Is ADHD a valid illness, or is it a modern day excuse for doctors and parents of energetic children with no outlet?
I am currently reading/reviewing ‘You Want To Do What?: Instant Answers to Your Parenting Dilemmas‘. I was surprised to find that in the section about ADHD, instead of the sympathetic advice usually offered, there was a completely different viewpoint, one I am still pondering now.
In short the book warns to beware of a diagnosis of ADHD or ADD…
“The term ADD developed after several years of mislabelling for children who failed to conform to what were probably idealistic standards of learning and behaviour. Such children were considered to have minimal brain disease (MBD), which later became minimal brain dysfunction, when no ‘disease’ could be diagnosed”
This is a brief but interesting history into how the terms ADD and ADHD have come about. It got me to thinking, could it really be possible that these children are just at the top end of the energy scale i.e they need a lot more exercise and output than the ‘average’ child.
Furthermore would it be reasonable to suspect that as society has changed these children no longer fit our definition of ‘normal’, maybe it’s our way of life that is the problem and not the children. I bet if you asked your grandparents how many kids they knew that had been diagnosed with an attention deficit related illness their answer would be none, now however, everyone knows someone who has a kid with such a diagnosis. Would that be because it didn’t exist or they merely saw it as kids being kids? Have we become intolerant of children needing to let off steam?
In years gone by children burned energy by going on day long bike rides and playing sports for hours on end, we all had a very physical childhood with plenty of opportunity to ‘burn off’ excess energy. I remember when I was younger being told to go out and burn off some energy, because if I didn’t my mum new she’d have her hands full with a couple of hyper kids with too much energy. It’s not like that now, it’s all about gadgets and computers, kids don’t go out and burn off the excess energy, in addition there is less physical education at school and shorter playtimes. Might it just be possible that there is no illness at all, but that the way society has developed has forced these used-to-be-normal children to be seen as extreme, hyperactive, suffering with an attention span that is deficient?
Apparently one third of school boys aged five to eleven now suffer from ADD which is defined by behaviour that is fidgety and impatient, which pretty much renders most children as having at least a little bit of ADD and at least a few adults!
One of our societies answers to the problem comes in the form of the drug Ritalin which reduces fidgety behaviour. The book suggests that more natural ‘cures’ might include a better diet, more exercise, less television, more sleep and goes on to suggest that even our school system could be partly to blame - “children..forced to sit still in a classroom…with large numbers of other children”, perhaps a more physically active school day could help too.
What do you think? Are these titles just merely buzz words from the 1990’s as the book suggests or is there more to the illness than just having a bit too much energy? I’d love to hear your thoughts…
27 Responses to “ADHD - A Convenient Excuse?”
Ritalin is a horrific thing to give to any child - it’s basically watered down speed, and works because it actually speeds up a child’s mental function to a point where they can only focus on a single thing - it’s sometimes known as ’standing still like a humming bird’. Good post Erica, and my kids will for sure be booted out of the door on nice summer days - that kind of ‘benign neglect’ is essential for kids to develop properly. I’ll probably kit my kids out with mobiles (emergencies only!) so they can get in touch if they need to, but they won’t be allowed to sit in unless it’s raining!
More on Ritalin - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritalin
I think there are some instances where a child genuinely has a problem but yes, most of the time it’s society that has the problem. We just aren’t designed to sit still for that much time in one go and some children just can’t do it. Some children do act out with poor diet, so do some adults, and I do think that an awful lot of behavioural and educational issues could be cured with a total ban on artificial junk and more time to charge around like idiots!
Yeah more time to just charge around would be good.
I also believe there are some real cases of ADD or ADHD, but I think a lot of the kids don’t get enough exercise, watch too much TV, eat too much sugar and/or aren’t disciplined well by their parents.
I understand what you’re saying and I agree that what many children need is more fresh air and exercise. However, I’d like to point out that after the initial rush of children being overdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD, the pendulum swung far back in the other direction. Too far.
