Why do you feel that more and more children are being diagnosed with ADD and ADHD? Do you feel as though meds are over used?

I do not know a lot about it, but from what I hear and see, it does seem like parents are too quick to jump the gun and medicate just b/c their too lazy to deal w/ behavior issues.

I do think there ARE children & adults who do need medication though.

Sometimes kids are just kids...Lots of energy w/ no outlets :no

I think in some cases meds are overused. DF, his father, and two brothers all have ADHD. They all take medication everyday-except for DF because his isn't severe enough to be medicated.

I personally think that before a child is deemed ADD/ADHD they should be given a complete genetic work up. There are alot of conditions out there that are :quote rare :quote only becuase they have been misdiagnosied as ADD/ADHD.

Lately ADD/ADHD seem to be the new in diagnosis for doctors. :rolleyes An easy way to label why a child is having issues.

Lately ADD/ADHD seem to be the new in diagnosis for doctors. :rolleyes An easy way to label why a child is having issues.



I have to agree

Lately ADD/ADHD seem to be the new in diagnosis for doctors. An easy way to label why a child is having issues.

I agree...I also find it ridiculous that so many parents whose children need the medicine find it ok to only give the child the medication while they are in school.

i had a friend that told me her son was ADHD and had to be put on medicine. whatever medicine is was made him extremely tired SO they then gave him medicine to give him energy!!!:banghead he was taking different medicines while i believe if they had left him alone, he might just be fine. it should be a last resort.

My dd does have ADHD.... I hated having to put her on meds and I refuse Ritalin... She is on Straterra and it is amazing. She also recently has been diagnosied with dislexyia and I know that had ALOT to do with her behavior issues!!!

My brother has ADHD and the pubil school he went to tried to make my mom put him on medication. Well my mom didnt want that for her own reasons which I agree with and he isnt taking any medication now at all. Sure he has trouble in school but it's not cuz he's ADHD it's just cuz he is a highschool boy and doesnt want to do the darn work lol. He can do it he is a very smart boy he just rather do more fun stuff hehe. He is doing well in school now and doesnt have to be on medication. My dad has it too plus some other things he wont admit too... now him I think should be put on medication. :giggle

well my older son has it and i have done the research on it before putting him on ritalin. i stopped letting him take it when he started middle school because i couldnt see where it helped him all that much. you have to have a certain criteria of symptoms to be properly diagnosed as having it and there have to be a certain number of them. sure some kid might exhibit a few of the symptoms or signs but if they dont meet the criteria then i dont think they should be labeled as having ADHD and put on meds unnecessarily. we didnt know at the time what the long term affects were of having our older son on ritalin so that was another reason why we stopped giving it to him. i dont know if that was a big mistake now or not because he is now 20 and is now seeming to have some problems still but manifested in different ways. I truly believe that if a child has this before the age of 7 it will continue to manifest itself in adulthood. if the exhibit these conditions after the age of 7 or older then i dont think its truly ADD or ADHD and alot of these kids have other underlying problems like learning differences as well as which my son does. but i do agree that i think alot of schools or teachers are misdiagnosing kids just to get them medicated so they dont have to deal with them.. to me thats wrong. but thats just my 2 cents worth. i think the kids that have it and it carries thru adulthood need to get on some kind of program that helps them learn how to compensate for what people that dont have ADHD can do on their own like learning to hold a steady job and learn how to take care of their financial matters and learn how to function on their own.

I personally think for some kids not all but some like my brother... that they should be told what they have and help them deal with it on their own. I have an uncle who was put on ritalin and now he needs to have it in order to act well. He's like addicted to it so I am glad my mom decided to tell my lil brother all about what he has and she calmy reminds him when he gets out of hand. He is doing very well I'm so proud of him. :wub

Why, I'm not sure. I do think meds are being over used. I think people need to look at the child's diet and how they are disciplined. My nephew has ADHD. He has been on Stratera (I think that is the one. I may be wrong) and he is now on Ritalin. When we were home in Dec./Jan. this year he was off the meds. since he was on winter break. While we were still there he went back on them since school started up again. I honestly saw no difference. He lives (well lived but thats another story I'm not going to go into at this time) with my in-laws and his diet is filled with so much processed food, sugar, and pop that I wouldn't be surprised if that is why he has some of the behavioral problems he does.

