April 06, 2004
Soapbox
Adult ADD*: I'm not buying it. Apparently drugging every child in America to "treat" this "disease" is not enough and the ever thoughtful folks at Eli Lilly have started a massive advertising campaign to drug all the adults who suffer from ADD and simply "don't know it." Bollocks. What you don't know won't hurt you. For each psychological discovery, the world gets progressively sicker. Adult ADD is just the latest, greatest new disease we can all scratch and claw to acquire. Call me heartless (many of my hyper-liberal classmates would), but I come from the "suck it up" school of thought. Or more precisely: the "take responsibility for yourself" method of treatment.
...uh...er... what was I talking about? Oh yeah... Adult ADD is over-hyped.
Diagnosing every kid in America is one thing, but diagnosing yourselves, give me a break! I understand it's much easier to blame a disease for your child's poor grades or bad behavior than it is to look at your own parenting skills, but when it comes to placing blame for your own shortcomings, isn't it time to take some responsibility? I fully understand the allure of Adult ADD. I didn't get into Harvard, blame the ADD. I got passed on a promotion at work, blame the ADD. My marriage failed, blame the ADD. And on, and on, and on....
Suck it up, people! Take some responsibility for your own lives (and the role your play your kids'!). If you don't like what you see, do something about it. Looking for another excuse is not the answer.
Saying this, I must acknowledge that I believe there are genuine cases of ADD out there (in both kids and adults). If you are one of them, this post is not for you. Get the help you need. I am simply suggesting that the number of people who fall in this category pales in comparison to the number of people currently being diagnosed... And that the drug companies' promotion of this disorder is extremely troubling to me...
* I find it very interesting how this purportedly helpful and purely informational site is hosted by the only company producing an FDA-licensed drug (Strattera) to treat Adult ADD.
...uh...er... what was I talking about? Oh yeah... Adult ADD is over-hyped.
Diagnosing every kid in America is one thing, but diagnosing yourselves, give me a break! I understand it's much easier to blame a disease for your child's poor grades or bad behavior than it is to look at your own parenting skills, but when it comes to placing blame for your own shortcomings, isn't it time to take some responsibility? I fully understand the allure of Adult ADD. I didn't get into Harvard, blame the ADD. I got passed on a promotion at work, blame the ADD. My marriage failed, blame the ADD. And on, and on, and on....
Suck it up, people! Take some responsibility for your own lives (and the role your play your kids'!). If you don't like what you see, do something about it. Looking for another excuse is not the answer.
Saying this, I must acknowledge that I believe there are genuine cases of ADD out there (in both kids and adults). If you are one of them, this post is not for you. Get the help you need. I am simply suggesting that the number of people who fall in this category pales in comparison to the number of people currently being diagnosed... And that the drug companies' promotion of this disorder is extremely troubling to me...
* I find it very interesting how this purportedly helpful and purely informational site is hosted by the only company producing an FDA-licensed drug (Strattera) to treat Adult ADD.
