Hey everyone,

I am really interested in people’s opinion on the subject of ADD/ADHD. Do you think that ADD/ADHD is a true diagnosis, or is it just an excuse for people who eat too much sugar and/or watch too much TV?

For my opinion, I think that ADD/ADHD is just an excuse. In fact, I could diagnose myself for having ADD since I barely can concentrate and have all the symptoms that are diagnosed for ADD/ADHD. I am not going to waste your time by listing and proving all the symptoms I have which match up to ADD. Ok, I admit, I didn’t go to a doctor to have proper diagnoses; I looked at a couple of (of what I believe to be) legitimate websites to prove that I am a potential candidate for ADD/ADHD.

I refuse to believe that, thinking that I just eat way too much sugar and junk, and am on the computer wayyy too much. I remember when I was living at home, my parents didn’t allow me to use the TV/computer that much and I rarely ate any junk food. During that time, I was really focused on my work and no difficulty came to me to start anything. After leaving home for boarding school…I started abusing the use of computer and started junking on sweets. This was the time I started not being able to focus on my work. Every five minutes, my mind wanders onto a tangent, and I start not being able to focus on what people say to me (heck, it is hard to stay in focus what I am writing even now  ).

I also know from other cases that can prove my point. I know a person “truly” diagnosed with ADHD…and he plays too much computer games…even in his cereal he uses Coca-cola for a substitute for milk. My friend told me a case where she knew this guy who was diagnosed professionally for ADD. For all the pills he has been taken, she was the best ‘pill’ given to him to get him out of ADD.

Anyways, that’s my opinion. I am not saying I know everything about ADD/ADHD. I wish that this discussion will bring opinions from everyone and help me (and others) to learn more about this topic.

For your own interest, check out these sites about ADD/ADHD fraud. Gives some reasons why ADD/ADHD does not exist:

http://www.oism.info/en/adhd/myth/index.htm

http://www.house.gov/ed_workforce/hearings/106th/oi/ritalin92900/baughman.htm

http://www.addvideo.org/ ( I can’t see this video, since I am at work – so I am not able to say that it is any good)

I have ADHD and it;s quite real. I don't watch TV nor do I eat junk and it still effects me the same.

It's just the people that use it as an excuse. "Oh, I have ADHD so I can not pay attention and annoy all of my friends." That's when it's not right. People like that give the people like me and some of my other friends that have ADHD a bad name. We excel in school, never get in trouble, and lead perfectly "normal" lives.

So you cannot say that ADHD/ADD are fake until you know both sides.

it's real ADHD is very very real ihave ADHD snd nobody can denine my struggles with ADHD i think it is caused by biomedcial root causes

I THINK ADHD IS A REAL DISEASE JUST LIKE MENTAL ILNESSES BUT SOME PEOPLE USE IT AS AN EXCUSE JUST LIKE A MENTAL ILLNESS
MY COUSIN (7) HAS IT AND HIS PARENTS KEEP HIM MEDICATED AND HE ACTS LIKE ANY NORMAL LITTLE KID

My next-door neighbor (age 7) was diagnosed with ADHD, and both she and her parents use it as an excuse to let her get away with anything. She hit my six-year-old sister with a baseball bat, and her dad didn't care, saying it wasn't her fault - she has ADHD. She may actually have ADHD - and I don't think it's not real, but I think that some kids and parents merely use it as an excuse.

I think ADD/ADHD is overdiagnosed, but ins ome causes it's true.

I mean everyone has days were they can't pay attention or have tons of energy. But that doens't make them ADD/ADHD. The symptoms have to be over a certain period of time.

I was diagnosed with ADHD and it was awlays something I had to fight. I don't think i was misdaignosed or anything like that.
Some people say they have ADD/ADHD just as an excuse not to pay attention, but some people really do have it.

I know sugar can make a kid hyper, but it isn't long lasting. The sugar-rush goes away. A kid who has ADHD energy wont wear off like sugar-rushes does.

ADD/ADHD is not an excuse for all the candy they might eat cus i have ADD and it is not beeing able to pay attention to things and gettint hyper sometimes. In my case i get caffine and i calim down. In my opion its not an excuse because people with ADD calm down if given caffieene or sgar. But I dont know about ADHD people.

I know there was another of these ADD threads I posted on...


I think ADD/ADHD is real, yet HIGHLY overdiagnosed.

If I got checked for it, I can almost guarantee you that I would be diagnosed with ADD. I switch seated positions every 2 minutes, I get distracted before finishing tasks, I talk incessively, my short-term memory stinks, I have to keep paper and pencil next to my bed at night because sometimes my mind is racing so fast that I can't turn it off enough to fall asleep.

Do I think I have ADD? Nope. While I am a loquacious individual with memory problems and failure to complete tasks...I really don't think I fit the mold of the traditional ADD patient. Would ritalin help me with my everyday life activities? Maybe. Is my condition bad enough to make the side effects worth it? Absolutely not.

I think everyone is a little ADD...in some area or another. The trick is to figure out just who needs fancy medication, and who can either motivate themselves (force yourself to sit for a minute without moving, not let yourself do something until you finish a task, rewarding yourself for finishing things, write stuff down until your memory improves) or just deal with it.

I am sure ADD/ADHD is real, but not as many kids have it as are drugged. My brother was on Ritalin for a long time then when he was in 4th grade last year his teacher let him use a dance video game 4 times a day for 10 minutes at a time. he loved it, and he got his work done and actually loved going to school. We got him one at home and he played a couple of times a night. He doesn't take nearly as much medicine now. Sure he is a wiggly kid, but now he can move and dance and be happy instead of being drugged all the time.

Well,I was diagnosed w/it when I was 16,so I know it is very real.I do think it is used as an excuse at times by parents and kids and that it is overdiagnosed.I took Ritalin when I was first diagnosed.That was no fun.When I first started taking it,it was as if someone had flipped off a switch and all was quite in my head.I was a zombie when I was on the stuff.I think ADD/ADHD mellows as a person gets older.I don't take anything for it now.I still have it,it's just not that obvious.
We now live in such a fast paced world,it's no wonder it seems as if every kid is diagnosed w/it.I mean we got computers,video games,
Ipods,etc... that take up all our time that no one takes a minute to sit back and relax.It's rush,rush,hurry,hurry,no time to slow down and take the time.
I can remember as a kid getting so many homework notices sent home cause I didn't turn in my homework.I would do the homework the night before and then when I had to turn it in,
I wouldn't be able to find it.

yeah, my brother has ADHD, hand it has been a very real problem for him. I know that becuase he has it he has been able to get away with things that he shouldn't and i know that some things he really does have problems with, but i also know that he does use it as an excuse to not do things to the best of his ability and such... but yeah... idk, thats just my experience with it.

I've always been really interested in this issue because my mom is a 2nd grade teacher and in the past ..mmm, maybe 5 or 6 years, she has talked alot about having more and more kids with ADD/ADHD. It's weird, because when I think about it, this seems to be almost a phenomenon as to how many kids are now diagnosed with it. I did a research paper on this a couple years ago, but, me being extremely lazy right now, I'll try and find it later. But anyway, I know that ADD can be a serious problem, and I also think that it is being used as an exuse both on the parents as well as on the kids part. If I can remember from researching it, the effects are mostly psychological and when faced with a "disease" like that, it is pretty difficult to say whether or not it is valid in every case....anyway, I'm drifting off to sleep. I'll get back to this b/c I find this point very interesting so I just wanted to say something. Good post!