I believe the issue does not necessarily lie in the diagnosis of ADHD itself, but in the nature of the symptoms of the disorder being so relatable for so many people. This relatability makes it easy for doctors to make a diagnosis without necessarily taking the broader picture into consideration. |

I am sitting in a barren, square room. It smells like someone is burning a candle called “Cozy Home” to try and make people comfortable but in reality it smells like saran wrap: sterile, forced, and suffocating. I am visiting a Psychiatrist regarding my increasing concern about my mental health and my performance in school. For days I have been trolling the internet searching for something to explain my apathy, the fact that I cannot seem to get up in the morning until my ride for school is in my driveway. Why I am unable to get a good grade on any Chemistry assignment, despite how desperately I train my attention to the front of class, to the board that seems to move further and further away from me each day, no matter how hard I listen. That I can’t remember assignments or even notice that they have been assigned.
My dad tells me it’s ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder. He sounds sure because he has recently been diagnosed himself, and he says it has explained the challenges in his life perfectly, that it has given a name to his shadow. It’s provided the foundation he needed to work on himself. “It is also genetic,” he doesn’t forget to point out. I have a feeling that what I’m experiencing is depression, partially because my mother is not sure if she believes ADHD exists (as it is defined), and since she is a Psychologist and the one who has predominantly raised me, I believe her. Also because depression is curable and ADHD is not, I think I must be depressed.
A small, Asian man enters the room, his hips almost unbelievably narrow. I can see that he has to fold his pants over significantly beneath his belt to keep them up. He hardly looks me in the eye. He shakes my hand as though mine is a china cup, and his a dead fish. Roughly an hour and a half later, we have deduced that I am both depressed, and have ADHD. Although, he says he would like to first address the depression, to see if that alleviates some of my ADHD symptoms. I am confused; if I have ADHD, how can treating my depression alleviate some of the symptoms? I thought ADHD wasn’t curable. How can treating one disorder also treat the other? This is how I began to wonder about the labeling of ADHD, and the quickness with which both the diagnoses and treatment plan is given.
When I went to my general practitioner to discuss my medication plan, it took him less than 30 minutes to prescribe me 20 mg of extended release Adderall daily. He did so with a wide, toothy smile, and an air of indifference. My mom did not like this. She wanted to help me, she said, she did not like this but she was willing to support me trying it out. We were both skeptical, but reassured again and again by the smiling, white toothed doctor that it is the starting dose for most teenagers prescribed, and there is nothing to worry about. Something about his white coat, fancy computer, and authoritative title made us believe him.
In retrospect, our willingness to go along with him frightens me, and points towards a larger question: How many families are experiencing these same kinds of challenges and being rushed into medication as a solution? When I tried the Adderall, I felt extremely altered. My appetite disappeared along with my desire to socialize at all, and my sleep patterns were affected greatly. It was taking me longer to fall asleep and I was more exhausted when I woke up. That is, until I took my medicine. After about a month, I stopped taking the Adderall. I felt hazy and odd for a few days, but eventually everything went back to feeling normal, including my appetite for food and socialization, and my ability to sleep soundly.
Now, about two years later, I have moved in with my dad. He believes strongly in the existence of ADHD (especially in himself and me), but does not dispute the suggestion that it is highly over diagnosed. This is because of a lack of investigation as to what other factors may be influencing the appearance of ADHD symptoms, especially in children. According to the DMS IV(psychologists guidebook to diagnosing mental illnesses and disorders), only six of the eighteen symptoms listed must be present for an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder diagnoses to be made. ADHD is comprised of two factors: Inattention and hyperactivity. Some of the symptoms of inattention include: Failing to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes, avoiding or disliking tasks requiring a lot of thinking, and having difficulty with organization. If you ask any teenager, chances are they may be able to identify with these symptoms. Some of the symptoms of hyperactivity include: Having difficulty remaining seating, difficulty in engaging in activities quietly, and difficulty waiting or taking turns. Does that sounds like a description of an average 5, 6, 7 or even 8 year old? It does to me.