Over the last several years I’ve dealt with numerous parents who believed that there could be nothing really wrong with their child, based simply on the idea that the condition is overdiagnosed. This is a huge error in logic. Even when they accept the diagnosis, they often refuse to medicate because they don’t “like” having to do so. I don’t like medication either, but for some children it is the lesser of two evils. If your child had cancer, would you refuse chemotherapy because of it’s awful side effects?
Like it or not, being able to sit still and focus is an essential skill for a child in today’s educational system. An inability to do so leads to poor performance and thus low self-esteem. Teachers and other child service professionals generally can tell the difference between a child who needs an outlet, a child who needs some discipline, and a child who needs therapy or medication. It’s tiresome when you find yourself telling a parent over and over that their child needs to be tested, and the parent shrugs it off and calls their child “active.” We are stuck between wanting very much to respect the parent… we know you want what’s best for your child… and wanting to tell them that (1) we know what we’re talking about and (2) their child needs to see a doctor before he ends up on the front page of the newspaper.
I once had a fifth grade boy, tears in his eyes, ask me in front of the whole class if I would physically hold him down just so he could complete a standardized test. When I remember that boy I find it hard to argue against medication for (some) students with ADHD.
Sorry for the rant. It’s just that I’ve seen way too many kids slip through the cracks because of parents who thought it was “just their personality” or they “just need more exercise.”
Interesting insight Chris. In the ‘real’ cases of ADHD is Ritalin the the only form of medication?
OOOh, great post! I once considered that my eldest might have it but then I rediagnosed as ‘boy’. I think you are spot on about exercise, my eldest has just started school and is knackered when he gets home and I was wondered what to do in the 3 or so hours of the day that remain as he was too tired for activities but lo and behold, I took him to the park and he ran like a rat, ate a huge tea, got bathed and collapsed into bed midway through a story!
I think part of the problem is that institutions, especially day nurseries but also some less well clued up preschools and schools cannot cope with how physical boys are - I’ve seen carers roll their eyes and say they are wriggly or less pleasant terms to that effect. When will (predominantly female) carers understand that boys ARE physical and that’s not necessarily a bad thing (and that basically small boys are very similar to dogs!)? Do we wonder why men sometimes grow up confused about their roles?
The book Toxic Childhood is also great - see a post of mine on http://www.happytracksinthesnow.wordpress.com about it but after much searching the author (a school literacy specialist) worked out that kid’s poor development now was a toxic mix of: not being allowed to play with other kids unsupervised, not being outside enough, too much TV, too much poor daycare, poor diet, family breakdown, pushy schooling, no time to just be etc etc. Yadi Yadi Yadi, could go on for hours but I’m not gonna…
Well done Erica for bringing this up. I completely agree with Chris and also Paula. I’ve read Toxic Childhood too and what Paula says is so right. Thank goodness for people like Sue Palmer the author who can push these issues in such a digestible form into the public arena. She’s written a follow-up as well called Detoxing Childhood.
The comparison between boys and dogs made me chuckle. We often feel like we are walking the dogs when we take the boys out. In fact this morning my husband said at breakfast “We really should walk the dogs this afternoon”, to which my 3 year old replied ” Daddy, me not a dog”…oops, can’t use that codeword again…but I am so impressed with his ability to put two and two together
When I was teaching, it was specifically a classroom for boys with behavior problems. One young man in particular had a lot of energy: I could hear him crowing like a rooster across the building through closed doors. He was on various meds over the 3 years I knew him (yes, Ritalin isn’t the only choice). The thing that actually worked the best for him was a homeopathic remedy that he only had to take once a month. The last year he was in my room, he did much better. I believe some maturity and focus helped. But we could always tell when it was time for a dose, lol. He’d get silly and I’d look at the calendar and ask him if his 30 days was up. A couple of times his mom brought the remedy in and I watched him calm down before my eyes. It was amazing.
