GIVE IT A TITLE...

Are you fidgeting when the teacher tells you to sit still? Do you have trouble paying attention in class? Do your eyes wonder while you are taking a test? Are you that student that falls asleep during class? If you are that student then I hate to have to tell you… You have Attention Deficit/Hypertension Disorder.

The sudden increase in the diagnosis of children, adolescents, and adults with ADHD is based off of observations (not legitimate testing or screening) that are determined by simple actions such as impatience, fidgeting, and the inability to pay attention. It’s funny because if I’m not mistaken, most of these “symptoms” are pretty normal for any human being.  Now don’t get me wrong, ADHD is a legitimate neurological disorder, but not every child – or person for that matter – has ADHD if they exhibit actions of impatience or fidgeting.

One of the problems with this idea of ADHD is that teachers are the main instigators for the diagnosis of ADHD. The epidemic of ADHD starts in the classroom, where if a particular student is not paying attention to the lesson then that child needs be checked to see if they have this “neurological disorder.” In response to this information, parents take their children to the doctors for professional advice. After a “thorough” evaluation with a doctor, the child is then probably diagnosed with ADHD, and because the parent no longer wants their child to suffer, they will ask for medication to help get rid of it, as soon as possible. 

The crazy part is that ADHD is only diagnosed based off of observations, so it makes no sense as to how a child could be diagnosed so quickly. Now I’m sure there are legitimate and severe cases of ADHD, where some children actually NEED some type of treatment, but if a child is only showing minimal symptoms, then they should not have to take a stimulant that is not needed. With this course of action, doctors may be doing more harm than good for these children.

In conclusion to my rant, doctors, teachers, and parents should slow down with this whole epidemic on ADHD. I’m sure the neurological disorder is not that prevalent; if it is then there should be another way of treating it besides stimulant medications that temporarily subside symptoms. Also parents and teachers should pay closer attention to their children’s actions, because in actuality they are probably a normal kid who is bored to death while sitting in a classroom, when they’d rather be outside running and playing with friends.