What I am pointing out here is that it is easy for doctors to identify these symptoms in many people, specifically young people, and instead of looking at the impact of other factors such as diet, amount of exercise, amount of time spent watching TV, surfing the internet, using cell phones, or even the existence of other mental illnesses and disorders, they can simply diagnose those people with ADHD. This is dangerous because it can lead to the potential acceptance of treatment for a disorder you may not have, such as prescriptions to stimulant drugs like Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse (all of which have an extremely high potential for addiction and abuse). Also, when you can blame everything on a diagnosis, especially a false one, it essentially promotes a disregard for a close examination of every factor in your life that may be contributing to the challenges you are facing. There may be instances where a change in diet and exercise routine can alleviate the ADHD-like symptoms you may be experiencing, but if you are simply offered a diagnosis and a prescription to Adderall, there is no apparent reason to look past that.
However, the appellation of ADHD in people like my dad (who has exhibited nearly every single symptom for ADHD listed in the DSM IV) can also be life saving. It can put a name and sense of understanding to the otherwise ambiguous, seemingly gargantuan challenges faced daily. Instead of my dad attributing his (sometimes) inability to grasp a sense of time, organization, and reliability to his personal disposition, he has a sense that it has something to do with the situation he was born into, and therefore he can be more forgiving with himself. It is impossible to move forward and grow if we are constantly reminding ourselves of how often we mess up, with no explanation. Now that my dad has an understanding of the manifestation of ADHD in himself, he has the proper foundation from which he can seek help. I have also experienced this for myself. Although I have been wary of the way I received my diagnosis, and the speed with which I was prescribed a serious dose of stimulants, I recognize the benefits of putting a name to what I struggle with. It allows for me to have access to a multitude of research and literature regarding how to live with these specific challenges, and it gives me more room to be forgiving with myself, and therefore more room to grow.
With this in mind, I believe the issue does not necessarily lie in the diagnosis of ADHD itself, but in the nature of the symptoms of the disorder being so relatable for so many people. This relatability makes it easy for doctors to make a diagnosis without necessarily taking the broader picture into consideration. It also lies in the ease with which a prescription to hardcore stimulants follows a diagnosis, with a complete disregard for the other factors that may be contributing to the appearance of challenging ADHD-like symptoms. I have no solution for this tricky issue, I just have hope that individuals faced with a diagnosis of ADHD take the time to do their research. That they make an effort to investigate each corner of their life for things that could be contributing to their challenges before writing off everything as a mental illness and jumping into a hardcore pharmaceutical treatment that may not be right for them.
My dad tells me it’s ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder. He sounds sure because he has recently been diagnosed himself, and he says it has explained the challenges in his life perfectly, that it has given a name to his shadow. It’s provided the foundation he needed to work on himself. “It is also genetic,” he doesn’t forget to point out. I have a feeling that what I’m experiencing is depression, partially because my mother is not sure if she believes ADHD exists (as it is defined), and since she is a Psychologist and the one who has predominantly raised me, I believe her. Also because depression is curable and ADHD is not, I think I must be depressed.
A small, Asian man enters the room, his hips almost unbelievably narrow. I can see that he has to fold his pants over significantly beneath his belt to keep them up. He hardly looks me in the eye. He shakes my hand as though mine is a china cup, and his a dead fish. Roughly an hour and a half later, we have deduced that I am both depressed, and have ADHD. Although, he says he would like to first address the depression, to see if that alleviates some of my ADHD symptoms. I am confused; if I have ADHD, how can treating my depression alleviate some of the symptoms? I thought ADHD wasn’t curable. How can treating one disorder also treat the other? This is how I began to wonder about the labeling of ADHD, and the quickness with which both the diagnoses and treatment plan is given.
When I went to my general practitioner to discuss my medication plan, it took him less than 30 minutes to prescribe me 20 mg of extended release Adderall daily. He did so with a wide, toothy smile, and an air of indifference. My mom did not like this. She wanted to help me, she said, she did not like this but she was willing to support me trying it out. We were both skeptical, but reassured again and again by the smiling, white toothed doctor that it is the starting dose for most teenagers prescribed, and there is nothing to worry about. Something about his white coat, fancy computer, and authoritative title made us believe him.