There was also a student who very obviously needed more help than he was getting, and meds were something the school wanted his parents to pursue. Unfortunately, we could barely get his mother to speak to us, let alone take him to a doctor. It wasn’t that she didn’t care; she just was doing what was necessary to survive from day to day. Work and feeding the family came first, school was lower on the priority list for her.
I do believe though, that it’s very rare for a child to need medical intervention when there are so many other options available. Behavior plans, diet (artificial colors can really do a number on so many children), exercise, hobbies, parental support, and a reduction in screen time can go a long way to solving the problem.
No joke: I have taught children who were taking Ritalin for ADHD, Paxil for depression, and then more meds to get to sleep at night. That’s insane for a 14 year old.
In addition, it is very true that schools simply are not set up for boys any more. A friend with a child who had severe learning problems sent him to a summer program that alternated school work with physical activity on a ratio of one to one, and he absolutely blossomed.
We ask boys to sit still for far too long in school and ignore their needs to get physically involved with the learning. Even a simple bit of exercise helps my own boys so much when they’re having trouble focusing on lessons. We’re particularly fond of jumping jacks and push-ups, lol.
Thanks for the extra information AmyL, taking that much medication at fourteen will surely have a detrimental effect later on
i totally think its parents and doctors being lazy and not wanting to deal with the issues my child was seeing a therapist and after a few visits he said that my son shows all the symtoms of adhd well my child was 5 at that time and besides a few small issues i feel that we ( me husband and son) have worked through most of his problems
AND i was talking with my sons den leader with boyscouting she said she thought the drs are creating a whole generation of bots who wont be able to serve in the us army due to needing a mind altering drug i agree and think these drs and the parents need to try every methood there is b4 even thinking of medicating a child and how do we know the side effects our kids may suffer as adults when the drugs are fairly new now they cant say they know the long term effects
THINK ABOUT IT MOMS DONT LET YOUR CHILD BE A EXPERIMENT
I think it is ignorant to ever say that there is a one-size fits all way to deal with add and/or high-energy kids. Many families are struggling with this issue and genuinely need medicine to help them…Also kids are being overly medicated…we can’t make generalizations that kids need to be out of doors more and that would solve the problem. Each parent and doctor need to analyze this problem on a case by case basis. I agree with many of your ideas…however, we need to tread lightly in our assumptions.
Daneka, I really can’t agree. And if I had a scout leader with my child who said something like that, I’d be concerned about her grasp on reality. Even if it were true - and without getting too political, here - the armed forces is the LAST career I’d want my child to be going into anyway.
No one wants to medicate their child. It’s great that you were able to help your son without having to do so. But if all other avenues have been tried unsuccessfully, medicinal intervention is probably necessary. In fact, I’ll go out even further on this limb and say that to NOT provide medication for a child who needs it is abuse, plain and simple. I say this from the perspective of a teacher who has seen many extremely unhappy children struggle through school because their parents wouldn’t give them the medicine. When you’ve tried other approaches and they aren’t working, your child is still suffering. Pretending there isn’t a problem or that he is just an “active” boy will not make the problem go away.
It’s true that some children may suffer as adults because of some unanticipated side effect of what they take now. But a kid only has one childhood. It’s our responsibility to make it a good one.
Chris, with all due respect a career in the army can be very fulfilling for many young men and women. My brother is in the british army he has a varied and fulfilling career that he enjoys which rewards him well, and that’s not to mention the service he is doing for our country.
Sarah - Thanks for leaving your comment, the post isn’t based on my assumptions rather the questions the book raised for me. I have no direct experience of ADHD so I am finding this thread very interesting.
Little Mummy, let me clarify what I meant by that remark. I realize that an army career can be fulfilling, and I have great respect for those who make that choice. I merely meant that from a mother’s perspective it’s a high-risk job. I wouldn’t want my child to be a police officer or a prisotn guard either.
