Do you believe ADHD is real?

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Chrish

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Discuss..

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Yeah.
 
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Come spend a week in child and adolescent psych clinic and I'll show you some real ADHD. A lot of it is overdiagnosed, but when you see the real deal it's pretty unmistakable. We're talking kids literally unable to sit still or focus that are injuring themselves and their families that become more or less normal with medication, on which basically all other behavioral interventions have failed. Stimulants aren't necessarily the only answer though, I've had great luck with guanfacine and other nonstimulant medications
 
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I refuse to believe that ADHD, edema, asthma, and arthritis actually exist. It's all a deep state conspiracy.

ADHD is really a demon taking residence inside the soul of a child. The tears of albino gypsy cures this.

Edema is just an excuse fat people use.

I can't explain the other two.
 
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I refuse to believe that ADHD, edema, asthma, and arthritis actually exist. It's all a deep state conspiracy.

ADHD is really a demon taking residence inside the soul of a child. The tears of albino gypsy cures this.

Edema is just an excuse fat people use.

I can't explain the other two.
There's actually this guy on the forums (can't recall his name) that believes that mental illness is the result of demonic possession lol. As a fun anecdote, I have an attending that had a treatment resistant patient he had an exercism performed on once just to see if the placebo effect was strong enough to help them any. Spoiler: it didn't work
 
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You get fat legs if your heart can't pump up your blood. Classic tell for old people, just look at their feet.

ADHD is a hoax. Pull out that sandals :p
 
Come spend a week in child and adolescent psych clinic and I'll show you some real ADHD. A lot of it is overdiagnosed, but when you see the real deal it's pretty unmistakable. We're talking kids literally unable to sit still or focus that are injuring themselves and their families that become more or less normal with medication, on which basically all other behavioral interventions have failed. Stimulants aren't necessarily the only answer though, I've had great luck with guanfacine and other nonstimulant medications

have you noticed a better prognosis with the use of stimulants or non-stimulants such as atomoxatine
 
have you noticed a better prognosis with the use of stimulants or non-stimulants such as atomoxatine
Depends on the kid. Some respond better to one medication, some to another. I have a theory that a lot of the presentations in my area that appear to be ADHD are actually related to early childhood lead exposure (approximately one in six kids has pathologic lead levels in my area, roughly six times the rate of Flint, MI) and this likely accounts for the ones with minimal to no response to nonstimulant options.
 
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P.S. I am not a denier.. But number folks I see on stimulants makes me question the nature of this illness. You can say I am a skeptic.
 
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Yeah, it's real.

What I'm most curious about it is the evolutionary biology behind these behaviors.

I really think our expansion out of Africa and the Steppes was the result the same genetic predisposition that underlies modern ADHD.
 
P.S. I am not a denier.. But number folks I see on stimulants makes me question the nature of this illness. You can say I am a skeptic.

I think a lot of helicopter parents are pushing it, and stimulants flowed like water at university, so an ADHD diagnosis & subsequent diversion was prevalent.
 
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Could have sworn some SDN veteran has discussed the difference in American and Japanese education system...stimulants being unorthodox in Japanese culture vs. Americans. Yet what country comes out on top in terms of education? Over reliance on medication (America) vs. teaching someone life skills/coping mechanisms/changing habits/CBT
 
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P.S. I am not a denier.. But number folks I see on stimulants makes me question the nature of this illness. You can say I am a skeptic.
I think there's a lot of people who think that all difficulties with focus and concentration are "ADHD." I have adults coming in requesting stimulants all the time and the fact is that ADHD is just one cause of many that can lead to these difficulties. Depression is probably the most common cause, but anything from polypharmacy to concussions can lead to issues that look similar to ADHD but have completely different etiologies. Would a stimulant help? Sometimes, but if it isn't ADHD they aren't indicated aside from some select scenarios such as fetal alcohol syndrome or other conditions in which you're trying to optimize the remaining functional neurons you've got left. ADHD is probably overdiagnosed in some populations (the worried well parents that feel their kid needs As instead of Bs and insist their snowflake must be ill to not be performing perfectly) and underdiagnosed in others (inner city schools where behavioral issues are chalked up to a kid inherently being undisciplined rather than having ADHD and its resultant impulse control sequelae). Just my opinion though.
 
