Attention Deficit Disorder

[davver]

Does ADD really exist, or is it just an attempt to give the character trait of restlessness a medical name so that there is an excuse for a) bad behaviour and/or b) consultants' bills?

[rekstout]

ADD is something o a catch-all term for a number of neurochemical imbalances which seem to prevent the brain from focusing on a particular task for more than a brief period of ........look, a bird!

 

It really exists in the sense that there are many people in the world who suffer from a inability to remain focused for reasonable lengths of time.  It may have been called restlessness or bad behaviour in the past and now it is called ADD.  It is real and it does cause considerable distress to sufferers and those around them.  I believe it is often treated successfully with Ritalin.

 

To pass it off as a character trait is like describing depression as "being miserable" or dementia as "nuttiness".

[becks]

Whilst i appreciate what rekstout says i reckon if any of these kids with ADD had had my mum as a parent they'd have stopped sharpish. Have to say i'm a bit cynical myself and think that the "excuse for bad behaviour" is spot on. How many parents now just sigh and say 'oh he's got ADD' as their child tears around a department store smashing it up? Believe there would have been none of that in my house!

[camille79]

I think the problem is understanding.  When a condition is an extension of what would often be considered just naughty behaviour people tend to be rather unsympathetic.  I worked with kids with autism for 10 years and many also had ADHD.  To the outsider it would often look like the kids were spoiled/brats/undisciplined/needed a good smack but they were actually reacting for completely different reasons to what one would first imagine. 

One child of 7 had been excluded from 3 schools and a general "special" school for kids with difficulties.  He started at the school where I worked and was like a little angel.  All he needed was consistency, routine and some understanding.  Obviously every badly behaved child doesn't have ADHD or autism, but there is a difference between a child throwing a tantrum because they want a new toy or being "out of control" because the lights and sounds of a supermarket are just too much for them to deal with.  Becks - try reading some accounts of people with ADHD as I think they'll give you a better idea of what the condition means. 

Blaming the parents isn't the answer, they're usually the most frustrated of all!

[rekstout]

I agree with you Becks in that I think it is too often used as an excuse - like people saying they have insomnia because the "only" get six hours sleep a night or people who say they are "depressed". There are many genuine ADHD sufferes out there but there are also far too many who simply claim it as an excuse.  The same can be said for depresion, back pain and so on - all of which can cuase real misery in genuine cases but are also "abused" diagnoses (I think that's a word)

[ganesh]

My daughter has ADD and is not naughty, not hyperactive, and very intelligent. It is a real problem, especially for her as she has concentration problems, organising problems, and short-term memory problems.
Unfortunateley it does exist. Most of the symptoms are what normal people get but are just a bit more extreme.
I,too am very cynical, especially when it comes to Pscycologists etc. but I have read enough about it now to know that it is real. I'm sure that some hyper kids are just downright unruly,or dumb,or fed on a sugary diet or whatever- it only helps to give this condition a' Bad name'.,and people love to give an 'ism' or disorder to label people with.

[kitty77]

I too am a parent of a child with ADD and i have to agree with ganesh. my son has just started year three and has already completed all the reading books for his year, he has just started reading year four books today. I do think that some parents use this condition as a fall out for naughty kids who they can not control. They should try living with a child who suffers with ADHD/ADD and they will then realise the struggle to do simple tasks like going to the supermarket