The Great Big ADHD Lie

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(Shutterstock)
(Shutterstock)

I know a lot of people whose children have been diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, or whichever label is fashionable today, and I’ve watched as parents agonize over such diagnoses, unable to understand the condition, and unable to afford the high cost of drugs manufactured specifically to treat it.  I’ve always thought these labels are little more than a great big medical scam designed to enrich the drug companies and as it turns out my suspicions may have been well grounded.

The diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has itself become hyperactive, with doctors handing out too many pills, ads creating unrealistic expectations, and drug companies downplaying side effects like insomnia and mood swings, the New York Times reports. “The numbers make it look like an epidemic. Well, it’s not. It’s preposterous,” said Keith Conners, a doctor who once led the charge to legitimize ADHD. “This is a concoction to justify the giving out of medication at unprecedented and unjustifiable levels.” Among the Times’ findings:

  • Scientists estimate that real ADHD affects around 5% of children, but the CDC says that 15% of high schoolers have been diagnosed, and the number of children on ADHD drugs has risen from 600,000 in 1990 to 3.5 million today. So what’s driving the diagnoses?
  • Millions are spent on ads, some targeted directly at children or parents, saying that ADHD drugs like Adderall will improve performance in school and even inspire kids to take out the garbage. The FDA has repeatedly told drug companies to withdraw such ads, and one company, Shire, agreed this year to pay $57.5 million in fines for improper advertising and sales of drugs.
  • Drug companies also target parents through sources that seem independent, like teachers and support groups. Two parents near Seattle put their child on Ritalin for 3 years because teachers—who had received materials from the drug company Ciba—pushed them into it. “I definitely felt seduced and enticed,” said the father. “I’d say baited.”
  • You’ll hear that ADHD is a lifelong condition, but at least some doctors who say so are on the Big Pharma payroll. And studies show that about half of ADHD kids don’t have the disorder as adults. Meanwhile, drug companies are successfully targeting the adult ADHD market.

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Professor Mike

Professor Mike is a left-leaning, dog loving, political junkie. He has written dozens of articles for Substack, Medium, Simily, and Tribel. Professor Mike has been published at Smerconish.com, among others. He is a strong proponent of the environment, and a passionate protector of animals. In addition he is a fierce anti-Trumper. Take a moment and share his work.
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ghostie
10 years ago

My older son is 27. When he was in 1st grade, his teacher told me he had ADHD. I informed her that only a doctor can make a medical diagnosis, and made an appointment. Our family GP spent 45 minutes playing with my son at this appointment, talking to him, checking out his responses and skills (he also knew my children, our whole family quite well, as he was the family physician not a specialist), and ended the appointment by informing me that my son was a typical, normal 6 year old boy.

I later found out that the teacher gave the same opinion to the parents of 24 of her 31 students. Now it seems to me that maybe, just maybe, the problem isn’t the children at all, but the idiots who cut our education budgets so much that we subject one adult to over 30 kids all day every day, AND expect them to not only deal with everything thrown at them, but to actually TEACH our kids as well.

Lower class sizes to a reasonable number – say 20 per class for high school and middle school, 15 in elementary school classes. The return on the investment would be astronomical. And end Common Core. No two students are the same, nor are their needs.

Jess
10 years ago

Moms said this was all an effort to keep kids drugged up and obedient to their rental units, instead of some parents taking control and being parents. Also too, Adderral is a highly addictive med that kids were selling in my high school because it is so like speed for a person.

Jess
Reply to  Professor Mike
10 years ago

Yeah, never got into the speed like stuff myself. I have enough energy already and don’t need to add to that part of myself. I would be a walking talking Taz. I prefer to be all mellow and laid back, weed suits me way better.

Marsha Woerner
10 years ago

What, you mean, for the most part, kids are just kids? They may even not always do what you would like? No. That’s not possible! If the kids are unpredictable, we need to give them drugs to calm them down. We all know that unpredictable and occasionally unstable children are anomaly to be broken with drugs. After all, it’s no longer acceptable to beat it out of them, so we need to have some substitute. And hey, prescribing unnecessary drugs to the kids, we get to support the pharmaceutical industry, not to mention supporting the illegal prescription drug trade amongst teenagers. Yes, I’m all in favor of ADHD drugs and drugging.
NOT

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