ADD

[-=AlexXx=-]

Im sure this will cause some controversy... maybe? but ne way, latly my friend and i have been researching and trying to prove OCD and ADD wrong, and prove how its a false disorder and its all mental weakness what you can control, but dont for whatever reasons. heres a little essay we wrote on ADD, gimme your imput.

A deficit in one’s attention does exist and is medically provable, however it is no different than a deficit in one’s agility and endurance, or running speed, which is medically provable as well. In addition, both may continue to exist over a period of time even with appropriate training, although, it is just as foolish to dope man’s blood with red blood cells and inject him with an androgen because he is not as fast, as it is to medicate an individual because he cannot maintain his confidence over a period of time.
Our society expects athletes to work hard and it condemns cheating by using drugs to achieve better performance, however, it readily sympathizes with and provides medication for those who cannot maintain their attention. We would have no sympathy for an obese child who has sat on a couch and eaten potato chips for the first fifteen years of his life, then later complains that he cannot make the track team. However when a child watches television and plays video games for the first fifteen years of his life, never putting his mind to serious intellectual thinking, and then “tries his best” to get good grades in school, but cannot; we sympathize with him and tell him that it is not his fault. We tell him that his mind is actually different and inferior to others, but the obese childs body is actually different and inferior as well, although we don’t allow that to be his excuse. Even when a student spends years training his mind through reading, memorization, etc., he cannot expect to be as mentally quick as other students; just as a few years of practicing basketball would leave me much less talented than Lebron James.
The difficulty to learn is in the persons mind. If an individual does not want to learn, he wont. Although if an individual puts his mind to a task he is much more likely to succeed. Children who are diagnosed with such “disorders” as Attention Deficit Disorder, otherwise known as ADD, simply don’t want to learn. In turn they just don’t pay attention in class, get terrible grades, and easily blame it on there “disorder”. On the other hand children who do want to learn and do want to achieve good grades, attend a university, and succeed in life will apply themself and make the effort to work hard. Without confidence and ambition one isn’t going to want to exceed. You have want to achieve greatness to be great. This also applies to the sports aspect. If one does not work hard and condition, one will not succeed as easily as one who does. For example a track athlete who runs every morning and evening, works out, and conditions will be more likely to gain a gold medal at the Olympics then the obese one who sat on his couch eating potato chips for fifteen years because he did not train and prepare himself. He simply wasn’t disciplined.
The solution to this problem is not medicating children, but teaching them to discipline their minds from a very young age. Telling children that it is not their fault and that they cannot help only compounds the problem as they don’t attempt to fix it; in fact they use it as an excuse and come to expect some form of crutch, and they will continue to for their entire lives. The problem isn’t in the patients; it is in the ignorant psychologists and physicians who lie to the patients. This problem will continue to exist until parents begin to do their jobs in parenting.

[jboss]

-=AlexXx=-, I absolutely 100% agree, I think ADD is just an excuse for stupid kids to continue to underachieve. As for OCD, try depriving that person of whatever they're OCD'ing about, no matter how much that is. It just takes a LOT of willpower and a strive to better themsleves, which sadly is rare these days. Case in point, everyone considers Alcoholism a disease and it can only be cured with some sort of treatment or therapy (AA). Statistics show that only 5% of AA members succeed in curbing their "disease", but at the same time 5% of the people who do it by themselves, with sheer willpower succeed. Diseases are illnesses in which we (our body and mind) have NO control of in terms of curing them. All this crap from ADD and OCD is turning people in the world into a bunch of powerless whimps.

[integrity640]

Thats an awesome paper Alex, id show them the episode on South Park where all the kids get ritalin. But my bro supposedly has ADD and he used to take stuff for it but he was always to lazt to and there want a diffrence from when he did take it.

