ADD/ADHD Epidemic

Almost everyone knows what ADD or ADHD are. ADD is attention deficit disorder and ADHD is attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Thousands upon thousands of people worldwide have been diagnosed as one or both of these, yet there is little real proof that either even really exist.

Many major medical groups worldwide refuse to acknowledge ADD or ADHD as a real mental disorder. These groups include even the American Medical Association. The reason for this is that there is no definitive proof that either disorder really exists. Yet hundreds of doctors diagnose their patients with the disorders daily.

ADD and ADHD are supposedly mental defects in the brain that cause people to not be able to focus and concentrate normally, and it supposedly also accounts for many other 'not normal' behaviors. That is the only deception the disorders have, which makes them extremely vague.

Many children who supposedly have ADD or ADHD are intelligent and exhibit great creativity. Although doctors claim ADD and ADHD cause children to do poorly in school. Which means both children with good a poor grades could be diagnosed. Again, very vague.

The most common argument to back the existence of ADHD and ADD is that: "When a child who is hyperactive and inattentive in the classroom is given Ritalin (a drug used to treat ADD and ADHD), they behave like a normal child. So they obviously have a brain defect."

The problems with this argument are obvious. Firstly, since most children diagnosed with the disorders are intellectually gifted they would obviously be bored in a classroom once their work was complete. So saying that the drug makes them 'normal' would mean that the drug is making them have a harder time completing their work and thus decreasing their mental ability. Also saying that a person must have a brain defect because they preform better with drugs is ridiculous. Thousands drink caffeine in the form of coffee to stay awake and active, so does that mean they have a brain defect because they work better with caffeine? No.

The second most common argument in the support of ADD and ADHD is that, "Neurological differences have been found in the brains of those with ADD and ADHD, so they must be a neurological defect."

This argument is again ridiculous. There are even neurological differences between boys and girls. This can be attributed to how they both succeed better at different things. In recent years scientists used this neurological evidence about the difference between boy's and girl's brains to say men were more intelligent and superior over women. That is basically what they are saying about those they claim have ADD/ADHD.

Many people who are diagnosed with ADD or ADHD often suffer from real problems that are not usually mental. One example of this happened to Dexter Stark, his teacher held him back a year because he had issues reading and writing. A doctor then diagnosed him with ADD. It was later discovered that Dexter simply suffered from extremely poor eyesight which explained his problems. After this was discovered and steps were taken to help better Dexter's eyesight it was discovered that he had no real learning disabilities.

There is many examples of problems that are instantly declared to be ADD or ADHD that are really something else. Such as poor vision or hearing, low blood sugar, sleeping disorders effecting attentiveness, absence seizures where a child's brain partly shuts down for some time, or even cardiac conditions that indirectly effect a child's actions. The list goes on.

Another major issue is the drugs used to treat ADD and ADHD. Anti-ADD/ADHD drugs such as Ritalin can cause seizures, heart failure and cause suicidal thoughts, along with a host of other medical issues. While they also cause emotional problems such as, psychosis, aggression, hostility, anxiety, and even hallucinations.

This all has lead many professionals to believe ADD and ADHD don't even exist. They are likely a collection of other different disorders that have been clustered together. It would seem that doctors have simply been grouping together children by labeling then with ADD or ADHD. It also seems that the common case of ADD/ADHD is really just a highly active, smart kid in a boring school. So next time a doctor tries to slap a label on you, look into it. There's enough labels out there as it is.