I
find the conversations around ADHD is somewhat controversial. First,
allow me to make my position clear: I side with the writer, in that I
do not believe ADHD to be a real disease. I have never taken any
drugs that help deal with ADHD, however, I know many people who have
used Ritalin and Adderall as study aids, to help them stay focused,
and as a result, there it a lucrative market for prescription ADHD
drugs for university students. I do believe children can be 'cured'
in other ways – through exercise, sports, music, art, or whatever
else may captivate an individual's attention.
Whenever
I come across the concept of ADHD, I immediately recall the episode
of South Park, Timmy
2000, regarding the 'disease'.
In the episode, Timmy, is tested for ADD, where the psychologist
reads The Great Gatsby and
asks a random question about the book. When Timmy is unable to answer
the question, he is diagnosed with ADD and is relieved of homework.
When the other children find out, they also start acting out to be
relieved of homework as well, and soon all the kids are on Ritalin.
The drug causes the kids to become boring.
While
the South Park episode
is exaggerated, I do believe it brings up some key points: testing
for ADD and ADHD is questionable, many individuals may take advantage
of the situation to avoid work, the side effects to ADHD drugs are
serious. While reading the comment section of the article, I was not
surprised to read the reactions to the article. Many believe ADHD
exists, and the drugs do help. I do not deny the drugs help, but I
question the existence of ADHD.
-Ragu
References:
Pietrowski,
A. (2014, October 5). ADHD not a real disease, says leading
neuroscientist. The Mind Unleashed.
Retrieved from
http://themindunleashed.org/2014/10/adhd-real-disease-says-leading-neuroscientist.html#
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