ADD: Can You Fake It 'Till You Make It?

[BvBPL]

There are a number of personality disorders that can be treated or resolved via behavior modification with little pharmaceutical intervention, such as narcissistic personality disorder.

There are also a number of disorders that require pharmaceutical intervention, such as schizophrenia.

Then there's a number of disorders, like depression, that may, in some case, be resolved solely through non-pharmaceutical behavior modification and may, in some case, require pharmaceutical intervention.

Where do you think ADD falls? Can a person overcome ADD strictly through behavior modification?

For the purposes of this, I'd like to focus on adults w/ ADD. However, relevant information on children with ADD and behavior modification is welcomed particularly if such information is relevant on difference between adults and children.

All views are welcome, but I ask that you call out your view points as being based on empirical personal observation, what you read in the media, professional experience, or academic research, or whatever you are basing you views on.

 

[Hygro]

The problem with that question is that ADHD (the official acronym) is less a disorder and more of syndrome. So you'll find that for some persons whose only meaningful dysfuntion comes from "ADHD" as diagnosed, the best treatment for them might be something as "WTH" as antibiotics. There are many infectious diseases that cause non-accute, chronic cognitive impairment. For others, classic dexedrine is the best thing we've got, and for others, more external regimentation or simply living a more high-intensity lifestyle is key. Sometimes instead of a brain neurotransmitter affecter like amphetamine is not actually the most direct treatment, but treating a body hormone like thyroid deficiency is the best direct treatment.

One common link to ADHD is pesticide exposure, which is another way of saying that pesticide poisoning can cause cognitive deficits that can in turn be treated with stimulants. That's pretty weird.

 

[Cutlass]

As a long term sufferer of terminal depression, I have a very skeptical viewpoint concerning how much any of these conditions are treatable. Certainly there have been some successes. But not really all that many.

 

[dusters]

I can answer with a yes. You have to change a lot to achieve it though. Psychotherapy works wonders IF you find the right therapist AND you have crazy determination to change your personality.

 

[Birdjaguar]

The problem with that question is that ADHD (the official acronym) is less a disorder and more of syndrome. So you'll find that for some persons whose only meaningful dysfuntion comes from "ADHD" as diagnosed, the best treatment for them might be something as "WTH" as antibiotics. There are many infectious diseases that cause non-accute, chronic cognitive impairment. For others, classic dexedrine is the best thing we've got, and for others, more external regimentation or simply living a more high-intensity lifestyle is key. Sometimes instead of a brain neurotransmitter affecter like amphetamine is not actually the most direct treatment, but treating a body hormone like thyroid deficiency is the best direct treatment.

One common link to ADHD is pesticide exposure, which is another way of saying that pesticide poisoning can cause cognitive deficits that can in turn be treated with stimulants. That's pretty weird.

We have been exposing ourselves and our children to an exorbitant amount of pesticide and herbicide as we routinely and excessively spray our houses and yards with poisons. We are seeing the effects of our folly.

 

[downtown]

I wouldn't describe cognitive behavior therapy as "faking it til you make it".

 

[Hygro]

I can answer with a yes. You have to change a lot to achieve it though. Psychotherapy works wonders IF you find the right therapist AND you have crazy determination to change your personality.

Crazy determination can mean a lot of things, but willpower is an exhaustible resource and not a trait of moral strength.

The problem with requiring willpower to overcome something like ADHD is that willpower, being an exhaustible energy, and ADHD often being a disorder of reduced cognitive "energy" (often through dopaminergic channels) is that you're trying to fix having less by using more of what you have.

 

[emzie]

I'm of the opinion that ADD is a modern condition. People we would call ADD have always existed, but it only becomes an issue in a society that is punctual and focused. I'm unaware of CBT ever being shown to help with ADD. It's hard to remember to train your brain to remember.

 

[Narz]

ADD is <snip>. It's neither a deficit nor a disorder. People with more typical minds are just jealous & school-systems are not prepared to handle kids too smart or energetic to sit thru their drivel. (edit : contre put it well )

I dislike being easily distractible, irritated by stimuli others can easily block out, finding it takes more time to get focused (terrible for my blitz chess game) but I wouldn't trade my brain for one without these problems as the price would be too great.

The "ADD brain" is simple another adaptation (see information below), calling those who have this difference "deficient" or "disordered" is an insult, plain & simple. Giving kids as young as five amphetamines to "correct" this "problem" I would consider abuse.

