Arguments Against ADHD Diagnosis

One of the remarkably renowned mental disorders in the world is ADHD, but despite being infamous, there are still stigmas and myths about it. People often listen to what the general public says than to form their own arguments or research on them. By all means, this will be a problem to all including those who have ADHD.

Over the past couple of decades there has been a huge increase in the diagnosis and prescriptions given out for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. According to a news report done by USA Today over the past five years use of ADHD medications have risen 40% totaling 39.5 million individual prescriptions ("New findings," 2009). When statistics like this are seen it is only normal for someone to ask questions. People are becoming curious about the legitimacy of the disorder, and whether or not the treatments being given to individuals are appropriate. The argument seems to be strong on both sides of the fence, but the extensive research done on ADHD leaves it hard for one to believe that it is a made up disorder.

A study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health came to the conclusion that medication alone showed the most promising long-term effects for treatment of this disorder since it quickly took care of symptoms that behavioral therapy could not fix in the same amount of time if at all (“A.D.H.D. Experts Re-evaluate Study’s Zeal for Drugs.”). Even though there are those who abuse ADHD medication, taking away the medication would prove disastrous to those with the disorder because of how well the prescriptions do treat symptoms associated with ADHD. The disorder is real and many children do have ADHD and the need to treat it as a real disorder is further proven by what happens in the adult lives of some of these children with ADHD. According to Dr. William Barbaresi, the complications for children diagnosed with ADHD does not stop in childhood as previously thought but a new long-term study found that not only did 29% of those diagnosed with ADHD as children still had the disorder but that 57% of those with ADHD as children had other psychiatric disorders (Jaslow). So it is not only a disorder for children but adults as well along with being a good indicator that the person could have other psychiatric disorders later in life making it very important to diagnose and treat as a real disorder to discourage further complications. Many opinions from doctors and parents have been heard on this

These symptoms might represent expressions of internalized conflict or unmet emotional or educational needs that differ from child to child. Each child ideally should have a full medical, educational, and psychologic or psychiatric evaluation, prior to drugs being introduced and giving to the child. There isn’t a neuropsychological test result is that shows someone has ADHD, and no genetic indicator has been steadily recognized, and heritability studies are confounded by household environmental aspects. Furman concluded t after careful review of the evidence obtainable; it is not obvious that ADHD is either a disease or a neurobehavioral condition. ADHD is an assortment of symptoms, namely, inattention, impulsivity, and over activity, that overlay with other major and minor mental health

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADHD, has become a well-known disorder that our ears hear lightly and many don’t think twice about. Although, ADHD is presented in over 11,000,000 people that are living in the United States (Frank, 2017). ADHD is prevalent in both women and men of all various ages. Once one has this disorder, it stays with them forever. However, many therapists as well as psychologist believe that this disorder is over diagnosed and leads into false and inaccurate prescriptions. Due to ADHD being primarily diagnosed at the age of 7 (Holland, 2014), the main symptoms leading into the identity of ADHD are hyper activity, being easily distracted, acting out, daydreaming, physical aggression, and a lack

When children begin to develop “symptoms” of ADHD, parents begin to become frustrated and lose patients, so they think they need to go to the doctors and have their own child put on medication. It is very common that children are misdiagnosed with ADHD. Eighty-two percent of teachers and sixty-eight percent of undergraduates agreed that ADHD is over diagnosed. “According to many critics, such over diagnosis raises the specter of medicalizing largely normal behavior and relying to heavily on pills rather than skills, such as teaching children better ways of coping with stress” (Lilenfeld).

Well, ADHD is different and is surprisingly unclear. There is no clear consensus on what the cause or causes of this disease are. There have been countless theories however, and all have been disproved through studies. There is no urine test, blood test, PET scan, or physical test or examination that can tell if someone does or doesn?t have ADHD. This translates into mass confusion when parents, teachers, and even doctors are called upon to diagnose a child with this disorder or not. Psychiatrists around the world say that, ?about half the children who show up in their offices as ADHD referrals are actually suffering from a variety of other ailments, including learning disabilities, depression or anxiety-disorders that look like ADHD, but do not need Ritalin. Some seem to be just regular kids.? (Newsweek, pg.52)