I think people like to think of ADD as their scapegoat as to why they cant do this or that, mainly an excuse for laziness. Anyways excellent paper Alex

[Mr. Rogers]

-=AlexXx=-, alright I have many genious friends that have what you call a lack of willpower or ADD. They are some of the smartest people I know but they have the hardest time concentrating on the task at hand. ADD does not only affect ones concentration in a school setting but also in a work or social environment. This is not caused by a lack of confidence or willpower for they are very motivated individuals. Have you and your friend ever thought into the fact that large medical corpoations invest billions of dollars into research on mental dieseases such as ADD and come up with medications that fix the problem. Doesnt that suggest that it is or maybe a disorder with the chemistry of the brain? If ADD was just a willpower deficency then why dont the drug companys come out with a willpower drug. As for OCD your right it is in some cases a lack of conidence and can be fixed with training, but only in some cases. Here is a tip for reseaching a topic, do not start with a biased opinion and then do research on that topic for you will only increase your bias. Instead start research with an open mind and obtain a conclusipn after the research is finished. As for me, I have ADD or your so called lack of willpower. You said that people with ADD are stupid, if I was stupid I would not be in college nor would I have an understanding for theoretical physics and quantum mechanics. I do have a difficult time studying for a subject, or just reading for fun, or performing an activity. This is not because I do not want to learn or play a sport like my friends, infact I love learning and doing activities but my brain causes me to move on to other activites while Im in the middle of the original activity. Yes I can control it sometimes and keep myself focused but sometimes it is to great that it cannot be controlled. Did you know that most of the geniouses of our time including Einstien, Edward Witten, Leonard Susskind, and Steven Weinberg all have an attention disorder. So infact having ADD does not mean that one is stupid or does not have willpower or just does not want to learn. Also so should learn how to write an essay because that was not that great, please take this as constructive critisicm. Maybe when you mature and graduate from high school this will be accomplished. Sorry for such a lenghty post.

[daniel]

i agree! but ADD meds such as Aderol so make you concentrate better and focus....but that is just cuz it has something to keep you awake like caffeine or something, you could probably take excedrin and it would do the same thing....idk lol

but i agree!

[jboss]

Mr. Rogers, About your comment about not reading or studying well, I can't either. When I read, I start out paying attention and my mind slowly drifts off to somewhere else without realizing it, before long I'm almost finished a page by the time I realize I've just been moving my eyes along the words and not actually taking it in, this doesn't mean I have ADD. As for studying, I can't do it, even for exams I take 15 minute intervals of studying cuz I know if I go for longer I won't learn any of it, this doesn't mean I have ADD. I have also had at least 5 close-calls while driving cuz I always space out while driving. While yes I guess ADD does exist, but it's not such a debilitating thing as people make it out to be and you definately don't need drugs to cure it.

P.S. Not saying that you will or have said this, but don't start with "I'm in college and you're in high school so I'm smarter than you" bullshmat, it doesn't impress anyone. Respect

[jboss]

I like what big dee just said, yea Ridilin and other drugs do help you concentrate, but you don't NEED them, they just make it easier. Thinking that people need this drug just renders more kids helpless. Like how a lot of (douchebag) parents prescribe their kids to anti-depressants when they don't really need it, they just don't feel like dealing with them.

[Mr. Rogers]

jboss, i wasnt trying to impress any one or say that im smarter i was trying to convey the point that people with ADD were not stupid alexx said that people with ADD were stupid. Im not saying that you have ADD and I was just trying to give examples of what people with ADD go through and give a different perspective of the issue. Also with the high school/college thing I was trying to state that you learn how to better conduct research in a more ethical and efficent manner and i guess after rereading my statement I came across like a dlck on that issue. again sorry about that and have a great day.

[mikeskatesonwater]

Very much agreed, how much of mental illness is real? And is medication necessary all the time or are we entirely over mendicated?

[Mr. Rogers]

also its nice to read more interesting and debateable topics related to school and things of that manner on the message board than previous posts regarding that subject, thanks alexx.

[jboss]

Mr. Rogers, Nooooo man, I didn't think you came across like a dlck at all, and it's good that you gave an opposing arguement to my and Alex's argument, which make's for a sweetass debate. About that college comment, I was talking about others on this site who thought that because they were in college and someone else was in high school that they were somehow automatically smarter or more knowledgeable about a subject. Keep it real, big ups yourself.