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Tbh mental health is still a stigma in Asian cultures. Like something is seriously wrong with you if you need outside help.

Asians perform well academically because of strict parenting. It’s hard to do poorly in school when your parents are on your ass 24/7. I don’t think it has anything to do with not relying on meds.
 
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Tbh mental health is still a stigma in Asian cultures. Like something is seriously wrong with you if you need outside help.

Asians perform well academically because of strict parenting. It’s hard to do poorly in school when your parents are on your ass 24/7. I don’t think it has anything to do with not relying on meds.
But strict parenting is clearly having an influence on a person's habits and skills acquired
 
If it gets me access to the good stuff then - yes, I believe that adhd exists.

If it does not get me access to the good stuff - meh.... I don’t really care... I’ll say it exists yea sure
 
But strict parenting is clearly having an influence on a person's habits and skills acquired

Yes, but if you have any legitimate mental issue, you will be forced to mask it due to fear from your parents and this will worsen or cause depression/ other issues down the road. Strict parenting will fix most of issues though that aren’t related to psych and simply due to discipline.

I read an article long ago about surveying students in particular Asian country (don’t remember which one). Many percentage of these students had felt violent urge toward their parents due to the pressure about grades. So, I don’t think this approach is without any adverse effects.
 
Tbh mental health is still a stigma in Asian cultures. Like something is seriously wrong with you if you need outside help.

Asians perform well academically because of strict parenting. It’s hard to do poorly in school when your parents are on your ass 24/7. I don’t think it has anything to do with not relying on meds.
There's some kids that legit don't respond to any degree of external pressure and already have healthy family dynamics. Their prefrontal cortex just can't slow things down enough for them to make good decisions or suppress impulsivity enough for them to learn from parenting and behavioral techniques. ADHD isn't just a lazy or unmotivated kid, it's an individual with a brain that has diminished function in areas that are critical for long-term decision making and impulse control. In some, this will alleviate as the PFC continues to develop up until the age of 24, but in many the mismatch between PFC function and the capability of the rest of an individual's brain results in underperformance and impulsivity issues that can have lifelong impacts on both interpersonal relationships and professional prospects
 
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I believe there is a very real possibility that I have undiagnosed ADHD. It's difficult and sometimes even impossible to force myself to pay attention to certain things, my mind just wanders if I am not interested in the subject. I struggled with this a lot in my rotations. Yet I do fine at my job and have made very few mistakes the last couple of years, mostly because I've learned systems and approaches that work for me. In one and one conversations I'm also known to be extremely attentive to patients and remembering every single detail. I've also learned that exercise sessions improve my ability to focus but it generally lasts only a few hours.

Either way, I also don't like the idea of using medication, I'd rather not alter my brain chemistry if I can help it.
 
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Could have sworn some SDN veteran has discussed the difference in American and Japanese education system...stimulants being unorthodox in Japanese culture vs. Americans. Yet what country comes out on top in terms of education? Over reliance on medication (America) vs. teaching someone life skills/coping mechanisms/changing habits/CBT

Aren't they the ones that have an entire forest where people go to kill themselves because of their fantastic coping skills?
 
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migraines? fibromyalgia? i have a hard time with these 2.
 
Dude, I know way too many rphs who take ADHD meds recreationally. Or, just to help them focus. One told me it works better than caffeine.

I want what they have.
 
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Could have sworn some SDN veteran has discussed the difference in American and Japanese education system...stimulants being unorthodox in Japanese culture vs. Americans. Yet what country comes out on top in terms of education? Over reliance on medication (America) vs. teaching someone life skills/coping mechanisms/changing habits/CBT
You realize that high school isn’t even mandatory in Japan, right? The kids who won’t succeed don’t go. So they aren’t testing all their kids. Which makes their numbers better.

