Do you have ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is usually associated with naughty kids. But a lot of adults can identify with many if not all the symptoms, Rory Bremner being a famous example.

They include:

*Be easily distracted, miss details, forget things, and frequently switch from one activity to another
*Have difficulty maintaining focus on one task
*Become bored with a task after only a few minutes, unless doing something enjoyable
*Have difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new or trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
*Not seem to listen when spoken to
*Daydream, become easily confused, and move slowly
*Struggle to follow instructions
*Fidget and squirm in their seats
*Talk nonstop
*Dash around, touching or playing with anything and everything in sight
*Have trouble sitting still during dinner, school, and story time
*Be constantly in motion
*Have difficulty doing quiet tasks or activities.
*Be very impatient
*Blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without regard for consequences
*Have difficulty waiting for things they want or waiting their turns in games

When I first read this, I was amazed by how much it summed me up. But surely most of these apply to a considerable chunk of the population. Are you, in a nutshell, often away with the fairies?

I worked in education for a while. There is a theory that ADHD doesn't exist.

When I was in school, in the early 80s through to the mid 90s, there were winners and losers, bright kids and thick kids. You'd see parents leaving parents evening upset; mothers with pursed lips and stoic grimaces having been told their little darling is struggling to keep up, mis-behaving and perhaps not quite as bright as they thought.

Nowadays, that's not allowed to happen. Parents aren't permitted to be told that Little Johnny is a bit thick, or a bully, or disrupts the learning of his class. Mediocre results and behaviour are neatly explained away by ADHD and in a 21st century environment where kids aren't allowed to compete against each other even on sports days, it fits the bill.

I'm kind of torn on the issue or whether it exists, but I can see why people are cynical about it. If you look at that list of symptoms, doffcocker, there aren't many people who have none of them. I'd say some of them are absolutely normal for a child.

I agree that for there to have to be a medical term for every unfortunate instance is tedious, but at the same time I think people inherit a lot of personality traits that give them unfair disadvantages educationally, that they can't do an awful lot about and so warrant consideration.

You're right about children inheriting personality traits that give them an unfair disadvantage in school. In the ideal world we would have teachers and assistants in each classroom in every school up and down the country able to differentiate the learning so that all children have the same opportunity to reach desired learning outcomes. It would be great.

But I suspect if the resources were in place to achieve this, that the disadvantages you speak of could be negated as much as possible, there will still be children who underachieve against their potential and a system looking to find a special educational need to label them with,

Extremely bright children are held back in many state schools compared to those able to afford to be sent to private and public schools, you can make the case that inheriting a family of more modest monetary means is as big a handicap to achieving against potential as any intellectual or learning difficulty.

Ultimately we're all different, and I believe fewer children are handicapped by ADHD than are labelled with it. There are just badly behaved children sent to school at the age of 5, when I was a kid the term was 'spoilt brat', now it is 'ADHD sufferer'.

I tried to have a think about thi...Oh look, a bee!

ADHD does not exist, just another modern "disease" like depression that no one really has.

Depression does exist, but I agree with ADHD - far too much easy of excuse to give for an unruly child. More often than not its down to a lack of parental discipline.

People get depressed, I'm not arguing that fact. But it's not a disease or illness.

Natasha Whittam wrote:People get depressed, I'm not arguing that fact. But it's not a disease or illness.

It is an illness, I should bloody well know as I have been there and done that and got through the other side although I am constantly cautious of it ever returning, which I definitely hope it does not. It definitely is not a good thing to go through and its not a case of feeling miserable one morning and happy the next - most of the time one doesn't even know they are slipping into the darkness although those around such as work colleagues and friends can see it - but when one does realise more often than not help is required to recover.

bwfc71 wrote:

It is an illness, I should bloody well know as I have been there and done that and got through the other side although I am constantly cautious of it ever returning, which I definitely hope it does not. It definitely is not a good thing to go through and its not a case of feeling miserable one morning and happy the next - most of the time one doesn't even know they are slipping into the darkness although those around such as work colleagues and friends can see it - but when one does realise more often than not help is required to recover.

I feel for you, but it's not a disease. If the area of your life you were depressed about improved you would be cured.

For example, if you were in debt and then won the lottery. Or the woman of your dreams dumped you, then asked you to marry her, or you had a crap job but then got promoted to a great job.

the fact is depression does not affect one area of your life, it affects the whole of your life. When I had it my work was affected, by social life was affected, by bank balance was affected, etc etc etc but none of that ever actually mattered to me as they didn't even register. I felt as though I was carrying on as normal with 9to5 work, socialising normally etc but in reality I was making lots of mistakes at work (when I am normally a stickler for precision), alienating and losing friends, drinking so much that it got a point I couldn't even pay my mortgage for a couple of months, I became very irritable and argumentative in everything I was doing, inlcuding becoming a nuisance on a certain forum!

I actually had to see a psychologist for the best part of year to help me - at first it was forced upon me by work as they had noticed the biggest change in me not just work wise but personality wise. But as I went to the sessions it did open my eyes up to what was actually happening and then the sessions continued until I was released in March this year.



Edit - released as in the counsellor advised that I was finr for now and that I needn't have any more sessions - but still have her number for just in case. I have never been incarcerated into a hospital or ward for the depression - although looking back I think it would have been a good idea for teh first few weeks as I was deep in the darkest regions.

Do you really want to put up so much personal info Chris.

I suggest you may want to edit it out or just say the word and I'll delete it if you want me to.

Sluffy,

Actually for once I would rather it stay up, to be fair, I know I may get called mental or worse names, but I just want to show that depression affects more than just one side of ones life and can be very destructive.

Depression is often the hidden illness or the illness that no one talks about. If I can change that ever so slightly so that more can appreciate that it does exist then I am happy. It could happen to anyone at anytime and if I can show that it can be overcome and one can succeed in whatever one wants then I am more than happy for this to stay where it is.

This is a triumph over despair! :-)

But many thanks for the concern.

No one's calling you mental on here Chris. You are with friends.

fair play if you want to talk about your experiences chris.

and Nat, you're not a doctor, don't pretend to be one.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

and Nat, you're not a doctor, don't pretend to be one.

I was giving my opinion you bellend.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

and Nat, you're not a doctor, don't pretend to be one.

I was giving my opinion you bellend.

say that then. saying "it's not a disease or an illness" seems like you're implying it's a fact.

You haven't got a clue really, and neither have i.

bwfc71 wrote:the fact is depression does not affect one area of your life, it affects the whole of your life. When I had it my work was affected, by social life was affected, by bank balance was affected, etc etc etc but none of that ever actually mattered to me as they didn't even register. I felt as though I was carrying on as normal with 9to5 work, socialising normally etc but in reality I was making lots of mistakes at work (when I am normally a stickler for precision), alienating and losing friends, drinking so much that it got a point I couldn't even pay my mortgage for a couple of months, I became very irritable and argumentative in everything I was doing, inlcuding becoming a nuisance on a certain forum!

Were you depressed when the chicken ran out?

I've got a 3D HD.