and you only have one arm you dipshits saying it’s fake are retarded there is actual scientific and medical proof that adhd exists and most people who take medication for adhd don’t like taking it because concerta (the medication I take which happens to be a stimulant ) has many side affects such as a loss of appetite and it wears off at random times as well as having a so called “grumpy” period and because it’s a stimulant I have had a couple instances where people have tried to steal it so I have to lock it up in a safe.it’s an actual disorder so I’m sorry you fucking idiots that don’t understand it.
December 8, 2016 at 5:33 pm
I had a crap sht ton to tell you but because I can not get that crap sht ton of thought out in the correct order, I am not even going to bother. All I am going to say is that you are either an idiot or to damn lazy to do some proper research. I near killed myself trying to function normally after 8 years of being INCREDIBLY hard on myself and still I have all the exact same symptoms I’ve had all my life. There is no escaping this incredibly shit thing called ADHD. Your article can only piss off already hurt people or cause others to go around saying the same stupid sht your saying and again, hurt already hurting people. This disorder has us crying ourselves to sleep for years as we try everything we can possible think of to not be “lazy” and NOTHING works. Attention is on or off, when you can not fully control this, you have no idea what implications come your way. Go climb a tree !
December 23, 2016 at 8:05 am
Sorry if you believe this, however ADHD is a real disorder and although some may use this as an excuse for being ill mannered are clearly just self centered in their own right. ADHD is something i have had to cope with my whole life and i may be young but i am not ill mannered and i do have respect, for those who really have ADHD then they will know it is far from being a stupid and self centred and yes i will admit my attention is school was never good because its hard for my brain to focus on a certain piece of information for than 10-15 seconds unless it is something i am genuinely interested in, i may not have the greatest attention for maths, again i still try extremely hard to listen and learn but out of no where my foot is tapping uncontrollably and my fingers are twitching like someone whos just snorted a line, but if you sat me in an english class and a subject to write about and i can go for hours because it is something i can focus on because it holds my attention and allows me to use my creativity; not saying i cant do maths because i can, i just find it hard to concentrate on things i cant my way. That sounds self centered but no i just mean my way is the easiest to understand for me, again maths for example, i will lose my focus and my mind will think of a hundred things per ten seconds then when it comes to the work ill have no idea and just make my own way of getting it done which simplifies it for me. ADHD is hard to live with and you will often be misunderstood by those such as the author of the blog, but when you get to know us were really nice people, but if talking isnt your thing then thats gunna be hard because when im with anyone i talk about anything and everything one because i hate silence and two because i have so much i want to talk about at one time without even realizing im probably running the other person into the ground, i often apologize to people who deserve no apology because i feel i make people uncomfortable when i run my mouth but usually they just say “why are you apolagising”. Long para ik but still just think about things before you post, ive lost very good friends because of my adhd where my intentions are misunderstood, because either ive said something offensive without meaning offense(obviously when i catch on that it may of offended them then it hits me and i apolagise)or because people think i dont listen or im not genuine because i struggle to maintain eye contact when in conversation or even more emotional conversation, not only that but its like when you see everyone else you can tell you just not like they are and you think about why you think more than them and why can they stand still and straight when i cant for more than a minute, also personally i find it hard to tell if i am genuinely liked by all my social group because theyre not as hyped and happy about everything like me or i just as them whats wrong when nothings wrong just cus im always hyper and happy and theyre just normal. i tried Ritalin once and it was the worst feeling, it felt like my whole personality had been ripped out of me, my brain was slower i wasnt as happy and i just felt like a fucking zombie, and yes i am proud to have ADHD, its what makes me me and i like being me, so why change it.
January 10, 2017 at 4:59 pm
Are you retarded…… Yes most people at a young age do use it as an excuse but just because you have ADHD doesn’t mean you wouldn’t read a really short article. I have ADHD I have all of my life and still do, and I am all over the place when I don’t take medicine….. and btw I’m 16 and still can’t fully control it. Without me taking medicine I am just bouncing off the walls and non stop talking about who knows what…. I’m just trying to say yes most people don’t have ADHD but like me and the people who really do have it, we try to learn how to control it over the years and for the most part when someone says they have ADHD they could be on medicine at the time so you can’t just judge someone who says they have when on their medicine. Hang around them when they don’t have and there is a major difference.
February 12, 2017 at 3:12 am
You’re an asshole and your blog sucks