[Mr. Rogers]

I totally agree with the over medication of America! It is a serious problem that needs to be fixed. My parent is a doctor and she tells me that people come in all the time asking for meds for simple problems and she rejects them. But for people with serious problems it is nessecary and with the ADD issue I dont use medication because I dont think my ADD is serious enough for it and I hate medications but for some people that have no control over there actions they do need medication.

[JimTheArchangel]

ok. im going to get at least one negative comment from this, but i have ADD. it is usually a cop out for the lazy kids to not just do they're work, but in some cases, it is a real disorder. it is an overactivity in the part of the brain that perceives stuff (not visually, but conceptually). the person just notices everything and has trouble focusing on the task at hand. in more severe cases, the person starts to hyperfocus on something, paying so much attention, that everything starts to be tuned out. the purpose that medication works is that the drugs stimulate the part of the brain that focuses, therefore making normal activity... well... normal. usually activity and exercise will do the same thing, which is why a child with ADD who plays a sport is more likely to show less symptoms of the disorder than a child who sits at home and plays video games. i was never medicated but i have participated in sports since i was little, helping to keep me normal. now, my ADD did lead me to develop bad habits (laziness, general inability to keep my room or car clean, etc), but im in no way stupid. the genious rating on my IQ tests would clearly say that im not stupid. and yes, willpower can overcome ADD, but not in early to mid-childhood. it is not until the late teens that the person has the mind and will to beat it.

[Jeff_Knox]

alright im not taking any sides but just going to offer some information on the drugs... as im sure you all know there has been all kinds of kids getting addicted to the add and adhd drugs such as addoral and riddilin... the reason they are getting addicted is the prime ingredient, if you will, is amphetamines... amphetamines are a extremely potent and dangerous drug when used in high concentrations; amphetamines are what makes up street drugs such as speed(powder amphetamines) and crystal meth (methamphetmine)... they way riddilin and addoral works is it counter acts certain impulses in the brain by affecting dopamine (a chemical in the brain).... for example if you are hyper it calms you down but adversly if your calm it speeds everything up... now when doctors perscribe this drug to someone really with add then it is harmless as long as the kid takes the perscribed amount because the amount of amphetamines in the drug riddilin and addoral isnt enough to become dependant on; but when they start abusing it in order to stay up to study for a test or concenttrate really well on an assaignment is when they start getting into trouble... so my thing is this... make sure the kid really has the mental illness before just handing out the drug because if someone who dosnt need the drug takes it, it could really mess him up...

[nick]

When I was diagnosed in the mid 90's with Tourette's Syndrome (obviously not a false disorder), ADD, and OCD, it was definitely a confusing situation for me. I had never heard of any of them and I felt like some medical case. The Tourette's was definitely the hardest to deal with, but I refused to take any kind of medication for it. I believe in the power of the human mind and when "focused" in the right way, it can do anything that we think impossible (I suggest reading the book "Illusions" by Richard Bach, it's easy reading and it will change your life), so overcoming this problem should just be practice. They said it would be prevalent until I was 20 or so. After a year or three, I understood its causes and effects, and triggers and what kept it on the low. The ABSOLUTE main trigger of Tourette's Syndrome is stress. Don't care what any physician tells me, the environmental factor of stress will make Tourette's exponentially worse as stress builds up. I can contribute that fact to me being the carefree stressless chill pirate I am today. Teaching myself not to worry about the little stuff that doesn't really matter helped me surround myself with the right people and let me get way closer to my friends. Surfing was my original stress melter. Every carve took every tension out of everyday life. Paddling around feeling infinitely smaller than the ocean feeding me these waves just to see if I could borrow a 20 second ride on one made me appreciate nature as the most powerful forces on Earth. Wakeskating is now my escape. Although I live with minimal stress (it is under your control, believe it or not), I still have to live in our society which is filled with inevitable stresses and frustrations and negativity. Wakeskating lets me rise above all those things. Maybe thats why I'm so passionate about it. Wakeskating keeps me alive, I've said it before, but I don't think it got the message across last time. I love wakeskating.

