Neuroscientist says children are being 'labelled' as having ADHD when there could be other reasons f

[Aidan_088]

[quote]
One of the world's leading neuroscientists, whose work has been acknowledged by work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith, has suggested that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not "a real disease".

On the eve of a visit to Britain to meet Duncan Smith and the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, Dr Bruce D Perry told the Observer that the label of ADHD outlined a broad set of symptoms. "It is best thought of as a description. If you look at how you end up with that label, it is remarkable because any one of us at any given time would fit at least a couple of those criteria," he said.

Prescriptions for methylphenidate drugs, such as Ritalin, which are used to treat children diagnosed as suffering from ADHD, have soared by 56% in the UK, from 420,000 in 2007 to 657,000 in 2012. Such "psychostimulants" are thought to stimulate a part of the brain that changes mental and behavioural reactions.

However, Perry, a senior fellow of the ChildTrauma Academy in Houston, Texas, said he was concerned that children were being labelled as having ADHD when that merely described the symptoms of a range of different physiological problems. The symptoms that lead to a diagnosis of ADHD include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness over a sustained period.

Perry added that clinicians were also too readily prescribing psychostimulants to children when the evidence suggested there were no long-term benefits. Animal studies have raised concerns over the potential for damage to be done.
[/quote]

[url]http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/mar/30/children-hyperactivity-not-real-disease-neuroscientist-adhd[/url]

[SweetSwifter]

It always felt strange to me where the line is drawn between what can be called a 'disorder', and what's simply someone's character.

Then again, I know little to nothing about the actual science about it. If there are clear and real physical indicators (brain patterns, genetic markers), then I suppose there can be an actual difference.

[sltungle]

I don't believe it myself. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and after like three days of Ritalin my mum stopped giving it to me (it was making me really depressed and dull), took me back to the psychologists and had a really big argument with them. Glad she did, that shit was horrid.

I think I just had (and to a degree still do) a very 'selective' attention. If I don't find it interesting I just won't pay much attention and will get distracted very easily. If it's engaging and interesting though I'll devote all of my attention to it.

[zombays]

I don't think it's a disorder but it definitely is real

[Killuah]

[QUOTE=sltungle;44399408]I don't believe it myself. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and after like three days of Ritalin my mum stopped giving it to me (it was making me really depressed and dull), took me back to the psychologists and had a really big argument with them. Glad she did, that shit was horrid.

I think I just had (and to a degree still do) a very 'selective' attention. If I don't find it interesting I just won't pay much attention and will get distracted very easily. If it's engaging and interesting though I'll devote all of my attention in the world to it.[/QUOTE]

You essentially just said "i don't like doing stuff I don't like to do"

[WhyNott]

I prefer to belive that I got something rather then I'm just weird

[sltungle]

[QUOTE=Killuah;44399430]Yiu essentially just said "i don't like doing stuff I don't like to do"[/QUOTE]

Yeah, but apparently my teachers and a bunch of psychologists decided that meant I have ADHD.

[Zonesylvania]

I'm still not entirely convinced of the validity of this, but we will need more research along these lines. Let's hope this isn't a statement thrown out just to gain notoriety.

[Killuah]

[QUOTE=sltungle;44399442]Yeah, but apparently my teachers and a bunch of psychologists decided that meant I have ADHD.[/QUOTE]

Yeah sure I would diagnose you with ADHD too if someone payed me for it.

[lektro]

didn't the guy who invented ADHD say it was not real?

[Erfly]

[QUOTE=Akuma_lektro;44399467]didn't the guy who invented ADHD say it was not real?[/QUOTE]

I believe his statement was taken outside of context.

[ScottyWired]

[QUOTE=Akuma_lektro;44399467]didn't the guy who invented ADHD say it was not real?[/QUOTE]

imagine putting a patent on it, the internet would have made him rich!

[_maverick_]

[QUOTE=sltungle;44399408]
I think I just had (and to a degree still do) a very 'selective' attention. [B]If I don't find it interesting I just won't pay much attention and will get distracted very easily. If it's engaging and interesting though I'll devote all of my attention to it[/B].[/QUOTE]

Now i'm not a medical man.

but i'm pretty sure that's called being human.

[KILLTHIS]

[QUOTE=sltungle;44399408]I don't believe it myself. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and after like three days of Ritalin my mum stopped giving it to me (it was making me really depressed and dull), took me back to the psychologists and had a really big argument with them. Glad she did, that shit was horrid.

I think I just had (and to a degree still do) a very 'selective' attention. If I don't find it interesting I just won't pay much attention and will get distracted very easily. If it's engaging and interesting though I'll devote all of my attention to it.[/QUOTE]
Same here, but I'm autistic.

Anyways: I can't really say whether this be true or not and I surely don't want to judge that as I deem it a rather sensitive issue. But I know this: I've met a lot of different folks over the years and of course a lot of children. Some seemed to be very fine to me, just a little bit active, but they're kids after all, right? Sometimes it just seemed as if the parents were just in generally helpless about raising their kids and I couldn't really tell that they were causing any problems by just being active.
Then again I also met people who seemed to have some real problems due to this disorder and seemed to become way better, less anxious and all that by taking meds.

So I guess it's hard to say what's right or wrong about this.

[Skarphedinn]

If it is real or not. People are certainly over-diagnosed with it.

[Killuah]

[QUOTE=Sir_takeslot;44399491]If it is real or not. People are certainly over-diagnosed with it.[/QUOTE]

Medicine industry can't really hear you over how much the cash is rushing into their pockets.

