The diagnoses: attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. The treatment: psychostimulants (generic for Ridalin). Now i'm definitely not against the treatment of neurological disorders by means of medication, as long as there exists some psychological intervention such a therapy. Of course in my case, as for most ADHD patients, it was prescription only treatment.
Now, what did this mean for me? would I now be classified as hyperactive and distractable for my entire life? If so, did that mean I had/have an excuse for getting lost on my way to the bathroom and leaving the elementary school grounds? Not so much. I soon became the antithesis of my diagnoses. It was a combination of embarrassment that I was medicated for undesireable behavior, that I was the only one I knew with the issue, and simply the notion of medication in itself (I've always been weird like that).
But, I'm not sure thats how it would have played out had I been born ten or fifteen years later. The social view of the 'disorder' has changed. Parents want their kids to be 'special' or different, and show the exceptionalism of their childs mediocre performance through adversity (ADHD). So whip out the amphetamines, classify your child, and give them an excuse to be a pain in the ass. Not to mention expose them to prescription drug abuse, illegal sales of prescription drugs (think high school), and possibly eating disorders (adderall is great for the appetite).
I'm not saying there do not exist genetic reasons for this disorder. I'm certain there are people with legitimate cases of ADHD. But, like mine, many are the result of a behavioral issue that requires psychological intervention (ranging from spankings to therapy). Kids are pains, they need some direction, guidance, and discipline. I just don't think that pharmaceutical companies needed to be involved. But hey, they've got to make a living some how.
I now have no issues with hyperactivity or distractability. I'm guessing its because I'm an adult and realize there are consequences for my actions. And I'm fairly sure that my only issue in kindergarten was that I was a child with little respect for my teacher's authority and general behavioral issues. I blame my parents.
I had a similar saga starting in about the sixth grade. I was diagnosed with ADD, then AD/HD, then Executive Function Disorder, then something called "Basal Ganglia Disorder," then Generalized Anxiety Disorder, then Major Depression, then ADD again. Each of these diagnoses carried with them a corresponding regimen of expensive psychopharmacological concoctions, but none of them seemed to address the central problem of high standardized test scores vs. abysmally bad grades. By the time I dropped out of college the first time, practically every psychiatrist and psychopharmacologist in the tri-state area had their theories as to Why Tom Sucks at School. I even flew to Denver to have my brain scanned in a strip mall at one point, if you can believe it. In the end, however, I turned my back on all the diagnoses and wondered why nobody had ever just proposed the theory that I was just lazy and immature.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure our stories are fairly common among our generation, and that ADD/ADHD and other psychochemical "imbalances" are very real and treatable in some cases, but are also used as blanket diagnoses to standardize the behavior and intellectual focus of children deemed--and out comes my inner Marxist--insufficiently "productive." I don't think it's a conscious, conspiratorial thing, but I think the values of the marketplace have been internalized by many parents and educators, most of whom have the best possible intentions.
I won't bore you further with my theories, but I hope it's something our generation will spend a great deal of time talking and thinking about w/r/t our own kids.