I was given Ritalin for five years starting just after I turned seven, which cause numerous side effects - losing my appetite was the main one I can put a finger on, also Ritalin use in early childhood is known to increase suspectability to major depression later in life, which may be a tragedy for the already struggling children who have to deal with being dubbed "deficient" to the point where they need drugs to be "fixed", but it's a boon for pharmaceutical companies.

Interesting reading below about alternative viewpoints about ADD.

http://www.thomhartmann.com/articles/2007/11/adhd-disorder-or-difference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_vs._farmer_hypothesis

One more thing to add - with many disorders people will seek out help because they are suffering. Major depression comes to mind. I suffered pretty much thruout my whole adolescence & young adulthood & was willing to try anything to help myself. For the most part ADD is different. ADD treatment is usually sought out not by the child himself but by adults who "see" a problem in the child. Basically parents or institutions who simply cannot adapt to the child/student & seek to "correct" the student so he can stand out less & be more docile/easier for the family, institution or society to handle. From personal experience I find this labeling & being constantly told you need "correction" to be extremely psychologically damaging, it's literally being told you're inadequate (deficient) and you need to change in order to fit in. Children get enough of this from peers & teachers they don't need their doctors as well telling them they're "disordered" at their very core.

As I said above, I did not like the fact that I very frequently couldn't focus on boring stuff in school (though I generally did well on my tests nonetheless) and often lost coats & bags but I was very happy with my mind and like many "sufferers" I could focus for many hours on things I found enjoyable (playing around with BASIC, computer games, writing, etc.).

I'm certainly not the only person to hold this view.

(not a genuine Bill Waterson comic but very poignant)

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[civ_king]

There are a number of personality disorders that can be treated or resolved via behavior modification with little pharmaceutical intervention, such as narcissistic personality disorder.

There are also a number of disorders that require pharmaceutical intervention, such as schizophrenia.

Then there's a number of disorders, like depression, that may, in some case, be resolved solely through non-pharmaceutical behavior modification and may, in some case, require pharmaceutical intervention.

Where do you think ADD falls? Can a person overcome ADD strictly through behavior modification?

For the purposes of this, I'd like to focus on adults w/ ADD. However, relevant information on children with ADD and behavior modification is welcomed particularly if such information is relevant on difference between adults and children.

All views are welcome, but I ask that you call out your view points as being based on empirical personal observation, what you read in the media, professional experience, or academic research, or whatever you are basing you views on.

Diet modification helps a lot (cut the artificial junk out) as does having an active lifestyle.

The problem with that question is that ADHD (the official acronym) is less a disorder and more of syndrome. So you'll find that for some persons whose only meaningful dysfuntion comes from "ADHD" as diagnosed, the best treatment for them might be something as "WTH" as antibiotics. There are many infectious diseases that cause non-accute, chronic cognitive impairment. For others, classic dexedrine is the best thing we've got, and for others, more external regimentation or simply living a more high-intensity lifestyle is key. Sometimes instead of a brain neurotransmitter affecter like amphetamine is not actually the most direct treatment, but treating a body hormone like thyroid deficiency is the best direct treatment.

One common link to ADHD is pesticide exposure, which is another way of saying that pesticide poisoning can cause cognitive deficits that can in turn be treated with stimulants. That's pretty weird.

I mostly have seen evidence that it is strongly hereditary and lead poisoning can induce it.

I can answer with a yes. You have to change a lot to achieve it though. Psychotherapy works wonders IF you find the right therapist AND you have crazy determination to change your personality.

All personality change got me was soul crushing misery and suicide attempts.

 

[Hygro]

If I had a kid struggling in school with bad ADHD I would pull the kid out of school before medicating, unless they really wanted to take the medication (as older adolescents).

I mostly have seen evidence that it is strongly hereditary and lead poisoning can induce it.

There's no "it". That's my point.

ADHD is a collection of symptoms, which can be caused by anything. Certainly lead poisoning will reduce cognition and functioning which could directly cause, or induce your body to respond with, ADHD symptoms. Hereditary conditions of all types can play a role too. But there's definitely no ADHD gene, less one that get's further exacerbated by lead.

 

[emzie]

Hey, y'all can say what you will, but as long as my adderall keeps being renewed....