In retrospect, our willingness to go along with him frightens me, and points towards a larger question: How many families are experiencing these same kinds of challenges and being rushed into medication as a solution? When I tried the Adderall, I felt extremely altered. My appetite disappeared along with my desire to socialize at all, and my sleep patterns were affected greatly. It was taking me longer to fall asleep and I was more exhausted when I woke up. That is, until I took my medicine. After about a month, I stopped taking the Adderall. I felt hazy and odd for a few days, but eventually everything went back to feeling normal, including my appetite for food and socialization, and my ability to sleep soundly.
Now, about two years later, I have moved in with my dad. He believes strongly in the existence of ADHD (especially in himself and me), but does not dispute the suggestion that it is highly over diagnosed. This is because of a lack of investigation as to what other factors may be influencing the appearance of ADHD symptoms, especially in children. According to the DMS IV(psychologists guidebook to diagnosing mental illnesses and disorders), only six of the eighteen symptoms listed must be present for an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder diagnoses to be made. ADHD is comprised of two factors: Inattention and hyperactivity. Some of the symptoms of inattention include: Failing to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes, avoiding or disliking tasks requiring a lot of thinking, and having difficulty with organization. If you ask any teenager, chances are they may be able to identify with these symptoms. Some of the symptoms of hyperactivity include: Having difficulty remaining seating, difficulty in engaging in activities quietly, and difficulty waiting or taking turns. Does that sounds like a description of an average 5, 6, 7 or even 8 year old? It does to me.
What I am pointing out here is that it is easy for doctors to identify these symptoms in many people, specifically young people, and instead of looking at the impact of other factors such as diet, amount of exercise, amount of time spent watching TV, surfing the internet, using cell phones, or even the existence of other mental illnesses and disorders, they can simply diagnose those people with ADHD. This is dangerous because it can lead to the potential acceptance of treatment for a disorder you may not have, such as prescriptions to stimulant drugs like Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse (all of which have an extremely high potential for addiction and abuse). Also, when you can blame everything on a diagnosis, especially a false one, it essentially promotes a disregard for a close examination of every factor in your life that may be contributing to the challenges you are facing. There may be instances where a change in diet and exercise routine can alleviate the ADHD-like symptoms you may be experiencing, but if you are simply offered a diagnosis and a prescription to Adderall, there is no apparent reason to look past that.
However, the appellation of ADHD in people like my dad (who has exhibited nearly every single symptom for ADHD listed in the DSM IV) can also be life saving. It can put a name and sense of understanding to the otherwise ambiguous, seemingly gargantuan challenges faced daily. Instead of my dad attributing his (sometimes) inability to grasp a sense of time, organization, and reliability to his personal disposition, he has a sense that it has something to do with the situation he was born into, and therefore he can be more forgiving with himself. It is impossible to move forward and grow if we are constantly reminding ourselves of how often we mess up, with no explanation. Now that my dad has an understanding of the manifestation of ADHD in himself, he has the proper foundation from which he can seek help. I have also experienced this for myself. Although I have been wary of the way I received my diagnosis, and the speed with which I was prescribed a serious dose of stimulants, I recognize the benefits of putting a name to what I struggle with. It allows for me to have access to a multitude of research and literature regarding how to live with these specific challenges, and it gives me more room to be forgiving with myself, and therefore more room to grow.
With this in mind, I believe the issue does not necessarily lie in the diagnosis of ADHD itself, but in the nature of the symptoms of the disorder being so relatable for so many people. This relatability makes it easy for doctors to make a diagnosis without necessarily taking the broader picture into consideration. It also lies in the ease with which a prescription to hardcore stimulants follows a diagnosis, with a complete disregard for the other factors that may be contributing to the appearance of challenging ADHD-like symptoms. I have no solution for this tricky issue, I just have hope that individuals faced with a diagnosis of ADHD take the time to do their research. That they make an effort to investigate each corner of their life for things that could be contributing to their challenges before writing off everything as a mental illness and jumping into a hardcore pharmaceutical treatment that may not be right for them.