When Breanna was 2 I took her to the dr. sice I was having such a hard time with her. Her temper tantrums were just way way out of hand. The first thing suggested was ritalin. I refused. The dr. said she could refer us out to a behavioral psychologist but they were just going to want to put her on Ritalin. I said I had no problem with the pyscologist but I would not do the Ritalin so if that was all they would do then don't bother. I haven't put her on any meds. and I watch her diet, am revising my discipline methods with her and she is fine.

My dd does have ADHD.... I hated having to put her on meds and I refuse Ritalin... She is on Straterra and it is amazing. She also recently has been diagnosied with dislexyia and I know that had ALOT to do with her behavior issues!!!

Your DD sounds alot like my nephew. He was told he had ADHD right before Kindergarten. While in 1st grade they diagnosed him with dislexyia, too. Once the techers addressed the dislexyia his grades have gone up and this last year he got a B avarage. Before the taechers started to work with his dislexyia he was in the special needs class and now he is the regular class. He plays on the baseball, team, too. When we were home I could see how much happier he was, and his confidence has really gone up.

Probably cause alot of kids sit in front of the TV all day and don't know how to control their energy. They get no outlet, no way to express themselves.

I refer to "back in the day" again, when all kids did was play outside all day long! There was no video games, no cable tv.

I'm sure there are lots of kids who legitimately need to be on some medication, but IMO, the majority do not.

well thats good if you can teach them without having to take the meds, but if child really needed the meds for a little while in order for them to learn how to cope and deal with their condition wouldnt you think it would be in the best interest of the child to put them on meds until they could learn how to cope with their problem? just something to think about. i am hoping that my older son doesnt have to go back on any kind of meds and that he can get into a program where they can teach him the skills that he needs to be able to function and deal with his disorder. i just dont understand why some parents refuse to have their kids on meds if its going to help the kids in the long run. i can see starting it and see what it does and then if there is no difference taking them off of it, but i think most parents dont like to admit that their child has a problem and has to be on medication. its nothing to be ashamed of. i have no problem saying that my son has a problem and had to take meds for it. i mean i do understand why no one wants to put their kids on medication and if they can teach them without it then thats great. i just know my son and he needed to be on it for a little while but now i think he needs something else and he is 20. he will never be able to find a job he can keep unless he can get on some kind of program. he even admitted he was a slacker and that he has problems so thats half the battle he just needs to be taught how to do certain things. i dont know if i am even making any sense. LOL..

i do think that many of the cases of add/adhd are misdiagnosed. that is not to say that children do not really have it. they are diagonising add/adhd in 2nd and 3rd. i'm sorry kids that age do not have the control to sit in a classroom for 8 hours. we (most of us on this site) had recess and real P.E. and got that pent up energy out. most schools have done away with P.E. or recess. medications are overused....and i'm sure i'm about to offend someone but frankly alot of the parents that have their children on ritalin and the other drugs for add/adhd are just to lazy/unwilling to discipline their children. if you child comes home with a bad report from school or detention alot of their reactions are lets take him to a specialist who inevitably puts them on meds. repeated detentions for talkativeness, etc etc may warrant a trip to a specialist but i think that parents won't get a second opinion either.

plus many of the meds, i.e. ritalin have horrible side effects for young children. they suppress appetite and children lose weight and consequently have growth problems

I think there are kids who really do need medication for their ADD or ADHD. But I think some drs., parents, teachers are too quick to say just give them some meds. and lets be done with it. One of John's friend's wives teaches 3rd grade and we were talking about this subject. I was shocked at how she looked at things. She didn't come right out and say it but she said it in a round about way that she had too many kids to sit there and deal with a kid acting up so if meds. would calm them down then so be it. In my ideal world parents, teacher, and drs. would work together but like I said that is my ideal world.

and i'm sure i'm about to offend someone but frankly alot of the parents that have their children on ritalin and the other drugs for add/adhd are just to lazy/unwilling to discipline their children.


