This is in the CT section, because I think ADHD is a myth peddled by big pharma to lazy parents via overworked doctors.
Also, the following section is from my book (I used to link to my webpage in my sig, but took it out when I traced a vandal to this site. but anyway, I´ve written a book)
NOTE! Please do not quote or copy any of this OP in the replies...well, only small bits. (copyright issues etc)
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...Common behavioural traits in children are now being treated with drugs. Ritalin is one of the most popular, along with a cocktail of anti-depressants (side effect – depression!).
...Eli Lilly produced a drug called Strattera, which was turned down by the FDA as an anti-depressant. Later, it was, for some reason, accepted as treatment for ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
In August 2004, Eli Lilly helpfully produced a pamphlet, which found itself in the waiting rooms of GPs, called the “ADHD Information booklet”. It was designed to help people understand why medication is necessary, although cynics believe it was simply an effort to increase sales (Eli Lilly’s revenue in 2006 was $14.5 billion). The innocent sounding word “Lilly” appears on each page.
Children are the primary targets of this particular medication – or perhaps their lazy parents, who had their children by accident and do not really want to take proper care of them.
This twenty-page pamphlet, with pictures of children laughing and playing on every other page, is worth a close look.
We are immediately told that ADHD is “one of the most common behavioural disorders of childhood and adolescence”, even though it was unheard of two decades ago. I was studying Human Psychology when news about this first appeared. No one thought parents would be mad enough to fall for this ruse drug their children, but we were wrong. So, do you have ADHD? Let’s look at some symptoms, and see if you, dear reader, or perhaps your children qualify for free amphetamine-based drugs…and note that these are complete and direct quotes, from page three… “What is ADHD and how do I recognise its symptoms?”
Hyperactivity – fidgety; has difficulty playing quietly; finds it hard to sit still; is always on the go; acts as if ‘driven by a motor’; talks excessively; runs excitedly and inappropriately
Impulsiveness – has difficulty awaiting turn; frequently interrupts; blurts out answers; intrudes on others; disobeys instructions
Inattentiveness – has difficulty sustaining attention and concentrating; does not seem to listen; is easily distracted; makes careless mistakes; finds it hard to organise or complete tasks; avoids sustained mental effort; loses things easily
Loses things easily? I think they forgot “breathes, eats and occasionally goes to the lavatory”.
You have probably seen “personality tests” where the same question is asked in a variety of different ways, because the person who devised the test assumes the respondent is stupid…well, look at these “symptoms” again. The same person seems to have written this helpful leaflet. It advises, in orange print, that the symptoms begin before the age of seven, and even admits, “As children mature towards adolescence, signs of excessive activity (e.g. excessive running, not remaining in seat etc.) [Presumably, this reminder, which appears on page four, are directed at parents who also suffer from ADHD] are less common, and hyperactive symptoms may be confined to fidgetiness, or inner feelings of restlessness or jitteriness”.
Now time for the emotional argument – a random quote, again in orange print, “I’m desperate to have friends, but they don’t want to play with me”.
Perhaps the most surreal bit of this disgraceful little piece of **** is the heading “A parent’s perspective of living with an ADHD child”, because it has a tiny number seven after it, pointing to reference point number seven on page twenty. Reference number seven simply says “Living with an ADHD child. The real story.” Sorry if you were expecting a peer reviewed study.
Don’t worry! Help is at hand. Page sixteen advises that “a number of medications are available”, among them, atomoxetine, also known as Strattera, made by Eli Lilly. The rest of the pamphlet merely paraphrases what was said in the first few pages. It is designed for the truly stupid, including a section called “What questions might you want to ask your doctor?” which gives nine possible questions for people who have forgotten how to think.
It is unfortunately easier for a parent of a difficult (wait, aren’t they all difficult?) child to medicate rather than educate and discipline, but obviously much more damaging in the long run. No satisfactory long-term effects of these drugs have been carried out, except the ones happening right now, all around us…on us.
