The ADHD Lie : A Generation Mis-Medicated
What is the first thing that pops into most people’s head when someone mentions ADHD?
Hopefully, it isn’t Tom Cruise yelling at Matt Lauer on Good Morning America. The interesting point here is not so much what we know about ADHD, it’s that most people don’t know what it is at all. In the last 30 years ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, has become a household phrase. It seems like everyone has a family member or a friend who has been diagnosed with this popular condition.
But, what is ADHD?
What do we really know about this “disease”?
What kind of testing is involved for diagnoses?
Why has there been an explosion of cases just in the last 30 years?
First things first, what exactly is ADHD?
According to KidsHealth.org it is a “hyperactive disorder that affects between 8%-10% of school children”. Hmm, that’s vague. Source
One of the primary symptoms of ADHD seems to be children “acting without thinking.” It states that most children act without thinking but the difference is this affects children with ADHD in school, home and social atmospheres.
ADHD is broken down into three subtypes:
- Inattentive Type with symptoms such as inability to pay attention, listening problems, can’t follow instructions, tendency to lose things like toys and homework, easy to distract, avoiding metal tasks and forgetfulness.
- Hyperactive Impulsive Type with symptoms such as fidgeting or squirming, excessive running, difficulty sitting still, can’t wait their turn, can’t be quiet, and problems with interrupting.
- Combined Type which is a mix between the two.Source
Do you any of these symptoms sound familiar? Of course they do because this is simply how most children behave.
A drug called Methylphenidate, also known as Ritalin, is what most doctors commonly prescribe to children with ADHD. It is a central nervous system stimulation that affects nerves and chemicals in the brain. Some of the side effects of Ritalin include pounding heartbeat, fever, sore throat, easy bruising, aggression, restlessness, unusual behaviour, and hallucinations. Source
Wait! Hallucinations ?
So, you’re asking a parent to give a kid, who already has social problems, drugs that can make them not only more aggressive but also hallucinate?
There have also been recent reports out of Canada about a drug called Atomoxetin that is commonly prescribed to people with ADHD, being linked to suicide attempts. These reports show that it is not just adults attempting suicide. In fact, the majority of cases were children, some of which were as young as six years old. Source
So how is it diagnosed ?
Obviously this is a serious condition. To justify giving kids drugs that can make them not only feel sick but also make them hallucinate or even attempt suicide, there must be some pretty rigorous testing to diagnose them. There must be a chemical disorder or something that they can test for right?
Wrong! There is NO test available that can determine if your child has ADHD, only an evaluation that’s done through a primary care physician. Source
Okay, so what is on this evaluation that warrants putting kids on Ritalin? According to kidshealth.org a child must display behaviors from the above subtypes before the age of 7, things like not sitting still and interrupting people. The behaviors have to be more severe than other kids their age. The symptoms have to last at least 6 months and the symptoms have to affect two areas of the child’s life. Source
This is no joke. We are putting kids on drugs that can cause even worse behavior and harmful side effects, some of which result in death, based on a basic “evaluation?”
It seems pretty obvious that these symptoms can support an assortment of explanations including a child simply being creative, anxious or even not eating a proper diet. There has to be a better way of dealing with this instead of pumping our kids full of drugs.
There are kids that have serious conditions and are in desperate need of Ritalin, but it is highly doubtful the 500% increase in Ritalin prescriptions in the last 6 years is warranted. Source
Ritalin isn’t a cure for ADHD. It is only a cure for the symptoms of ADHD. This means that unless the root of the problem is determined, a person could be on Ritalin their entire life. So before every hyper-active seven year old is turned into a lifelong pill popper, closer attention should payed to cause of the problem.
Finding a cause for ADHD ?
There has to be an explanation for the spike in ADHD cases and it just might be the same reason that obesity has spiked in the last 30 years as well. Is it possible that one of the primary causes of ADHD symptoms can be linked to diet? According to Dr. Thomas Armstrong, something as common as an allergy to milk can be misdiagnosed as ADHD. Source
Many people who are diagnosed with ADHD as children are also diagnosed with ADHD as adults. Some of adult ADHD symptoms include trouble focusing, extreme levels of activity and impulsivity. Source
Again these are very vague symptoms and can be attributed to a variety of disorders. Again, there is no actual test that can determine if a person has ADHD, many people get misdiagnosed.
Wouldn’t it be easier to find the root of the problem as children rather than having them take drugs their entire lives? Especially when it might be that the child is just bored, stressed or has a food intolerance or allergy?
When kids are first diagnosed with a certain type of diabetes, parents are instructed to first try to change the child’s diet. This same protocol should be followed with ADHD diagnosed people.
An Alternative to the pills
ADHD can be attributed to food intolerances. Because of the immediate reactions, typical food allergies are “easy” to detect and avoid, however, food intolerance have a delayed reaction. A blood test needs to be performed. Discovering if your child’s behaviour is due to food intolerance is much better than setting them up for a lifetime of Ritalin prescriptions.
A change in diet for most people has amazing results for overall health and there is a good possibly that a child diagnosed with ADHD will benefit greatly from this change in diet. It is important that we teach our children that everything is not necessarily cured by taking a pill and a lot of our health issues can be cured by simply changing our habits.
As with many things, the driving force behind the increase in cases of ADHD is money. In 2006 Shire plc which makes an ADHD drug called Adderall made over $1.5 billion dollars. Adderall alone made $863.6 million dollars. Source
ADHD is a big money business. Unfortunately, it’s our overall mental health that is ultimately paying the price.
The thought of the next generation of kids growing up to be angry, hallucinating, pill popping, zombies with Adderal addicted grandparents is not a future that most people want. The key is to change our outlook , to ensure a healthy future. However, it is a bit more challenging.