Yes that is true in some cases but not all cases. some parents do try to discipline to no avail. so thats when i think it might become necessary to medicate them so that they can learn from their discipline. my ex husband and i tried time outs and spankings and withdrawing privileges and nothing was working. every time we put him in a corner in time out he would keep getting up and just wouldnt stay there and every time he did that i would keep putting him back in time out and starting it over again. so time outs didnt work on him and then spankings didnt work on him either. he just wasnt receptive to anything we did. so i dont feel like we were lazy in putting him on the medicine just so we wouldnt have to deal with it. we did our part. i think mostly it lies in the teachers because they dont want to deal with it. and the doctors cause they just want the money. they could care less about what the parents have to go thru day after day after day. doing homework with my oldest son in 4th grade was a complete nightmare. i just did not have the proper methods to teach him because i was still learning how to deal with a child with ADHD and learning problems. so yes that statement bothers me a little.

I also wanted to say that when I refused the meds. I did leave the door open that meds. may be the only way to help her. I would not have been ashamed or embarrassed and hope Breanna wouldn't have been either. But I think 2 is too young to put a child on meds. like that when there have been no tests done to even see if that is what is absolutley needed to be done. Running tests to make sure the kid has ADD or ADHD should be done no matter what the age though. Cat, my mom had a friend whose son has ADD. He put him a vocational school instead of high shool to teach him a trade. His son wasn't open to college and had actually refused school until he was put in that school. It turned out to be really good for him. He graduated and learned how to be an auto mechanic at the same time. They also helped find him a job.

you are right that for some kids discipline at home doesn't work. that's why i said many not all. i never meant to imply that you were lazy/unwilling to try other options. but many parents/educators/school systems are. they don't want to work on it they want a quick fix. also like i said there are children that truly do have add/adhd but many don't.

I also wanted to say that when I refused the meds. I did leave the door open that meds. may be the only way to help her. I would not have been ashamed or embarrassed and hope Breanna wouldn't have been either. But I think 2 is too young to put a child on meds. like that when there have been no tests done to even see if that is what is absolutley needed to be done. Running tests to make sure the kid has ADD or ADHD should be done no matter what the age though. Cat, my mom had a friend whose son has ADD. He put him a vocational school instead of high shool to teach him a trade. His son wasn't open to college and had actually refused school until he was put in that school. It turned out to be really good for him. He graduated and learned how to be an auto mechanic at the same time. They also helped find him a job.



oh i definitely agree that age 2 is way to young to start a child on that type of medicine and that they should be thoroughly evaluated by a physcologist and a behavioural physician as well.


well we had thought about the trade school for our son but dang it he cant even check his own fluids in his cars and his dad has tried to show him how to do it and my current husband has tried to show him how to do it. i know some people would say he is just lazy and maybe thats part of it but its not just be sheer lazy either. my middle son is going to school right now to learn to be an auto mechanic and he loves it and he doesnt even have ADHD. so we just dont know what to do with our oldest son. i love him to death and want to help him but we just dont know how to do it. he is a good kid but just needs something more than what everyone has been trying to do for him. he needs some professional guidance i think.

you are right that for some kids discipline at home doesn't work. that's why i said many not all. i never meant to imply that you were lazy/unwilling to try other options. but many parents/educators/school systems are. they don't want to work on it they want a quick fix. also like i said there are children that truly do have add/adhd but many don't.


