Adhd

a

 

I wasn't directing what I said at anyone in particular, Allison. I am merely stating what I know. We live in a world that is run by experts, specialists, doctors... whatever. We are pretty much trained from childhood to see these people as all-knowing and almost godlike. Because of this, people tend not to ask questions or look further into things because they automatically assume it's for their best. Now I am sure most people in the fields of medicine, psychiatry and what have you are generally good, well-meaning people. Unfortunately, many of them have been brainwashed by the system, which is run by people who aren't necessarily good, well-meaning people. That's what the schooling process is all about. It's about indoctrinating more than it is educating. It's aimed at creating people who will serve that system well, and if you know anything about that system, which is based around money and greed, you will know it's not a humane system by any stretch of the imagination.

If you go back and read the old books of people such as Bertrand Russell and John Dewey (the father of modern education in America), you will see that they talk about the general public like they are basically cattle who exist only to serve their superiors. These people were elitists and they have played a major role in shaping the world we live in today. It is people like Russell who talked about giving one form of education to children who are of privileged backgrounds, and another form to what they called the commoners. He talked about how education, diet, drugs and injections could be used to create the perfect citizen basically; one who would simply serve the system and never ask questions. Everything these people have written about is taking place today, but most people never research the history of how we got to where we are today. We just assume everything is normal and the way it should be.

Now do children really benefit being drugged with powerful stimulant drugs that can cause heart and brain abnormalities? No, the pharmaceutical companies benefit having most of the public taking their drugs, whether it's for ADD, restless legs, or whatever other condition they decide to come up with so they can make a profit. But above that there are other reasons as well, such as what I described in the previous paragraph.

I am not here to lecture anyone or tell them what they should or shouldn't do. If they believe they have a condition -- real or imagined -- and need medicine to treat that condition, that's their prerogative and not mine. If you think the medicine you're on helps you, then by all means keep taking it. I am just telling people what I know, and I am more focused on the drugging of children, who have no say over what's put into their bodies. I am not talking about adults who have the ability to make informed decisions themselves. Personally, I think we live in a society that is over-drugged, but it's up to the individual to exercise their own mind and do their own research.

ADD is something that can't really be diagnosed other than based on rather vague symptoms that most young and healthy children display. Most of these standardized tests you speak of are created by the big drug companies, and they're designed to diagnose more people than not with ADD, whether they have it or not, or if such a condition even exists other than because they say it does. Most people with active minds have a hard time staying focused. It doesn't mean they have a condition or need to be drugged to thwart those natural traits. You see, we live in a system that wants uniformity, not individuality. They want perfect zombies, not perfect thinkers. So we really need to think critically and ask important questions, instead of assuming the system we live under wants what is best for us.

That's all.

 

There are thousands of founding mothers and fathers of modern education in both Canada and USA from all sides of pedagogy theory. From Plato's Republic to Rousseau's Emile, from Marie Montessori to Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys: there has always been elitism associated with education. One cannot argue that is was ever anything else throughout history.

I do not argue that there has never been an agenda of educating the few, but I will not deny the history and aggregate system as being exempt from theories with viewpoints of educating the many.

I wholeheartedly agree. I don't believe in unecessary medication, nor do I support feeding narcotics to children.

False. Totally false. The tests were far from being vague when I was tested as an adult. I can neither confirm nor deny your allegations of the tests that I had taken as being created by most drug companies, but I highly doubt it. I took a few tests that were internal to the university and were designed by a committee of professionals associated with the university and other medical organisations. I will have to check my reports and investigate the tests. I do recall speaking with other students studying psychology which I had received positive feedback from them about my diagnosis when we discussed the various tests, but I cannot remember the accurate names of the tests at the moment. It was a few years ago now. I shall have to check my report tomorrow at my parents'.

 

Well, you did. You told the OP to improperly dispose of a narcotic by passing it through the public water system.

 

My nephew took ritalin for 8 years, now he's on abilify... that shit is like $500 a month, but the government pays for it because he was diagnosed as bi-polar... so now he's 17 years old and he draws a fucking disability check!

Crush about three pills and snort them,,, if it calms you down... you probably need to take your medicine.

 

I love my amphetamine. I get stuff done.....and have fun doing it!!!

ADD/ADHD isn't a real disorder, but the meds sure are =D

 

My assessment measures and other sources of information used to obtain a diagnosis were as follows:

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III (WAIS-II) - Canadian norms
Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WAIS-III)
Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure
Trail Making Test - A and B
Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT)
Murphy and Barkley AD/HD Scales - self-report; parental report
Nelson-Denny Reading Test - Form G
Woodcock-Johnson-III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III)
Personality Assessment Inventory
School Report Cards, Kindergarten to Grade 8
Sample of a high school essay
Samples of essay answers on university examinations
Academic Record, The University of Western Ontario, January 14, 2005.