[Steele92]

At school it seemed kids with ADHD's attention depended on the teacher, although I think it's real it's way overdiagnosed IMO

[BarnacleDrive]

I have a friend diagnosed with ADHD who has always maintained he was very relieved to finally get medical attention as he hated how the disorder made him anxious and unable to focus, if I told him ADHD wasn't a real thing he'd be pretty pissed with me.

I think the real issue in this argument is the massive over-diagnosing of ADHD and the failure to explore treatments beyond hard medication. So I wouldn't say ADHD isn't real, but that the number of people it effects is likely a tiny percentage of those actually diagnosed with it.

[blehblehbleh]

This is one guy saying this. The current consensus of the scientific community does not align with what he is saying, so it would be wise of you all to approach this with a healthy dose of skepticism (as one should with all science).

[Riller]

[QUOTE=_Maverick_;44399479]Now i'm not a medical man.

but i'm pretty sure that's called being human.[/QUOTE]

Humanity, the most crippling diagnosis...

[swebonny]

"Neuroscientist says children are being 'labelled' as having ADHD when there [B]could be other reasons for their disorder[/B]"

I work with students with ADHD, and the "symptoms" are definitely real. I'll have to change the shitty title I'm afraid.

[Weirdness]

[QUOTE=sltungle;44399408]I don't believe it myself. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and after like three days of Ritalin my mum stopped giving it to me (it was making me really depressed and dull), took me back to the psychologists and had a really big argument with them. Glad she did, that shit was horrid.

I think I just had (and to a degree still do) a very 'selective' attention. If I don't find it interesting I just won't pay much attention and will get distracted very easily. If it's engaging and interesting though I'll devote all of my attention to it.[/QUOTE]

I've got ADD. Ritalin is the worst shit I ever took for it; made me a complete zombie, but I stuck with it for the rest of my final school year because I was sick of not being able to concentrate on my work.

Got my school certificate and never touched the stuff again, but I've been tempted to take it again because I still suffer with it. Hell I can't even stick with my hobbies because my mind just goes off elsewhere.
I don't want to take Ritalin again, but nothing else has really helped. Sucks, but that's life I suppose.

[Aidan_088]

[QUOTE=Swebonny;44399561]"Neuroscientist says children are being 'labelled' as having ADHD when there [B]could be other reasons for their disorder[/B]"

I work with students with ADHD, and the "symptoms" are definitely real. I'll have to change the shitty title I'm afraid.[/QUOTE]

"One of the world's leading neuroscientists, whose work has been acknowledged by work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith, has suggested that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not "a real disease"."

It's not just about over-diagnosis. He is claiming that ADHD is not a real disease. The title you have added is more misleading than the one which I used or the one in the article.

[OscarLimaEcho]

[QUOTE=Swebonny;44399561]"Neuroscientist says children are being 'labelled' as having ADHD when there [B]could be other reasons for their disorder[/B]"

I work with students with ADHD, and the "symptoms" are definitely real. I'll have to change the shitty title I'm afraid.[/QUOTE]

Attended a trip for asperger kids and their families. God fucking damnit, that's when I noticed how it'sa real thing. Half of them were total fucking cunts about anything, that sometimes didn't want to and in some cases could not understand why you don't do x and y,
and the other half were quiet kids who had their own interests and never bothered with people around them. Genuinely nice kids who could just need some friends that didn't obsess with anything in particular.

I really got to say though, you can outgrow aspergers. It helps if you take a look at how many people you are alienating with your obsession(There's nothing neural preventing you from focusing on things you don't like), or how you might overreact and get agressive over simple things that don't really concern you.

[swebonny]

[QUOTE=Aidan_088;44399581]
It's not just about over-diagnosis. He is claiming that ADHD is not a real disease. The title you have added is more misleading than the one which I used[B] or the one in the article.[/B][/QUOTE]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Q0mxWL4.png[/IMG]

[Wizards Court]

[QUOTE=Aidan_088;44399581]"One of the world's leading neuroscientists, whose work has been acknowledged by work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith, has suggested that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not "a real disease"."

It's not just about over-diagnosis. He is claiming that ADHD is not a real disease. The title you have added is more misleading than the one which I used or the one in the article.[/QUOTE]

he said ADHD is being labeled the same way doctors labeled fever 100 years ago, as in calling a symptom a disease.

[QUOTE]A hundred years ago, someone would come to the doctor and they would have chest pain and would be sweating. And they would say, 'Oh, you have fever.' They would label it, just like we label it [ADHD] now. It's a description rather than a real disease."[/QUOTE]

edit: beaten by swebonny.

[Aidan_088]

[QUOTE=Swebonny;44399613][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Q0mxWL4.png[/IMG][/QUOTE]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/mupqsy0.png[/IMG]

[OscarLimaEcho]

[QUOTE=Aidan_088;44399581]"One of the world's leading neuroscientists, whose work has been acknowledged by work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith, has suggested that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not "a real disease"."

It's not just about over-diagnosis. He is claiming that ADHD is not a real disease. The title you have added is more misleading than the one which I used or the one in the article.[/QUOTE]

It's very real. But ADHD is not a "disease", it's a condition/diagnosis. You don't "get the ADHD", it's something about what a person is like.

[Flapadar]

I'm surprised nobody has compared it to trying to treat homosexuality yet.

[Life On Mars]

I know of kids being diagnosed with ADHD and not taking their pills but having fuck tons of energy drinks...