I want to hear what a psych doctor says about adult ADHD. I see MD students from time to time with newly diagnosed ADHD and I can’t help but think “really??” It seems surprising to think one could make it all the way to med school before realizing they had ADHD.
 
Dude, I know way too many rphs who take ADHD meds recreationally. Or, just to help them focus. One told me it works better than caffeine.

I want what they have.
People using heroin recreationally isn’t evidence that pain is fake.
 
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You realize that high school isn’t even mandatory in Japan, right? The kids who won’t succeed don’t go. So they aren’t testing all their kids. Which makes their numbers better.

I want to hear what a psych doctor says about adult ADHD. I see MD students from time to time with newly diagnosed ADHD and I can’t help but think “really??” It seems surprising to think one could make it all the way to med school before realizing they had ADHD.
MD students are generally smart. Smart children with ADHD can slide by without medication for a while because they’re showing great potential to their teachers and parents. It’s not until they’re pressed to the limit like in medical school where their usual work-around mechanisms are no longer effective. And it’s not that they didn’t know they had ADHD; the ADHD was never problematic enough for them since they were still excelling above their peers.

For me, I’ve always experienced the signs and symptoms since kindergarten, but it wasn’t until my pharmacy school professor sat me down and told me to go get my official diagnosis for ADHD that I tried medications. I’m Asian so I grew up with a big taboo against seeking mental health help. There are plenty of cultures and just old fashioned parents who do not support sending their children to a psychiatrist.
 
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Could have sworn some SDN veteran has discussed the difference in American and Japanese education system...stimulants being unorthodox in Japanese culture vs. Americans. Yet what country comes out on top in terms of education? Over reliance on medication (America) vs. teaching someone life skills/coping mechanisms/changing habits/CBT
Lots of differences between japanese families and American families also
 
People using heroin recreationally isn’t evidence that pain is fake.
Nah, it's not. It also doesn't mean 95%+ circulating pharma stock has any real merit for its use either.

I go to trash part of the town = opioid rxs
I go to swanky part of the town / college area = amphetamine salts

Surely, all these doctors, lawyers and software engineers have ADHD.
 
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I didn’t develop ADHD until pharmacy school. Lots of my classmate and SO told me that I need to get it diagnosed. I think I do have it but I don’t want to get on meds for it.
 
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I have seen so many ADHD scripts in bay Area. I was told it was common thing. Literally everyone is on it. EVERYONE.
 
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Dude, I know way too many rphs who take ADHD meds recreationally. Or, just to help them focus. One told me it works better than caffeine.

I want what they have.
Problem with taking stimulants when you dont need to is once you focus on one thing, thats ALL you focus on lol
 
I didn’t develop ADHD until pharmacy school. Lots of my classmate and SO told me that I need to get it diagnosed. I think I do have it but I don’t want to get on meds for it.
If a patient didn't have ADHD as a child, they don't have ADHD. Adults can have ADHD but it is a disorder that must present during development before a certain age. There is absolutely no literature supporting new-onset ADHD in adults and that is a primary factor by which you can quickly rule out an adult presenting for ADHD meds. This is more in relation to "adult ADHD" in general, you'd obviously have to have your case evaluated by a physician
 
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It is so genetic that 4 out of 4 kids are on Adderall?
 
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I didn’t develop ADHD until pharmacy school. Lots of my classmate and SO told me that I need to get it diagnosed. I think I do have it but I don’t want to get on meds for it.


Your missing out! Haha..... just kidding....
 
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Nah, it's not. It also doesn't mean 95%+ circulating pharma stock has any real merit for its use either.

I go to trash part of the town = opioid rxs
I go to swanky part of the town / college area = amphetamine salts

Surely, all these doctors, lawyers and software engineers have ADHD.
You can make your own post about inappropriate prescribing. This post is about whether or not an illness exists.
 
You can make your own post about inappropriate prescribing. This post is about whether or not an illness exists.
Did you fail to comprehend what I was trying to say? I did say it exists but majority of them are bullsh1t, just like your pain example.
 
