General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Big Pharma Sells Risky Meds We Don’t Need for Disorders It Made Up That We Don’t Have [View all]arithia
(455 posts)without being able to have a fact based discussion about the disorder and treatment, it looks like you're the one who drank the kool-aid. I apologize if that offends you, but you are peddling some really dangerous misconceptions about mental health care that could cause someone harm in the long term.... and that offends ME.
Descriptions of ADHD exist in medical texts dating back to 1902. This isn't a new disorder- it's a newly RECOGNIZED disorder, much as bipolar and major depressive disorder (and a host of other biologically caused mental illnesses) used to be clumped together and called melancholia. Our understanding of illnesses, particularly the ones that affect our brain or our bodies at the cellular level, has improved over the years. Disorders that were once considered "personal weakness", "lack of discipline" and imaginary now fall squarely into the realm of the biological.
Misdiagnosis is a completely separate issue from the disease being "real" or the medications being effective. So is overdiagnosis, for that matter. Too many physicians are quick to whip out the prescription pad for EVERYTHING (from antibiotics to painkillers) and they rarely spend the time needed for proper observation and evaluation, let alone behavioral education which should be the first step for all ADD/ADHD diagnosis.
This is not the fault of the pharmacy industry. It's the fault of physician laziness, our culture which demands everything now now now.... and most importantly, it's the result of medical ignorance and lack of access to care. I guarantee most people out there taking their kids to the doctor don't follow up with a secondary or tertiary evaluation. I can guarantee this because most people cannot afford subsequent consultations. That isn't the fault of the parents either- it's the result of poverty and lack of access to a diverse physician population.
Add racial issues (african american boys are more frequently misdiagnosed) and gender issues (females with ADD often have different symptoms than the boys) to the mix and you have the perfect storm of mis/overdiagnosis and incorrect course of care.
It's part of a parents job to make sure their child is healthy and well. Reduced dopamine levels in the brain cause severe health problems later in life, particularly coupled with the social stress that ADD and ADHD can cause. Frak's sakes, the low dopamine alone can cause attention problems, memory issues and difficulty concentrating. It can also cause tremors, balance issues, speech problems, Parkinsons's disease.... would those be better health outcomes for kids than taking a pill that normalizes brain function for a few years?
***Stress causes epigenetic changes that last a lifetime. Biochemical imbalances are very stressful on the body***
Would you ask a diabetic child to go without insulin because it's not a permanent solution to their medical problem? Cause that's more or less what you are advocating......