Is ADD real????? a Poll

[TacoGirl]

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Hey all. I started a thread earlier about ADD. I just wanted to ask the general SDN pre-allo group what they thought of add.
Answer the poll and give comments


i wantto know what the general attitude in a "medical community" is toward ADD and more spefically, Adult ADD

 

[OnMyWayThere]

Hey all. I started a thread earlier about my recent diagnosis of ADD. I just wanted to ask the general SDN pre-allo group what they thought of add.
Answer the poll and give comments


i wantto know what the general attitude in a "medical community" is toward ADD and more spefically, Adult ADD

Of course it's real... but the reason I posted a response is to let you know... don't consider SDN'ers a "medical community"... many are just immature kids so judge the results cautiously.

 

[TacoGirl]

Of course it's real... but the reason I posted a response is to let you know... don't consider SDN'ers a "medical community"... many are just immature kids so judge the results cautiously.

I guess you have a point there. 🙄

 

[Og kingofBashan]

It's a chemical imbalance in the brain -here's a link i dug up

http://www.mk-adhd.org.uk/Information sections/Medical/What causes ADDandADHD.htm

 

[Medikit]

I got tested for ADD and they found out I had clinical depression but no ADD. Funky.

 

[TacoGirl]

good link!

 

[Jalby]

My name is Jalby, and I am an ADD. And a pretty bad one at that.

Seriously, if you had to live with what my brain does to me, you would never doubt that ADD really does exist. There have been times that I have had people speaking to me and I can't pay attention to them if thier sentances are to long. I have already completed what they are going to say in my head and I get lost.

 

[ArcherM2]

I think it's severely over-diagnosed. I think that internist and disciplines other than psychiatry often use it as a catch all for any abnormal activity in youths. Which brings up another concerning subject...physicians other than psychiatrist prescribing anti-depressants/anxiety meds. I know of people within my own family who have been prescribed these meds without ever seeing a psychiatrist. The effects of these meds have been manifested in unforseen addiction. It's disturbing. Just something to think about in this "crazy" world of medicine.

 

[rjhtamu]

It is severely overdosed, but yes it is a real condition, and sometimes a very debilitating one at that.

 

[Medikit]

It is severely overdosed

😳

 

[buglady]

Studies have shown that although ADD may be getting over-diagnosed, all the diagnostic criteria came from research mostly done on young boys. So, in reality, ADD is often UNDER-diagnosed in little girls....at least according to one of our lecturers whose a child psychiatrist and whose research includes "the molecular genetic techniques to the study of attention deficit disorder".

 

[TacoGirl]

Studies have shown that although ADD may be getting over-diagnosed, all the diagnostic criteria came from research mostly done on young boys. So, in reality, ADD is often UNDER-diagnosed in little girls....at least according to one of our lecturers whose a child psychiatrist and whose research includes "the molecular genetic techniques to the study of attention deficit disorder".

Well, she grew up and went to college and uh-oh...cramming doesn't work so well in med school!!!

 

[leechy]

I think ADD is legitimate, mainly because it can impact your quality of life. The thing is, back in the old days, before 20+ years of your life had to be spent rather unnaturally in a classroom, where your attention had to be focused on one subject for hours at a time and you had to stay put in one place, milder cases of ADD could pass unnoticed and maybe not even impact a person's quality of life - most ADD people can function well in everyday life, as far as I've seen. I hope people don't take offense at me saying this, but I think that some milder versions of ADD in children are just kids being kids. We didn't evolve to sit in classrooms and keep shut for hours at a time as young children (or even as adults). Kids evolved to engage in rough and tumble play, exercise language skills, and generally explore their environments. Of course, I'm not at all saying that we shouldn't treat ADD in kids - the fact is, in the modern world, children DO need to be able to do unnatural things (like concentrate and sit still for hours at a time) to get ahead, and in that sense, treating for even mild ADD is totally legitimate. I think that as long as the drugs don't have negative side effects, it's perfectly legitimate to take whatever pills you need to be able to function at your best and have a good quality of life - just like many of us, with ADD or without, take caffeine to make us alert and help us concentrate.

 

[L'elephante]

From a physiological perspective, ADD is real, but it is overdiagnosed and a fallback for many people who don't have the drive to concentrate. Not enough exercise, poor diet, and busy, stressful workdays can probably contribute to symptons that are similar. However, in children, I think that they're supposed to make mistakes and get in trouble and have a ton of enthusiastic energy. But, I guess, by the age of 12, if they can't have a normal conversation for more than a minute or so, something could be up. A flip-flopping diagnosis.

 

[Gleevec]

ADD is the ultimate intern's syndrome as well. Of course you are going to get bored studying anatomy and biochemistry all day, and once you read about ADD aren't you going to think "hmm, these symtoms sound pretty similar to what Im experiencing now actually..."

There is no question that ADHD and ADD is real for some individuals, but I agree that it is well overdiagnosed and that the drugs are way overused (oftentimes illegally by students without ADD who can't cut it academically).

What makes ADD interesting versus other diseases is that the drug actually helps you out even if you're healthy. If you're already healthy, beta-blockers won't make you run faster nor will herceptin make you have bigger boobs. But with ADD, if you're a healthy person, you will STILL get a huge benefit from the drugs, which explains the growing Adderall abuse problem on campuses.

So while I think ADD is real, I can also see why people wouldnt. When you have regular people illegally abusing the drugs left and right simply for the performance gain, it really does make you wonder if it exists, especially since its a psychological disease. But in the severe cases, Im sure you can tell they're legit quite readily.

 

[Og kingofBashan]

ADD or no ADD, whenever you can't study pop some pills

 

[TacoGirl]

ADD or no ADD, whenever you can't study pop some pills

if you mean caffiene pills....okay, i guess

 

[Jalby]

You know, I'm a tall strait white male. This is the first time that I think I have ever been descriminated against. But, I guess that even though I have been able to pass all the tests even with my disability, I'm not fit to be a doctor because someone who knows less than I do would do a better job of paying attention than I would. I think it's time for me to drop out, for the sake of the patients.

 

[TacoGirl]

wow...that makes a lot of sense 🙄

 

[Keberson]

ADD or no ADD, whenever you can't study pop some pills

I pop "happy pills"...... aka M&Ms!!! mmmmmmmmmmmmm 😀

 

[leechy]

There is no question that ADHD and ADD is real for some individuals, but I agree that it is well overdiagnosed and that the drugs are way overused (oftentimes illegally by students without ADD who can't cut it academically).

What makes ADD interesting versus other diseases is that the drug actually helps you out even if you're healthy. If you're already healthy, beta-blockers won't make you run faster nor will herceptin make you have bigger boobs. But with ADD, if you're a healthy person, you will STILL get a huge benefit from the drugs, which explains the growing Adderall abuse problem on campuses.

QUOTE]

Good point. There have been times when I (non-ADD, as far as I know) have been tempted to get a hold of some Adderall, just for the performance benefit... Heck, it's like Viagra for the brain. I'll take it.

I've sometimes wondered if I'm borderline ADD, but then again, perhaps mild ADD is just a normal part of human consciousness

 

[arisunomori]

Isn't diagnosis of ADD statistically based-- if you score two standard deviations to the left of the mean on some standardized test then---bingo! you have ADD. Such diagnoses leave a lot of room for error-- there's a lot we don't know about it.

 

[Jalby]

It's diagnosed purely on history.