i so agree with you there. but with this disorder there is no quick fix im afraid. its a hard battle to fight sometimes with this. i think all parents with kids with this disorder should take a class on how to help their kids cope and how to deal with this. i was on a board for ADHD for adults too because my ex hubby thinks he had it growing up and after reading a book about it i think thats what part of my problem is too and yes its kinda depressing to find out about yourself but at least it gives us answers as to why we have trouble learning ourselves but there are ways to cope and to compensate for our problems which i am so grateful for. and some of us who have this disorder suffer from low self esteem because we dont feel that we are smart enough in this world and that the world looks down on people with ADHD or ADD. thats why i have such a heart for the kids that truly have this disorder and have trouble functioning because of it and my heart goes out to the parents that have to deal with a issue like this too.

:agree
dh has been 'diagnosed' with it. he is able to keep attention at stuff, but usually only stuff that interests him. the navy apparently ignored it when he enlisted, along with his acl surgery

I do not know a lot about it, but from what I hear and see, it does seem like parents are too quick to jump the gun and medicate just b/c their too lazy to deal w/ behavior issues.

I do think there ARE children & adults who do need medication though.

Sometimes kids are just kids...Lots of energy w/ no outlets :no

I agree 100% I think it is a cop out diagnosis. NOT ALL The time, but entirely too frequently.

In the late 90's the over diagnosed mental illness was bi-polar disorder. Everyone who had a heartbeat and went to a psychologist came out diagnosed with it.

Well, I knew someone that was on meds for one of those and it made him a total different person. I didn't like the "new" him. He was always bored and didn't want to do anything. He's a kid, he should want to do everything! But I didn't live with him, so I don't know the whole before story. But I don't think I could put my child on any meds.

the side effects are horrible.

Just wanted to add to this. My brother and I both were diagnosed with ADHD. I myself have a really hard time focusing and often loose track of stuff or forget stuff and sometimes I get in trouble at work for it. However, I refuse to take medication, the stuff really messes with you ritalin, clonadine, buspar, its all crap, I'd much rather struggle everyday then take that stuff. It either knocks you out, makes you sick to your stomach, or makes you so hyper that you spaz out all the time.

I believe that ADHD is just being oversensitive to stimulus. Thats why it is so hard to focus, but when I do focus especially on stuff that interests me like my school work or video games I hyperfocus and tend to get lost in them and can waste hours. I just think that as we become more aware of the human mind and development patterns we begin to notice that certain people are different. As far as ADHD goes its doable without med's. I was the first case to be diagnosed in houston, tx they had a big special on it with my riding my bike around and some dr. talking about ADHD. All the docs said i'd never make it out of high school without meds thats how bad I was with this. They put me in special ed classes and I went through about 17 different elementry schools, but eventually I just learned to control it.

IMHO, I think that meds are awful and just suppress what is natural. For other disorders like dislexia, bi-polar, and such medicine is good, but there is no chemical imbalance with adhd just a difference in how the brain functions all the meds do is down the kid enough that his/her brain slows down.

Enough about that just my thoughts on a topic I am very passionate about.

Just wanted to add to this. My brother and I both were diagnosed with ADHD. I myself have a really hard time focusing and often loose track of stuff or forget stuff and sometimes I get in trouble at work for it. However, I refuse to take medication, the stuff really messes with you ritalin, clonadine, buspar, its all crap, I'd much rather struggle everyday then take that stuff. It either knocks you out, makes you sick to your stomach, or makes you so hyper that you spaz out all the time.

I believe that ADHD is just being oversensitive to stimulus. Thats why it is so hard to focus, but when I do focus especially on stuff that interests me like my school work or video games I hyperfocus and tend to get lost in them and can waste hours. I just think that as we become more aware of the human mind and development patterns we begin to notice that certain people are different. As far as ADHD goes its doable without med's. I was the first case to be diagnosed in houston, tx they had a big special on it with my riding my bike around and some dr. talking about ADHD. All the docs said i'd never make it out of high school without meds thats how bad I was with this. They put me in special ed classes and I went through about 17 different elementry schools, but eventually I just learned to control it.

IMHO, I think that meds are awful and just suppress what is natural. For other disorders like dislexia, bi-polar, and such medicine is good, but there is no chemical imbalance with adhd just a difference in how the brain functions all the meds do is down the kid enough that his/her brain slows down.

Enough about that just my thoughts on a topic I am very passionate about.



oh i agree about the medicine part. i dont take any meds for it either. i used to but i dont like taking medicine for many things either. i would rather learn the skills to cope without having to rely on medicine too. and i dont think this is a cop out for some people. i think for some it might be but for those of us who truly have it its not a cop out. i agree with you when you said some of the side effects to taking medicine are a whole lot worse than just learning to deal with it. but let me ask you this. my son is really suffering in the job dept, how do you learn to cope as a man with this as far as keeping a job. and then how to teach him to be financially responsible too like keeping up with his checkbook and bills. those are the things that i want him to learn. if i can learn it i know he can, i guess he has just got to want to do it too. but thank you so much for taking the time to share your feelings on the issue and i applaud you for being able to cope with this without taking meds.

Honestly I don't doubt it has something to do with all the mass media we have now. Children constantly need to be entertained because they've always been constantly entertained. I don't believe that TV alone is responsible but the fact that so many kids aren't expected to entertain themselves and be created. They constantly have things in their face, TV, DVDs, computers, etc. etc.

And not that every kid is going to respond to this by developing ADD/ADHD. I'm sure there's probably a genetic propensity for developing such a disorder. I strongly think that doctors are too quick to medicate something that can be dealt with many times with diet, routines, etc.

Honestly I don't doubt it has something to do with all the mass media we have now. Children constantly need to be entertained because they've always been constantly entertained. I don't believe that TV alone is responsible but the fact that so many kids aren't expected to entertain themselves and be created. They constantly have things in their face, TV, DVDs, computers, etc. etc.

And not that every kid is going to respond to this by developing ADD/ADHD. I'm sure there's probably a genetic propensity for developing such a disorder. I strongly think that doctors are too quick to medicate something that can be dealt with many times with diet, routines, etc.


watching TV does not develop ADHD/ADD it is a genetic problem for alot of people and i dont know what it is about people that have ADHD/ADD but they for some reason can pay better attention to the tube then in learning their school work and i think it might have something to do with when you are watching tv the screen is always changing so you dont have to focus for long periods like you do when you are in school and im sure it has alot to do with certain types of stimulation too. thats one thing i never quite understood about people who truly have ADHD and how they can watch TV and play video games and get so engrossed in it but yet when it comes to learning things we need to function in life like going to school or getting an education or learning how to balance a checkbook , etc... thats where some people have problems. sometimes I just dont get it. people that truly have ADHD or ADD have to work at being organized and staying on a schedule. i think thats what alot of kids need these days is a schedule which would include limiting their TV time and video game playing time and have them do other things like being creative in other areas.

oh i agree about the medicine part. i dont take any meds for it either. i used to but i dont like taking medicine for many things either. i would rather learn the skills to cope without having to rely on medicine too. and i dont think this is a cop out for some people. i think for some it might be but for those of us who truly have it its not a cop out. i agree with you when you said some of the side effects to taking medicine are a whole lot worse than just learning to deal with it. but let me ask you this. my son is really suffering in the job dept, how do you learn to cope as a man with this as far as keeping a job. and then how to teach him to be financially responsible too like keeping up with his checkbook and bills. those are the things that i want him to learn. if i can learn it i know he can, i guess he has just got to want to do it too. but thank you so much for taking the time to share your feelings on the issue and i applaud you for being able to cope with this without taking meds.


Well as far as the job department. I have to work my but off, I literally make a list of everything and I put a time by it because if I don't I will forget to do it. My life at work is very very regulated I think that is why I am so unorganized at home because I am so organized at work. But that's the secret, I sit down and really have to focus, every morning I get to work early and make a list and times to do stuff then I focus on each task one at a time until it is done. The job market is tough I am preparing to get out of the military right now and that takes alot of foucs.

As far as the the money goes. I have a wonderful woman who takes care of the finances before I met her my ex wife still had a 200 dollar a month allotment coming out of my account I didn't even know about, some think its cause were lazy but we just don't think about it or get sidetracked. The best bet for him would be to keep a ledger and all receipts thats what we do. I try to ask before I spend money. It's hard when your so forgetful, but it just means we have to try harder. Plus like I said I am lucky in that rach does all the money stuff for me.

Honestly I don't doubt it has something to do with all the mass media we have now. Children constantly need to be entertained because they've always been constantly entertained. I don't believe that TV alone is responsible but the fact that so many kids aren't expected to entertain themselves and be created. They constantly have things in their face, TV, DVDs, computers, etc. etc.

And not that every kid is going to respond to this by developing ADD/ADHD. I'm sure there's probably a genetic propensity for developing such a disorder. I strongly think that doctors are too quick to medicate something that can be dealt with many times with diet, routines, etc.

When I was a kid I spent 90% of the day outdoors, same with my brother how do you explain us developing really bad cases of ADHD then?

Well as far as the job department. I have to work my but off, I literally make a list of everything and I put a time by it because if I don't I will forget to do it. My life at work is very very regulated I think that is why I am so unorganized at home because I am so organized at work. But that's the secret, I sit down and really have to focus, every morning I get to work early and make a list and times to do stuff then I focus on each task one at a time until it is done. The job market is tough I am preparing to get out of the military right now and that takes alot of foucs.

As far as the the money goes. I have a wonderful woman who takes care of the finances before I met her my ex wife still had a 200 dollar a month allotment coming out of my account I didn't even know about, some think its cause were lazy but we just don't think about it or get sidetracked. The best bet for him would be to keep a ledger and all receipts thats what we do. I try to ask before I spend money. It's hard when your so forgetful, but it just means we have to try harder. Plus like I said I am lucky in that rach does all the money stuff for me.



yes you are very lucky to have Rach on your side. i know how to organize my self too and i have to write alot of to do lists down so i think that might help my son out too and with the money and everything. thanks for your info Phil. its very much appreciated. i just want my son to be able to do this without the help of meds. i think at his age right now he should be able to do it without ever having to go back on medicine.

I don't know.......I mean ADD and ADHD could have been around for years but just didn't GO diagnosed because no one knew that these disorders existed KWIM? Now that we do know that they exist they might be getting diagnosed properly? Or people could be quick to jump as needing a definition for their children's behavior?

I don't know.

Honestly we are heading down this path right now.........my youngest is starting to show some signs of ADHD. He definitely will need early intervention and we are just waiting on the paperwork to get things rolling. I am sure his speech delay has alot to do with his frustration, but there are other things that happen daily that are just completely not related to speech. It's been interesting for sure. I parent the same, but man this kid is NOT the same. It will be a learning experience for me to adjust my parenting to his behavior and needs.

Honestly I say whatever works for you and your child. Not all cases of ADD/ADHD are the same either.....they fall all over the spectrum and thus it is hard to say whether or not medicating children is bad.....because it might work fantastic for one child or not for another.

If my son comes back ADD/ADHD will I medicate him? Definitely not now.........but if it persists and helps him would I? Yes. My youngest brother has ADD. My mom always said something was different. He kind of floated in his own world his entire life without focus.......my mom would mention it to his teachers and they'd say "well he just needs to get his energy out" The kid played sports like there was no end........he was very active........but that wasn't the problem. His first year of college was terrible....he couldn't get it together. He went into see a physician on campus and the DR said "You have ADD" (of course after several visits etc) and prescribed medicine for him. I think he's on adderall? I can't remember. Anyway he said once he took it he noticed results immediately. He said it was like his entire brain was all over the place......like he'd hear conversations all over and notice everything and couldn't focus on one thing.....but with the meds he was totally able to calm down. He said it is SO amazing to him. He was able to do well and is ready to graduate in December. The changes have been nothing but positive for him.

So I think medication does work, but I also think that it can't be the only answer KWIM?

Anyway......i rambled alot. I had alot of coffee today!

No no thanks for sharing that with us. thats great that he is doing so well now.

I agree...I also find it ridiculous that so many parents whose children need the medicine find it ok to only give the child the medication while they are in school.


Why do you think this?

ADHD is not caused by watching too much tv, nor by not playing outside, nor is it genetic. It is a chemical deficiency in the brain. Diabetics have a chemical deficiency and take meds to control that because if they do not they can die. ADHD is only replacing the chemicals that are naturally in the brain but are missing. Kids wont die from not being medicated but their life can suffer.

ADHD has been around for a LONG time. It has only recently been named and the name has changed quite a few times. I believe as long as the kid has been tested correctly then the diagnosis is right. However, I do not agree to just going to the dr and them saying “here, try this and see if he acts better”

Why is it being diagnosed more? Well because the medical field exploded and they are researching MANY diseases and conditions to find origins and cures.


Yes I do think some parents want to medicate their children so they are more controllable. Yes I think teachers want kids medicated so their high capacity classrooms are calmer. Yes I think more kids are medicated than need to be.

When I was a kid I spent 90% of the day outdoors, same with my brother how do you explain us developing really bad cases of ADHD then?

Just curious to know if you were ever on meds and if so how did you get into the Navy. This is NOT a rude question but my dh has been a recruiter for almost 6 years total and has NEVER been able to get a kid in that ever took meds for add or adhd.

Having worked in the Child Education Field for years.....

I can say I have seen Teachers push the ADD / ADHD thing on parents.....as well as parents come in to specifically ask.

Yes I do think that medication is being OVER prescribed and other methods are not being dealt with.

I have seen kids who were full of energy and fun loving....go into zoombie mode.


There are kids who are in need of medicine.....but I think the percentage is alot lower than who receives it.

Just curious to know if you were ever on meds and if so how did you get into the Navy. This is NOT a rude question but my dh has been a recruiter for almost 6 years total and has NEVER been able to get a kid in that ever took meds for add or adhd.


I was on alot of meds. As far as the navy is concerned though, I have never broken any bones, seen any doctors, or been on any meds.

I was on alot of meds. As far as the navy is concerned though, I have never broken any bones, seen any doctors, or been on any meds.
Holly SHIT :wow Your recruiter must have had balls the size of earth because that shit gets you automatically kicked out now.

Phil, I would edit that.

I don't trust some of the people on here. Who knows what they could do, but just edit it, please.

ETA: Well, nevermind since someone quoted it.

Oh well...4 more months, right?

well i kinda believe that genetics do account for it getting passed from parent to child at times. and if it isnt genetics then how do you explain it when both parents have either mild cases or a little more than a mild case of it and then their child gets it. my ex and i have 2 children and i know my ex had it to more of a degree than i did my only problems have been on the quieter side of it more like ADD and not the ADHD i had more of a problem focusing and i had some learning differences to and notice i didnt say learning disabilties either because i think all kids are able to learn something so thats why i said differences cause everyone learns things in different ways. i started out going to school at a montessori school because thats where my parents sent me and according to them i did great and apparently it matched my learning style but when we moved to a area where i had to go to public school i kinda got lost so to speak to where i had trouble learning from lectures and books. i learn best by doing things hands on and not just book learning. so April if you could explain that to me to where i can understand how its not genetics i would appreciate that. i do agree with it being a chemical imbalance though, but is that something that can be passed down from parent to child without it being genetics?

Phil, I would edit that.

I don't trust some of the people on here. Who knows what they could do, but just edit it, please.

ETA: Well, nevermind since someone quoted it.

Oh well...4 more months, right?

Rach Phil CANNOT get into trouble if he told the recruiter PERIOD. The only one that would/should be nervous is the dirty ass recruiter who put him in.

April if you could explain that to me to where i can understand how its not genetics i would appreciate that.

Perhaps I should have said it is not PROVEN to be genetics. They have found nothing in the genetic code that causes ADHD. Does not mean that is it not there. We just do not have that link yet.

Also, some families only have a hand full of adhd kids and other families have none, while still some have almost everyone.

Oh ok well thanks for elaborating on that. i know what you mean though because you can have parents that neither one of them have it yet one of their children have it and maybe the rest dont have it. kinda weird but i do agree 100% that it is a chemical imbalance. i just wasnt totally sure if part of it was genetics too. but thank you for answering that for me

I don't believe Phil has that (not saying your lying, I just don't agree w/ the dr's). Just like I told him before. I think he was just a very active kid. If he does have it, he does a damn good job at hiding it, other than his tendencies to be forgetful :lol

well he may or may not have it Rach but if he does he may only have a very mild case which is better than having a more severe case. mine is all in how my brain does or doesnt process things the way i want it to LOL.. i hate the fact that my brain doesnt function as normally as it could. but i sure as heck do not want to take any meds for it again.

well he may or may not have it Rach but if he does he may only have a very mild case which is better than having a more severe case. mine is all in how my brain does or doesnt process things the way i want it to LOL.. i hate the fact that my brain doesnt function as normally as it could. but i sure as heck do not want to take any meds for it again.


Maybe he had it bad when he was younger and has learned to adapt w/ it and control it (which he did state) but I really never notice it. I actually forgot all about it until I read his first reply...

oh i agree with that Rach he has learned to adapt as he grew older and thats why i was saying i think my son should be able to do the same. making lists help LOL and checking them off as you get things done helps too. i think Phil hit it right on the head when he said that. although i have lists all over the place cause i can be pretty forgetful myself LOL oh and i try to laugh at myself too instead of being down about it. yeah i wish i was smarter and that my brain worked better but at least i can laugh about it. LOL

I was diagnosed with ADD the 9th grade. I had to go and do all these test to make sure and all this crap. They gave me medication and I was a totally diffrent kid. I lost 35lbs in 2 wks b/c Ridalin(sp) took away my appetite. I was on it for 2 years when I felt I didn't need it anymore. Again I went through some test and they came to the conclution that I "grew out of it" I think that's BS. I don't know how someone grows out of a learning disorder. I believe I still have it as an 11th grader I didn't know what I wanted and should of never been taken off. I think ADHD is something much diffrent. Most kids with that are "hyper" can't sit still kind of kids. Just because your child is hyper doens't mean they are ADHD. Kids need to be tested. There are many diffrent test that they do. Dr's and parents I think are too quick to medicate these children.

No trust me Jess you do not grow out of it. but the ritalin didnt seem to have an effect on my sons weight. and yes ADHD is a bit different but when they say hyper it doesnt necessarily mean a kid who is literally climbing the walls either. it just means that they just cant sit still long enough to focus to pay attention. with the ones with just ADD then we just have the problem of not being able to focus and process certain information

ADD and ADHD I believe are over diagnosed and doctors and parents are way too quick to put children on medication.

I think there are a couple things going on:

1) They are diagnosing better than in past decades.
2) It is easy to meet the criterion, compared with other things like schizophrenia, for example, so there may be a higher rate of misdiagnosis.
3) A lot of kids are active and impulsive like that are suffering from bad parenting and get diagnosed with ADHD.

I work w/ so many parents that just want to medicate their kids and not work on the behavior modification and parenting aspects. Yes, some kids really function a lot better with medication. Other kids we will never know because the parents will not try behavioral therapy or provide their kids w/ a structured home life to see if their behaviors improve.

4) In order to get reimbursed for treatment with kids, they need a diagnosis, and as I said before ADHD is easy to diagnose. Some people will diagnose the kids w/ ADHD just so they can keep working with them.