I have proven to myself that a majority of the kids diagnosed with ADD are actually very intelligent, but are selective when they choose what tasks to apply themselves to. Almost all of them will work harder than the average person to get what they really desire, but in mundane tasks such as public education, they find themselves lagging at the lack of motivations in the system. And since this is where society considers it the most important focus at that stage of life, it becomes a larger problem than what it originally was, hence overreactions (medications and what not). If there were more options (idealistic) at that age for progressive intelligent young people who feel like they can excel in better ways than the inefficient public school system, I feel like we would not have these kind of things, but like I said, it's only an ideal thought form.

OCD is just a quirk for me, I don't have it that bad. I'm not anal about being uber-clean or anything, but sometimes I'll have to do something twice or flip all the change on the counter to heads up or I get anxious It's mostly something for me and my friends to laugh at after I realize that everyone knows what I'm doing


"I don't know Ron, that sounds kinda crazy"
"Sounds like you have mental problems, man."
"Yea, you got mental problems, man."
"It really does... man"
"AFTERNOON DELIGHT"

[JimTheArchangel]

so it would seem that ADD really does exist, *cough, cough*. who would've thought it?

[shane]

che blanc, you manipulate words well. I believe people, myself included, could learn a lot from you.

[-=AlexXx=-]

Alright, sorry if some of you think i was trying to say people who think they have ADD are stupid. Im not trying to say people who think they have ADD are stupid at all. I am well aware that there are plenty of well rounded individuals who think they are suffering from this "disoreder" when in true light... we ALL have a certain "ADD" or "OCD" i dont feel like always reading in english class... so i might find myself thinking about wakeskating.... or studing for a more interesting class like micro biology.... just because i dont feel like reading, or feel myself drifting off, does NOT mean that i have a disorder. But when i want to read i can easily. Anyone can, and we ALL have these problems. If a topic doesnt interest us we are less likley to learn in it. Most "ADD" diagnoised children use this "illness" as a crutch, like i said in the essay. They dont get good grades some times, and they can simply blame it on there "disorder" When really it takes some ambition to get grades and will power. in 9th and 10th grade, i could have said i had ADD i could have blamed my poor grades. But instead i realized what was importent in life, college, getting a real education. So in 11th and now in 12th i am boosted my GPA from 3.0 to 3.8 simply by applying myself and trying. I never said i had ADD but im sure the doctor could have falsly diagnoses me just to put another tally on the grid. i read in a psycology book that 8-15% of americans claim they have ADD..... and ive noticed that most people who have posted in this thread have claimed they have it? dont u think you guys can look deep within and tell yourself... I DONT HAVE ADD, i CAN do anything, I KNOW I CAN. Look at Nick, and look at Mr Rodgers, they both lead normal lives with there "disorders". About OCD.... we all have little habbits we HAVE to do... its not that it kills us if we dont but we jsut feel more comfortable if we do, such as me almsot wanting to check if my care is locked. some times ill go back and check like 3 times.... but its just a saftey issue, id rather be safe then sorry. Certain people like making sure their hands are clean. Some like flipping the change all to heads, stupid lil things almost for fun. But it IS possible to control the impulses to do these things. You can just not do it... it could cause anxiouity but if u dont do things a few times the tension should lessen and lessen every time u forget, or avoid doing it. There are ways to over come these rediculous habbits we call "disorders" you just have to have confidence in yourself, and be ambitious. We can all do anything we want if we try, but u cant try to run a mile while your leaning on a crutch to just simply walk.

[wakeskatingizfun]

-=AlexXx=-, does your opinion cover other "mental illnesses" (i put this in quotation marks for you obviously do not believe in them) such as dyslexia or epilepsy/seizures (petit and grand mal)?

[Poo]

I'm not trying to offend anyone here, but my friend showed me this, I'm sure many people here have seen it, this is a guy with pretty bad tourettes syndrome.

www.tourettesguy.com I think some of the stuff is staged, but some is funny.

btw I also have ADD..... I think