I will spend a bit of time looking into the nature and history of these tests and report back.

 

Let's see, Wechler's tests were adopted by older army tests.
There is a published handbook on how to actually use and evaluate test subjects here for the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test. Seems rather complex to me, but I can't find any substantial history of the test.


Comprehensive Trail Making Test (Looks something like this) and was published by Cecil R. Reynolds, PhD and R.W. Kamphaus, Ph.D.:

Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT). The only dirt I can find about this test, is that it only runs on Windows. Only 1 percent of individuals would make as many impulsive errors as I did on this particular test.

Murphy and Barkley AD/HD Scales - Well, you can check out their Circum Vitaes and websites: Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D. & Kevin R. Murphy, Ph.D.

Nelson-Denny Reading Test & Woodcock-Johnson-III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III)

Personality Assessment Inventory <-- That test was very vague and had "I cut myself" type questions.

I find no evidence that these tests were manufactured by big drug companies that you speak of, Pressed_Rat.

I suggest that if people suspect they have the disorder or have been diagnosed that they dig deeper and get proper help from a professional. Because I followed through on my assessments I have been able to receive resource materials for my studies, funding, extra time to write my tests, and a whole list of special privileges entitled to help myself perform well that has nothing to do with popping a pill.

Real condition or not for you Pressed_Rat, there are good reasons to provide for the people that do need the help.

 

You could sell them for a lot of money. I used to sell mine for 3 bucks a pill but thats because i took over 50mg. I take them now though because they help me out with school and they help me with othe things as well. If you dont really need them then i would sell them but if you do then i would take them.

 

alright. i didnt, like, mean for this post to get all scientific and shit. most of the stuff you guys are telling me about ADHD/ADD i already know. forget i brought up the topic.

 

You didn't provide me with anything I don't already know, Aristartle. What do these tests prove? Do they prove that there are people who display a set of characteristics that have been classified as a disorder by the medical establishment and pharmaceutical cartels, or do they prove that it is a proven and genuine brain chemistry disorder that needs to be treated with drugs? I have no doubt there are people who display the signs and symptoms of what today would be considered ADD/ADHD by many medical "experts," yet they lead us to believe it's some organic brain disorder when there is no proof of this. The hard proof links these symptoms to nutrition and food additives, and can be treated naturally and without dangerous drugs that do more for big-pharma than the people taking them.

 

ADHD is a disease invented by companies that wanted to make money off clueless people.

It's totally not a disease it's just a personality.. thing..

 

I was once diagnosed with ADD. they also did hours of testing and were absolutely positive that is what I had. So they put me on that prescription speed and guess what they were wrong , way wrong. I do have trouble learning with the conventional teaching methods but not ADD. I actually found out I have a chromosomal abnormality that no drugs would have done any good.

 

I have been taking adderall for about 9 years. I feel it really helps get stuff done, but in the long run it really screws you over. The comedowns really suck, its hard to get to sleep every night, you get very irritable. Especially with the xr. I take the 30s right now. I would love to be able to get off them for good. Its really hard though.. I am hoping to soon enough, maybe in the next year, I need to finish school first. It's been a part of my life since I was a kid. I can go months without them.. but I always end up going back.. I admit, its an addiction to say the least even if you deny it. I have mixed emotions about the drug. I love it/and hate it to death. I don't think parents should get their kids on the meds at such a young age. I know from experience it's not healthy.

 

A list of the effects of adderall I got from erowid. You decide if the positives outweigh the negatives..


POSITIVE
increased alertness
increased motivation
increased talkativeness
positive mood shift, sense of well-being

NEUTRAL
reduced appetite (anorexia)
dilated pupils
flushing
loss of coordination
restlessness

NEGATIVE
increased aggressiveness
paranoia
dry mouth
headache
increased heart rate (tachycardia)
increased breathing rate
increased blood pressure
rise in body temperature
fever and sweating
diarrhea or constipation
blurred vision
impaired speech
dizziness
uncontrollable movements (twitching, jerking, tremors, etc...)
insomnia
numbness
irregular heartbeat (palpitations, arrhythmia)
impotence / inability to achieve erection in men (high dose or chronic use)
convulsions (high dose)
dry, itchy skin (chronic use)
acne, sores (chronic use)
pallor (high dose or chronic use)
psychotic episodes (rare except in overdoses or after chronic use)

 

I don't think our brains come equipped with handbooks. The tests are designed to detect dysfunctions, abnormalities, learning disabilities and neuroligical disorders. A person can argue that the entire field of Psychology is questionable because it is based on similar testing, but to do that would just be irreverent and obtuse.

