The argument for "meds"?
I was trying to do some research here to find a group who categorically supports the use of Ritalin, Adderall and the like, and I couldn't find anything that wasn't either from a pharmaceutical company or associated with psychiatry. Let me make clear that I have great respect for psychiatrists because they have gone through an incomprehensible amount of rigorous schooling--more than I could handle--but in cases like this I think Maslow's sentiment applies: When all you've got is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail. By this I mean that it seems like a foregone conclusion to ask a person who has built their career by prescribing medication whether or not medication should be prescribed.
On the other hand, I was able to find many, many groups who call for the elimination of or at least decrease in the use of ADHD medication with children and adolescents. They point to arguments such as the side effects and risks that many kids experience when taking the pills, the fact that it is really a "band-aid solution" because it treats some symptoms but not the underlying causes, the scandalous degree of over-diagnosis of ADHD, the fact that medicating kids sometimes robs them of developmental and personal growth opportunities, and on and on.
Personally, I have seen some kids who are absolutely crawling out of their own skin and have only been able to exist in the world thanks to the proper prescription of a psychostimulant. But for every one of those kids I have seen a dozen who are having their relatively "normal" curious, energetic behavior pathologized and medicated for the comfort and convenience of the adults in their life. Certainly there is a growing population of students who can't seem to function in our public school system without either medication or special services but it's disturbing how quickly our society reaches for that magic pill instead of trying to support those children in developing better self-awareness and coping mechanisms first.
The upside to ADD/ADHD
It might go against the grain to be positive about something that is so widely regarded as a "problem," but I truly believe there are beneficial aspects to an ADD/ADHD personality. Whether these abilities and traits are caused by ADD/ADHD or are simply co-occurring is irrelevant because they show up together so frequently that there is a definite correlation. What's more is that I'm not alone! A growing number of people are realizing that though ADD/ADHD symptoms can impair certain functions if not managed, there are some great characteristics that come from this way of being as well.
Here are some websites to check out if you want to delve into the "feel good" side of current ADD/ADHD conversation:
- "Famous People with ADD/ADHD" by Kay Wittenhauer
- "Positive Aspects of ADHD and ADD" by Darcy Andries
- "Why You Should Hire Someone with ADHD" by Kathryn Goetzke
- "The Positives of ADD" by ADD Coach Pete Quily
- "ADHD Can Be a Good Thing" by Gabriella Roth
For general ADD/ADHD support on the web, try the following sites:
