I know that a couple of my recent postings have been political in nature, but sometimes I feel like I am still fightly a public opinion battle when it comes to having ADHD. Recently, I found an article on a crusade against mandatory mental health (read that as ADHD) screening in schools which, by the way, I am against. But the arguments used by the crusaders are NOT criticising mandatory testing, they are DEMONIZING the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD.
Below is a link o a document I found the Education Action web site concerning a crusade, lead by Dr. Karen Effrem, against mandatory diagnosis and treatment of Children for “Mental Disorders”, meaning ADHD. The problems is that the arguments she uses against mandatory testing seems to demonize the entire process of diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, which could lead to a backlash against those with the disorder.
First let me say that I am not sure the idea that mandatory screening of children is a good idea. There is a tendency in the medical and community over diagnose conditions that rely on subjective analysis. However, the seven items listed as known facts in Ed Action’s argument are not facts but also subjective statements. While these points of argument help to sway the public away from mandatory screening, they also perpeturate the common belief that mental illness and its treatment is voodoo science and therefore something to be feared.
The damage they are doing with their arguments is, in my opinion, far more damaging than the possible over-prescription of medications to children. The reality of mental illness is that it leads to abuse, and neglect to the very children they are trying to protect.
The arguments demonize our disorders through innuendo that are merely the fodder for their political position. It will damage us all and lead to far greater problems then over medication.. Dr. Karen Effrem’s crusade may be helping prevent mandatory screening, but her arguments are being used by well meaning do-gooders, such as Tom Cruise, to demonize the treatment of all mental disorders including ADHD and chronic depression.
There is no way to prove or disprove any of ther seven arguments, provided below, at this time because the definition of over-diagnosed and over-prescribed is purely subjective. As we know, recent findings of both neurological and genetic evidence of disorders such as ADHD are on the verge of countering their arguments.on subjective diagnosis.
In my opinion, the real issue here is that the medical community, lead by Dr. Effrem, is attacking itself, both on its practices and ethics. Once you get through all of her political rhetoric, Dr. Effrem is say that the medical community cannot be trusted, period and therefore, mandatory diagnosis and treatment is a bad idea. There may be some truth this. Many of us have heard rumors of unethical physicians that prescribe unneeded medications for compensation by the pharmiceudical industry. But rather that raise the issue that her peers may include a a significant number of liars and cheats who can’t be trusted, she chooses to demonize the very people she is sworn to help, i.e. patients with crippling mental disorders such as ADHD. I somehow feel like there is a hidden anti ADHD agenda in there somewhere.
I believe we, as an organization, must voice our opinions on Dr. Efferim’s crusade and the specific arguments she makes against mandatory diagnosis. Otherwise, public opinion might sway against ADHD as a valid disorder and send us back to the time when we thought of as lazy and impulsive losers.
Here is the link to the article:
I agree with the concern that many people are following the lead of Tom Cruise in saying that any form of mental or behavioral difficulty can be solved simply with supplements and diet. I think that many can, but ADD and ADHD are not an illusion and many children are truly suffering in school because they are unable to concentrate and noone is taking the time to help them.
The “natural” approach is very difficult, not a simple solution, so doctors and parents are reluctant to try it. What cannot be done is to simply say that a child’s inattentiveness and inability to concentrate should just be ignored as something he will grow out of. This seems to be the implication in the response to the bill that you’re pointing to and can be damaging to many children as well as adults.
We work like a horse.
We eat like a pig.
We like to play chicken.
You can get someone’s goat.
We can be as slippery as a snake.
We get dog tired.
We can be as quiet as a mouse.
We can be as quick as a cat.
Some of us are as strong as an ox.
People try to buffalo others.
Some are as ugly as a toad.
We can be as gentle as a lamb.
Sometimes we are as happy as a lark.
Some of us drink like a fish.
We can be as proud as a peacock.
A few of us are as hairy as a gorilla.
You can get a frog in your throat.
We can be a lone wolf.
But I’m having a whale of a time!
You have a riveting web log
and undoubtedly must have
atypical & quiescent potential
for your intended readership.
May I suggest that you do
everything in your power to
honor your encyclopedic/omniscient
Designer/Architect as well
as your revering audience.
As soon as we acknowledge
this Supreme Designer/Architect,
Who has erected the beauteous
fabric of the universe, our minds
must necessarily be ravished with
wonder at this infinate goodness,
wisdom and power.
Please remember to never
restrict anyone’s opportunities
for ascertaining uninterrupted
existence for their quintessence.
There is a time for everything,
a season for every activity
under heaven. A time to be
born and a time to die. A
time to plant and a time to
harvest. A time to kill and
a time to heal. A time to
tear down and a time to
rebuild. A time to cry and
a time to laugh. A time to
grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones
and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a
time to turn away. A time to
search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to
throw away. A time to tear
and a time to mend. A time
to be quiet and a time to
speak up. A time to love
and a time to hate. A time
for war and a time for peace.
Best wishes for continued ascendancy,
Dr. Howdy
‘Thought & Humor’
P.S. One thing of which I am sure is
that the common culture of my youth
is gone for good. It was hollowed out
by the rise of ethnic “identity politics,”
then splintered beyond hope of repair
by the emergence of the web-based
technologies that so maximized and
facilitated cultural choice as to make
the broad-based offerings of the old
mass media look bland and unchallenging
by comparison.”
{Please note that this letter about your
esteemed site promotes no merchandise -
but is simply a missive of good will to you.}
I began to comment yesterday and my computer froze!!!
Your quest is intriguing, however..it seems to me that you have your inspiration right there with you..lying on your bed as she waits for you to finish writing!
Sweetheart! I can sympathize! I have had it happen to me several times and those times, I’ve felt like throwing things and breaking stuff – kinda like the Incredible Hulk on the rampage. It can be so damned frustrating.
Idiot computer glitches.
Paul
Oh my goodness Gregg. This is a heavy heavy post. But you write about it so beautifully and eloquently.
Your words are words to live by!
That’s great that you get to be creative from time to time(^_^) Let me know when your first book comes out!
Your words and thoughts are always appreciated. I am glad you found my blog somehow, it has opened my eyes to see the world through your eyes as well. Which is a beautiful place.
That sucks about your parents. I can kind of relate. I live ACROSS THE STREET from my Dad and step-mother and haven’t seen them in…..3 weeks. I’ve offered supper, lunch, SNACKS. Nada.
Oh well….
I was considering joining the crew of HNT participants. After some thought, I realized that I would run out of toes and fingers and knees and eyebrows and start resorting to shoulders and hips and bellybutton and butt. Unless I had someone living with me who could take my picture at a different angle every week, all I could do to vary the shots is change my toenail polish. I’m certainly not getting nekkid.
There’s also self portrait day. http://www.selfportraitday.com/about/
Some people put their creative self portraits as a post once a week.
Wow you are way better at keeping up at your blog than I am. I didn’t even think anyone would read mine.
Wow, I was so hooked with this post, Gregg! It’s the textbook! I wish I had a story like this to understand digital technologies better while I was studying IT programme.
You are the textbook! Brilliant!
Good for you.
Who cares what other people think. It’s you blog.
LOVE IT!
I have the opposite problem. I feel like half the products out there are targeted DIRECTLY AT ME. I was really uncomfortable when I realized that I’d suddenly become a 30-something, disposable-income-having desireable demographic.
I preferred being obscure, thank you. I liked it better when I didn’t want any of the crap out there. Wanting it is much worse than not being able to find anything to buy.
I think it’s awesome your characters are moving you. If they move you, they may be likely to move readers too, and then you might just end up with a best seller on your hands, and I can tell my MIL in some future checkout aisle that “I left a comment on that guy’s blog once, the guy who wrote that book right there,” and seriously, how cool would that be? (For me, of course.)
Wow…. I could probably set the mouse traps but I don’t wanna find out how they turn out. I mean you have to “see” dead mice in order to finish the procedure…. I could pass out or something. Yes, it’s very queer of me.
My highlight of the day was I won 10,000 yen for the lotto I bought. It’s almost 90 U.S. Dollars. I only spent a buck to buy it.
I am going to buy a nice bottle of wine tomrorow. 
Codependency can be a viciouos circle. You’re to be commended for your self-awareness and concern for others. It’s refreshing to see adults who take responsibility for their actions, even when those actions were beyond normal control.
As a teacher who has taught MANY kids with ADHD, I would always get angry when their parents told me, “He has ADHD, he can’t focus”. My answer was, “He CAN focus; he just needs some help and patience in learning how.”
None of my dogs would ever drop the squirrel. They’d totally maul it to death, then fight over the corpse.
They only eat the bunnies, and only one of ‘em is clever enough to actually catch any bunnies.