In the supply and demand society that we live in, there will always be a need for drugs. Adderall and Ritalin are included in this equation. There are ads for these medications promoting children who look perfectly and act rather perfectly while on the drug. The companies are targeting parents who want their children to feel “normal.” There are high hopes of dependency which would then increase sales for the businesses selling the drugs. In the long run they are hoping for drug abuse which will keep them in business. The marketing of these drugs will only hurt us in the long run, though. “As a nation we will feel sicker and sicker until we move away from the medical model and begin to view most of our major health issues as manifestations of inequitable economic and social factors (Diller, pg50).” Something needs to be done to move away from this method of medicating children unless there is a serious need.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a highly renowned disorder, known to affect hyperactivity, attention, and impulsivity, normally in young children. The National Institute of Mental Health does affirm the legitimacy of ADHD as a mental health disorder. However, there has been much argument over the years, debating whether ADHD is a true psychiatric disorder. Timimi and Radcliffe disagree with the assertion made by the NIMH, saying that ADHD is not a real medical disorder, but rather it is “an agenda-driven, socially constructed entity invented by Western society” (page 1).

It is widely agreed that ADHD is over diagnosed. According to the study, only 22 percent of 92 children referred to an ADHD clinic actually met the criteria. Furthermore, numerous arguments would urge the general public and the medical community that what has been proven is a large varying degree of severity of the condition. In turn, the symptoms may be expressed in every person, only with varying intensity. Although no conclusive evidence is currently available to prove the existence of the genetic disorder, no concrete evidence dispels its existence either. Still, the fact that the disorder has passed through a crowd of names, including organic drivenness, hyperkinetic syndrome, attention-deficit disorder and now ADHD provides evidence on

Without a doubt, the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD has become a massive debate across the United States. With the rising number of children being diagnosed and treated, unprecedented amounts of public attention have gone towards the illness. Without truly visible symptoms, the general public struggles to see the severity of the illness. The public worry, however, mostly deals with medical therapy. Drugs used to treat ADHD, such as Adderall, have become prevalent on college campuses across the nation for both those diagnosed and those not diagnosed with ADHD. However the main concern with the diagnosing and treatment is the inconsistency. Some states have percentages as low as 5.6% for number of children who have been diagnosed, while others are as high as 18.7%. The medical and behavioral therapy rates also differ by more than 10% between some states (“ADHD Throughout the Years”). Some sort of consistency is necessary in diagnosing and treating a relatively vague illness, and this sort of variance is frightening. Without any stability in these areas, the impression of ADHD becomes more and more unclear. As someone who has been diagnosed with ADHD, yet does not feel affected by the illness; I believe clarifying the mystery that is ADHD is enormously important and both the public perception and academic research play a role in this.

The second article is by Tim O’Shea, D.C. and is titled ADD: A Designer Disease. This article discusses ADD and how it is factious disorder invented by psychiatrists and drug companies to make profit. The views of several doctors are given to substantiate the unnecessary and over diagnosis of ADD.

There are many negatives involved in ADHD, but what’s often overlooked, are the positives. One of these positives is the fact that this disorder is very manageable and treatable. We have an extended amount of knowledge from numerous studies that have been done since the disorder was discovered. From these studies we now know that this disorder can affect people in many ways and be a burden on someone if not treated properly.

ADHD is a chronic disorder that can profoundly affect a child’s day to day functioning. This impacts many aspects of their life including academic achievement, general wellbeing and social interactions. (3) ADHD can span a lifetime with symptoms persisting into adolescence and adulthood. A third of children are thought to have symptoms persisting into adulthood and adults not diagnosed as children are being increasingly recognised. (4)

A research study conducted by Visser, Zablotsky, Holbrook, Danielson, & Bitsko (2015) discovered that the percentage of children diagnosed with ADHD in the U.S. has steadily increased 3% a year from 1997 to 2006. The study also revealed that the percentage of children diagnosed from 2003 to 2012 increased by 42%. Despite having the additional knowledge of and research about the disorder, ADHD diagnoses are increasing at an astronomical rate; due to this sudden, drastic change, researchers have begun to question the validity of ADHD diagnoses in the U.S (Visser, Zablotsky, Holbrook, Danielson, & Bitsko, 2015). Based on the research above, it is apparent that ADHD is becoming over