This is what I think:
I think ADD/ADHD is “-under-“diagnosed. I think there are far, far more suffers out there that have no idea why they act and think the way they do and what’s worse is that many of those suffers might have already been explained what ADD/ADHD is, but would rather suffer than admit they have such a thing. So taboo! So can’t be! Oh no, not me, can’t be—stigmas are powerful things. It can be even worse than that, what if a child is diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and the parents can’t bring themselves to agree with the diagnosis and the poor kid grows up without proper assistance? Unfortunately, ADD/ADHD does not go away with adulthood as was previously considered. Adders tend to drop out of college and, or choose to take night or online courses instead.
I tend to agree that there are people who are being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD who might not really have the full degree of symptoms which constitute a true diagnosis. That does not mean, and is not a proper definition of, “over” diagnosis, in my opinion! I consider this to be more of a miss-diagnosis than over diagnosis and even then, a miss-diagnosis is because the symptoms are not severe enough? Why do they have to be so severe anyway? By saying and spreading the rumor that ADD/ADHD is over diagnosed is, again in my opinion, wrong and a disservice too many suffers who do not seek help due to such statements and Rumorous blather. I have noticed that even lawyers and some judges say that ADD/ADHD is over diagnosed. Ask Paris Hilton, she can tell you about that.
Some believe that the pharmaceutical companies have created ADD and ADHD for profit. Really? Did they also create Bipolar, Depression, Chronic fatigue syndrome or any other illness which is not obvious to the casual observer? To say ADD or ADHD is fraud has become a business for others too. It goes both ways and gets in the way of a real diagnosis. Just the other day when Bipolar was finally proven to already be present in childhood some people were already crying foul, that this could not be true, that this was just another way for companies and doctors to make money! From personal experiences I think this is catastrophic to the medical profession and ultimately hurts the suffering. In the case of Bipolar it seems more of a case of ‘under’ diagnosis in the past, same as with ADD/ADHD.
It might well turn out that ADD/ADHD effect more than half the population on planet Earth! That’s my guess, but what I would like to point out is that many consider that because ADD/ADHD is so prevalent and widespread that it can’t be real. Why not? Because so many people have it, it should not be treated or cared for? Give me a break! What kind of thinking is that anyway? There have been diseases which have wiped out much of the Earth’s population in the past and you didn’t see anyone thinking that it was made up—maybe because those illnesses were obvious to the eyes. The point is that there have been and will be illnesses that effect and infect the majority of the population and ADD/ADHD might just be one of those. To ignore such a problem and think of it as fraud might ultimately hurt the entire population as a whole.
I am not done with this. To be continued…
~Bryan