So far, all I have come to find investigating these particular tests were that they were designed by Professors and practicing Psychologists who have been publishing peer reviewed analysis for years.

I cannot find any evidence attributing 'Big Pharmaceutical Companies' as being the creator of these tests. I apologize, but it sounds as if you are suggesting these tests were dropped on a stone tablet from the sky to the chosen few on Mount Sinai. (I can only assume I can't be far off.)

What hard proof? Where? *looks frantically*

Look, all the hard proof that I have is from my own experience with this assumption. I have a very simple diet, close to 100% of the food I put into my body is organic, and I rarely eat meat. My symptoms do not dissipate because of the foods that I eat. In fact, there is little change to the neurological symptoms that I have noticed. I have more energy, feel better, and generally feel happier with my food intake - but it is far from a cure or a successful means of treatment, in my opinion. I have yet to find evidence that a healthy diet can reverse the effects of ADHD. I have been trying to find it for years - so if you have any suggestions that may point me in the right direction, I'm all ears.

 

From the mouth of the NIH themselves:

“….We do not have an independent, valid test for ADHD, and there are no data to indicate that ADHD is due to a brain malfunction.”

--1998 National Institutes of Health

NO “test” has ever been validated in the determination of ADD/ADHD.

"The reason why you have been unable to obtain any articles or studies presenting clear and confirming evidence of a physical or chemical abnormality associated with ADHD is that there is none."

--Lawrence Diller, M.D. of the University of California, San Francisco.

http://www.adhdtesting.org/

"The worst betrayal in medicine is to call normal a disease and to diagnose and treat them for profit. Today, this is standard practice."

--Dr. Fred A. Baughman Jr.

 

I see. Funny how you cited the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) as being an invalid test. Essentially it is. My Psychologist reviewed the manual and made a note of it in my analysis, however she did not use it as a scientific test and did not note it as being proof in her assessment measures. Most professionals and anyone in general can understand that it's more of a checklist than an actual test.

I am sorry, but can anyone expect to take a single test that will spit out a positive/negative detection of a mental disorder? I sure hope not.

There are psychological tests that can prove dysfunctions. There are assessment tools that can demonstrate weaknesses on measures of attention, auditory working memory, long term memory, visuo-motor skills, visuo-perceptual skills and sustained attention, et cetera.

On the Wechsler Test that I took, my overall auditory working-memory was scored on an average of the 14th percentile while my verbal comprehension index score was better than 88 percent of others my age (I was 20). Less than 2 percent of individuals would show as large a difference as I had between verbal comprehension and working memory on the test. That's a pretty big indicator that there is a problem with my working-memory.

I do not wish to convince you Matt, that ADHD is a real disorder. I know you are fully capable of making up your own mind however, I am very interested in finding out how diet and nutrition can help reverse the symptoms of the disorder. I have just been to the Sunnyside Bookshop in Ottawa in hopes to find books on the matter, but was disappointed to leave the store empty-handed. I found that their ADHD books were lacking in that particular subject.

I have been trying to find hard evidence that diet can improve symptoms of ADHD - I would like to believe that it is that simple, but I can't find anything substantial.

 

Just do a Google search for "ADD, food additives" and see what you come up with. As far as treating ADD symptoms naturally, check out these articles. (Some of these articles mention the treatment of children, but the same applies to adults as well who display ADD symptoms.)

http://www.vaxa.com/ADHD-diet-information.cfm

http://www.oilofpisces.com/attentiondeficitdisorder.html

http://www.newstarget.com/021978.html

http://www.beinghealthynaturally.com/childrenbabyhealth/addandadhdnaturalcare.htm

And it's not necessarily about having a "poor" diet. I know you eat healthy, as do many people with ADD symptoms. It's just that some things (including dairy and artificial sweetners like aspartame) can contribute to these symptoms.

 

The commonly agreed upon physiological cause of ADD is that the brain doesn't process dopamine as well as people without the condition.

The descending opinions you posted Rat, were not people who said that ADD did not exist, rather the criteria of it as one 'disease' but rather a set of problems cause by a range of symptoms. The solution to these could be things as simple as a restructuring of a learning environment, to stimulants to help the child or adult focus, increasing the amount of dopamine in the synapse so that the child has a better chance of focusing.

ADD is a genetic trait. While changes in diet, exercise, and learning environment can all be helpful, and should be looked at before using medecine as an intervention, medication clearly has it's uses.