 

[Narz]

If I had a kid struggling in school with bad ADHD I would pull the kid out of school before medicating

I applaud that, so many parents get very angry with their child when he/she does not fit in. Changing schools or making personal changes to aid the kid is a lot of work & any parent who does it rather than take the easy route deserves praise.

 

[Hygro]

Hey, y'all can say what you will, but as long as my adderall keeps being renewed....

Although sometimes you gotta shop around with the shortages and all.

 

[emzie]

The stimulants prescribed for ADD are insanely harsh for children. I would only consider it insomuch as to raid my kid's supply.

 

[Hygro]

hahaha that's the spirit

stimulants can stunt growth (mostly or entirely because of the adjustment period into having a decreased appetite I think) but they can also be neuroprotective, so I figure, wait till someone's done growing

 

[Terxpahseyton]

personality change got me was soul crushing misery and suicide attempts.

Yes I think the goal of personality change is extremely delicate and even dangerous.
To change actions, routines etc. is straight-forward enough. Anyone can do that and benefit from that. But if the goal is a personality change, it in effect means that one is in constant conflict with how one feels, which can suck A LOT of energy out of you. Perhaps one tries to deny how one feels or one becomes just increasingly detached from how one feels... that to me seems like a road straight to depression.
However, if one has professional help on this road, all those dangers may be avoided. I don't know. Sounds like a possibility at least. But to do it on ones own while already in a very tough spot... I am sure it can be done, by some, under some conditions, but I am also sure it can easily go very wrong for many under many conditions.

To my knowledge, all efforts to pinpoint a physically continuity for any disorder has failed so far. And that means that all disorders are foremost symptomatic. Not just ADD. And that means that the diagnosis with any of those disorders means in itself not that much.
If a concrete deficiency is detected, then that's a different thing. Then we really have a solid diagnosis. A friend of my family once fairly suddenly got extreme depressed and suicidal. It came like out of nowhere. At the end it was detected he had a grave iron deficiency in his blood and that was it.

In case of schizophrenia the symptoms may be so grave that it is a good idea to at least try medication even if we don't know what it really is, that may be, but that doesn't mean we actually know what it is.

 

[warpus]

Is some of this kids being labelled as being ADHD because they're not paying attention in class and the people who diagnose these things are too lazy to do anything else so they slap an ADHD tag on it and move on?

I mean, when I was a kid a lot of kids in my class had problems paying attention.. but if we didn't pay attention the teacher would hit us (literally), we'd get bad marks, and we'd face the possibility of failing out of school. Yeah, in grade 3. It seems like kids these days are treated like little princes and princesses. It's way easier to pump them full of drugs, so let's just do that.. right?

And I mean, I'm not discounting that ADHD is a real thing. I just think it's probably way overdiagnosed.. I also disagree with the kneejerk "let's just throw drugs at the problem" "solution". It's lead to too many problems.

 

[Farm Boy]

Is some of this kids being labelled as being ADHD because they're not paying attention in class and the people who diagnose these things are too lazy to do anything else so they slap an ADHD tag on it and move on?

I mean, when I was a kid a lot of kids in my class had problems paying attention.. but if we didn't pay attention the teacher would hit us (literally), we'd get bad marks, and we'd face the possibility of failing out of school. Yeah, in grade 3. It seems like kids these days are treated like little princes and princesses. It's way easier to pump them full of drugs, so let's just do that.. right?

And I mean, I'm not discounting that ADHD is a real thing. I just think it's probably way overdiagnosed.. I also disagree with the kneejerk "let's just throw drugs at the problem" "solution". It's lead to too many problems.

Given the massive percentage of male grade school age children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD you would figure we would be looking at trying to fix the problem with our schools rather than trying to fix our boys.

We have been exposing ourselves and our children to an exorbitant amount of pesticide and herbicide as we routinely and excessively spray our houses and yards with poisons. We are seeing the effects of our folly.

Insane the concentrations those get used at in lawncare. I'm less worried about exposure when I see somebody cropdusting than I am seeing a professional lawncare company buzz through.

 

[Core Imposter]

I really frown on using drugs to treat ADD. When I was coming up you'd use a paddle or a switch. That would provoke an emotional response from the child which would alter his or her brain chemistry to treat the condition in the manner God intended.

Spare not the rod.

Instead we randomly inject chemicals in a mostly experimental parody of kindness and wisdom.

And often spoil the child.