ADHD - Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

ADHD - Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

When I first heard about ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder), I thought, “C’mon. This psycho-babble has gone too far.” I saw psychologists, researchers, lawyers, teachers, parents, all talking seriously about this claimed disorder. But what I didn’t think about was where this information was coming from. Many talk shows have featured ADHD, where self-righteous citizens cheer, boo, and hiss like a jury at some medieval witch trial. A writer for the reputable publication New York magazine wrote: “[ADHD] is certainly a fitting disorder for the Nintendo and MTV generations—children who seem more at home playing computer games than having a quiet dinner conversation with their parents,” which sounds like it was written by a disgruntled “parent” rather than an unbiased reporter (Blau 45). And an article in Time ran quotes from erudite psychologists like Robert Reid, who said that ADHD is just an ego-preserving excuse, merely “a label of forgiveness” (Wallis 42). Newspapers ran these argumentative headlines: “Some Skeptical of Surge in Attention-Deficit Diagnoses” and “Overreacting to Attention Deficit Disorder” (Perkins A1, Vatz 82). And before I began learning about ADHD, I too was a media-driven skeptic. But, as with most things, knowledge begets understanding.

Recent media coverage might lead one to believe that ADHD is something new, a nineties thing, some vogue malady that somehow explains our disaffected modern youth. Yet the hyperactive child has always been around. He was class clown, the kid in the back row who never shut up. He was the kid whom the teacher constantly sent out of the room or to the office. In the past, these were the children...

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..., Inattentive, Impulsive, Obstinate. . . . New York: Villard, 1990.

“Josh.” Personal Interview. 13 March 1995.

Levine, Melvin D. “Attention Deficits: The Diverse Effects of Weak Control Systems in Childhood.” Pediatric Annals 16.2: 117-30.

Perkins, Kathryn. “Some Skeptical of Surge in Attention-Disorder Diagnosis.” Sacramento Bee 5 Dec. 1994: A1.

Safer, Daniel J., and John M. Krager. “Effect of a Media Blitz and a Threatened Lawsuit on Stimulant Treatment (lawsuits and Ritalin prescription).” Journal of the American Medical Association 268 (1992): 1004.

“Shaun.” Personal Interview. 9 March 1995.

Vatz, Richard E., and Lee S. Weinberg. “Overreacting to Attention Deficit Disorder.” USA Today Jan. 1995: 84.

Wallis, Claudia. “Life in Overdrive.” Time 18 July 1994: 42.

Weiss, Lynn. Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults. Dallas: Taylor, 1992.