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Tim,
I did not mean to insult people with ADD/ADHD, nor was I trying to
infer that it is "all in their mind". Quite the contrary on both
points. If anyone interpreted it that way, I apologize.
The point I was trying to make was that people with ADD/ADHD are
different, not diseased. Their learning/thinking style is not adapted
to our modern, technological society. It certainly is not "all in
their mind", and I never even hinted at that. It is the society that
has the problem, not these individuals. Unfortunately, society will
not change, so these people have to learn to adapt. What should
really be happening is that our education system needs to be
revamped.
As for the scientific evidence, I have serious questions about the
methodology. First, who defined what the "normal" levels of
neurotransmitters should be in the brain. Sorry, but the Great
Engineer has not given us a spec sheet as yet. Besides, there is now
research demonstrating the "different not disabled" model. It links
certain "learning disabilities", like ADD and ADHD, with our history
as hunters, and as prey. As for what can be "demonstrated empirically
in numerous controlled studies", remember, there were studies done in
this country, up into the 1970's, that "demonstrated empirically" the
intellectual inferiority of blacks. Are you as willing defend
those "studies"?
Finally, be careful judging people you don't know. Just because one
particular person didn't bare his soul here doesn't mean he hasn't
dealt with "disabilities" his whole life, and yet still been able to
suceed at life.
On the subject of ADD, Jason wrote: >My big problem with both ADD
and ADHD is the use of the word DISORDER. Neither one is a disease or
defect. They are learning styles . . . The medical profession has
compounded this problem many times over to suit its profit-mongering
habits. Sorry, Jason, but these statements are incorrect. ADD is a
neurophysiological disorder resulting from, among other things, a
lack of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine in the
prefrontal cortex and other critical parts of the brain. This has all
been demonstrated empirically in numerous controlled studies, and
published extensively in numerous medical and scientific journals--
since the 1950s. It is certainly true that people can make many
excuses for their failure to perform adequately, and it is also
definitely possible that someone could use ADD that way. But what is
not at issue is whether ADD is a disorder with neurophysiological
etiology. It is. People have an unfortunate tendency to discount
what they themselves are not bothered by, or what they themselves do
not suffer from. A much better approach, it seems to me, as many of
these posts have suggested, is to find ways to help ADD-ers be more
productive, not to insult them by claiming that there is nothing
wrong with them or that it is "all in their mind." With respect,
Tim Hadley Ph.D. candidate, Technical Communication and Rhetoric
Texas Tech University
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