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soooo...anyone here think they have ADHD? The only people who have disagreed with me on this in the past have been people who claim to have the disorder. Every psychologist I know believes that AHDH is a myth (psychiatrists, on the other hand, will fall for anything)
Also, the following section is from my book (I used to link to my webpage in my sig, but took it out when I traced a vandal to this site. but anyway, I´ve written a book)
NOTE! Please do not quote or copy any of this OP in the replies...well, only small bits. (copyright issues etc)
*********
...Common behavioural traits in children are now being treated with drugs. Ritalin is one of the most popular, along with a cocktail of anti-depressants (side effect – depression!).
...Eli Lilly produced a drug called Strattera, which was turned down by the FDA as an anti-depressant. Later, it was, for some reason, accepted as treatment for ADHD – Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
In August 2004, Eli Lilly helpfully produced a pamphlet, which found itself in the waiting rooms of GPs, called the “ADHD Information booklet”. It was designed to help people understand why medication is necessary, although cynics believe it was simply an effort to increase sales (Eli Lilly’s revenue in 2006 was $14.5 billion). The innocent sounding word “Lilly” appears on each page.
Children are the primary targets of this particular medication – or perhaps their lazy parents, who had their children by accident and do not really want to take proper care of them.
This twenty-page pamphlet, with pictures of children laughing and playing on every other page, is worth a close look.
We are immediately told that ADHD is “one of the most common behavioural disorders of childhood and adolescence”, even though it was unheard of two decades ago. I was studying Human Psychology when news about this first appeared. No one thought parents would be mad enough to fall for this ruse drug their children, but we were wrong. So, do you have ADHD? Let’s look at some symptoms, and see if you, dear reader, or perhaps your children qualify for free amphetamine-based drugs…and note that these are complete and direct quotes, from page three… “What is ADHD and how do I recognise its symptoms?”
Hyperactivity – fidgety; has difficulty playing quietly; finds it hard to sit still; is always on the go; acts as if ‘driven by a motor’; talks excessively; runs excitedly and inappropriately
Impulsiveness – has difficulty awaiting turn; frequently interrupts; blurts out answers; intrudes on others; disobeys instructions
Inattentiveness – has difficulty sustaining attention and concentrating; does not seem to listen; is easily distracted; makes careless mistakes; finds it hard to organise or complete tasks; avoids sustained mental effort; loses things easily
Loses things easily? I think they forgot “breathes, eats and occasionally goes to the lavatory”.
You have probably seen “personality tests” where the same question is asked in a variety of different ways, because the person who devised the test assumes the respondent is stupid…well, look at these “symptoms” again. The same person seems to have written this helpful leaflet. It advises, in orange print, that the symptoms begin before the age of seven, and even admits, “As children mature towards adolescence, signs of excessive activity (e.g. excessive running, not remaining in seat etc.) [Presumably, this reminder, which appears on page four, are directed at parents who also suffer from ADHD] are less common, and hyperactive symptoms may be confined to fidgetiness, or inner feelings of restlessness or jitteriness”.
Now time for the emotional argument – a random quote, again in orange print, “I’m desperate to have friends, but they don’t want to play with me”.
Perhaps the most surreal bit of this disgraceful little piece of **** is the heading “A parent’s perspective of living with an ADHD child”, because it has a tiny number seven after it, pointing to reference point number seven on page twenty. Reference number seven simply says “Living with an ADHD child. The real story.” Sorry if you were expecting a peer reviewed study.
Don’t worry! Help is at hand. Page sixteen advises that “a number of medications are available”, among them, atomoxetine, also known as Strattera, made by Eli Lilly. The rest of the pamphlet merely paraphrases what was said in the first few pages. It is designed for the truly stupid, including a section called “What questions might you want to ask your doctor?” which gives nine possible questions for people who have forgotten how to think.
It is unfortunately easier for a parent of a difficult (wait, aren’t they all difficult?) child to medicate rather than educate and discipline, but obviously much more damaging in the long run. No satisfactory long-term effects of these drugs have been carried out, except the ones happening right now, all around us…on us.
********
soooo...anyone here think they have ADHD? The only people who have disagreed with me on this in the past have been people who claim to have the disorder. Every psychologist I know believes that AHDH is a myth (psychiatrists, on the other hand, will fall for anything)