Did you fail to comprehend what I was trying to say? I did say it exists but majority of them are bullsh1t, just like your pain example.
If I ask whether or not PTSD is real, consider the response that “Karen’s on Facebook are always getting ‘triggered’ like crazy! LoL!!!”, what would that add to the conversation? Would it offer solace to veterans dreading the 4th of July? Would it bring a smile to the face of a domestic violence victim who flinches when people try to high five them?
 
I really feel like we - as a society - devolved a bit when the term, “Karen” was coined...
 
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If I ask whether or not PTSD is real, consider the response that “Karen’s on Facebook are always getting ‘triggered’ like crazy! LoL!!!”, what would that add to the conversation? Would it offer solace to veterans dreading the 4th of July? Would it bring a smile to the face of a domestic violence victim who flinches when people try to high five them?
You can't objectively say a diagnosis exist without discussing the majority of the diagnosis probably is BS.

Yes, that Karen over there doesn't have PTSD. Johnny Depp didn't get his finger cut by Amber Heard. He is the abuser.

Life isn't black or white. It's always in the gray area.

Most people who get drugs for ADHD don't have the disease. There I said it.
 
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Thing about psychiatry/ human psychology or human brain in general is that the field is still in its infancy.

If someone complains of back pain then you can get MRI/ CT and diagnose its root cause. Same doesn’t apply to diagnosing ADD/ bipolar/ depression/ dementia etc. There is no MRI/ CT to diagnose these conditions. Current research focuses on difference between brains of normal vs abnormal but it’s ongoing and far from being conclusive.
 
I was under the impression that there is no objective test to diagnose pain.

Not the severity of pain but prescriber can still make the diagnosis based on imaging and prescribe the dose of narcotics based on given diagnosis.
 
Earlier this year, it was my week on working overnights and the last 2 nights I didn't get much sleep, but all of a sudden I felt like I was super productive, had all these ideas for movies, books, organized the pharmacy all by myself, got rid of all the expired, responded to hundreds of posts on Reddit, felt super awake/alert. And then after my last day of work that week, I went home stayed up till 9PM, fell asleep and woke up at 10AM the next day, but all that energy I had the day before was gone.

I'm thinking what I had was a bout of mania due to insomnia that went away as soon as I got sleep. Is that what ADHD feels like?
 
There's actually this guy on the forums (can't recall his name) that believes that mental illness is the result of demonic possession lol. As a fun anecdote, I have an attending that had a treatment resistant patient he had an exercism performed on once just to see if the placebo effect was strong enough to help them any. Spoiler: it didn't work

Small sample size. We should test more for science and case reports
 
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Yes, and it does not make kids kill their pets, set fires, rape their siblings, throw furniture at school, etc.

Until around the year 2000, it also seemed to only be diagnosed in white boys from low-income families. After 2000, it remained a low-income family staple, but after that time, I did fill RXs for nonwhite children, and girls.

I have heard stories, probably apocryphal, about schools who referred all children who weren't living with both biological parents, regardless of why, for ADHD evaluation, and actually find them believable.

ETA: For me, an excellent way to find out if a child's ADHD is real is how aggressively the parents (okay, mothers) want the child to have a diagnosis, and also whether they brag about it.
 
i'm willing to bet most people have "trouble focusing" when it comes to studying or listening to a lecture or some other boring mundane task but when they are on netflix or gaming im sure they have no problems focusing. literally anyone who sees a shrink that specializes in "adhd" will get diagnosed with some form of it and will be prescribed adderall or some other stimmy. if any of of you have ever tried it u know how it feels and it feels fkn good. makes studying much more enjoyable and puts u in a euphoric state. like think about it..why do soccer moms need to take adderall ? feels good that's why. im no chemist but im pretty sure adderall is the exact same chemical known as "speed" on the streets and is a weak cousin of crystal meth, yet its ok under the supervision of a physician. what a joke. same goes for pain meds which is basically heroine in a pill. Doctors are the real drug dealers imo and we are the distributors unfortunately. hate giving that **** to kids man.
 
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