Thanks Chris, but I think we have different views on this. As a mother, if my daughter wanted to do a ‘high-risk’ job I’d have no option but to support her. Someone has to do these jobs and if she were brave enough, then I would only have pride in her. Surely what is important is that whatever career she pursues is one where she can reach her fullest potential and that she enjoys.
Of course I worry about my brother but someone has to do it, and the truth is he enjoys his work, he is proud of what he does, and why shouldn’t he be? Nobody forced him into that career, he is certainly intelligent enough to pursue a number of other careers. I don’t think its our place as parents to discourage our children from doing such jobs just because WE find them worrying or an undesirable career prospect for ourselves.
Little Mummy, I’m going to go ahead and defer to you on this one, for the simple reason that I am not a mother yet and I’m only thinking in hypotheticals. You’ve got a better perspective on it that I do, and you’ve definitely given me a lot to consider!
Chris, just discovered your blog, LOVE the topic have subscribed already! How long have you been a teacher?
Little Mummy, thanks so much! I’ve been teaching for a little over 9 years. Right now I teach preschool but I’ve taught K-8 as well.
I have an acquaintance with a family in which both boys, ages 10 and 12, have been diagnosed with ADHD. One boy is hyperactive and rude, transgressive and wilful, the other boy seems less so. Interesting to note, the elder boy’s behaviour worsened considerably after his brother was diagnosed.
Subsequently (and absurdly, IMHO) the mother diagnosed herself with ADD.
So it seems that something was a few standard deviations outside the normal range of brain chemistry with the younger boy, but the other child, and now the mother, appear to me to be neurotically hopping on the bandwagon, as it were. Now, neurosis can be a problem, of course, but not one that should be treated with ritalin.
Studies that showed overdiagnosis in specific communities show similar bandwagon effects. ADHD can be attention-seeking, low self-esteem, ie, many other neurotic problems, espec. when a sibling has a “get of jail free” card for poor behaviour. It’s important therefore to insist on personal responsibility and consequences for *all* behaviours, included ADHD ascribed tantrums, impulsivity.
i am a parent of a child with adhd and i myself have adhd. I know it exhists through personal experience of coping with the condition as a child and adult. When i was young you werent diagnosed just naughty but i struggled to concentrate i was impulsive i was a very unhappy child as a result as i would get upset with myself and get punished. I ended up in care as a result as i put my parents through the mill it drove a wedge because it was misunderstood. It appears a disability that is severly discriminated against and mis-understood. I hope one day it will be accepted and the correct support other than medication will be provided this includes the negative veiws depicted within society.
Read the actual diagnostic criteria in DSM and you will get a different picture. Fidgety behavior is only one part of ADHD and not necessary for a diagnosis. A quiet, “spacy” girl can have ADHD as easily as a hyperactive boy.
Each child is different, but I think in many cases medication cuts down on a lot of unnecessary trauma.
Daneka- What? If needing a mind altering drug disqualified one from serving in the army we wouldn’t have many people left in the army, considering how many people are on antidepressants. And I would think that if there was such a conspiracy it would be aimed at getting people *in* the military, not vice versa!
Thanks for your viewpoint Amy, there seems to be a real split of opinions on the subject.
I really feel it should be up to the parent id they dont want the meds then they should be able to say no to drugs also I dont want my child labled in his school records
uneducated people say adhd is an excuse yes sociological disadvantage prevails the rate however it still exhists and can be seen through the generations
The biggest problem with ADHD is that despite relatively intensive research done on it, the real cause/s remains a mystery. That has given rise to many myths about this neurobiological disorder. It’s no wonder then that some parents believe ADHD does not exists.
But personally, I think refusing to believe that ADHD exist is going to do more harm to children. The risks are simply too great to ignore.
I do not agree that ADHD is something which sprung up from modern day lifestyle which is essentially a wired-world. This is because ADHD has been around for generations, only that the medical faculty did not put a “name” on it, that’s all.