Yet another crap ADD article

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

As much as some think raising awareness of the reality of ADD will help, I just HATE it when I see it in the media. They never seem to get the story right. We either see inflamitory stories of uncontrollable kids leaping from furniture or tepid stories about otherwise successful adults with chronic disorganisation syndrome.

Take this article from the Sydney Morning Herald. This poor bloke with ADD had to struggle to get his master's degree in forensic psychology. He is quoted as saying "I'd be up until 3am trying to finish assignments.". You know what would have been a more incredible story? A student who DIDN'T bloody stay up to 3am finishing an assignment!

Who cares about some wealthy bloke who can't remember the shopping list. It's no surprise that ADD has a bad rap for over-diagnosis when people have this perception that ADD is anything that involves hyperactivity or simply if you have trouble being orgnaised.

I said it before: " ADD is not the symptoms". Where are the stories of the real consequences of ADD? ADD ruins lives. What about the damage to self-esteem, to families, inability to maintain relationships, illiteracy, depression, drug addiction, social isolation and marginalisation, homelessness, imprisonment that it results in so often. And why is it never mentioned that the damage from ADD is 100% caused by environment and not the condition. In fact, in the right situation, given the right treatment, there is no ADD.

Thomas Edison is typically called the poster child for ADD. Described by his teachers as dull witted, his Mum took over his education and he became one of the worlds greatest inventers.

So if I hear another story of some poor urban professional who can't cope unless he has amphetamines and a to-do list I'm gonna really chuck a tantrum!!!

 

Random outings from a chaotic mind