The Crisis in ADD/ADHD Diagnosis, What Caused It?

The prevalence of the ADD/ADHD diagnosis does not definitely indicate that something is dreadfully wrong with the nation's children, but rather that something has definitely changed. Although some cases of out-of-control children being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD are most likely due to nutritional imbalances and deficiencies as well as allergies and sensitivities, a good number of cases are likely due to the fact that child rearing has changed.

Many supposed disorders are due to factors that influence the social, emotional, and environmental development of children. It is because of these factors that ADD/ADHD landed in the American Psychological Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) as a psychiatric disorder. In truth, it is likely that ADD/ADHD is not best described as a psychiatric disorder at all, but rather as more of a personality type.

Not only have some experts argue that ADD/ADHD should not be in DSM but many other conditions too that have been classified in DSM as psychiatric disorders. Individuals diagnosed with these conditions as well as ADD/ADHD does not feel as though they suffer from a psychiatric condition and there have been no evidence to support that they fall under psychiatric disorder.

Are individuals who suffer from ADD/ADHD just different?

As well as other conditions such as asthma and diabetes, a person suffering from ADD/ADHD should not be classified as having a psychiatric condition nor should they be in DSM.

No evidence to support diagnosis of ADD/ADHD

Children of today have been labeled as unmanageable by the medical community and this has made it easier for them to diagnose and medicate the children so that they will eventually fit into the society. The society, in its effort to suppress children that suffer from ADD/ADHD have resulted in millions of children receiving medications on a daily basis.

The rise in diagnosis of children with ADD/ADHD can be linked to the changes made in parenting, education and rules invented by society. Furthermore, these individuals do not feel as is there is anything mentally wrong with them. These individual are distinct because they process, perceive and react more to internal and external stimuli than others.

Once upon a time, children were allowed to interact with their environment. Children were encouraged to run and jump and play at will. But, increasingly, children are not responding to such restrictions. The demands of conformity along with the stresses of modern life may have a significant effect on people who cannot manage to fit into the mold.

These individuals are different from others and the problem may not be due to the fact that they are uncontrollable. Compromising is a better way to handle these individuals than presuming that they need medical treatment.

Could the rise in ADD/ADHD be a sign in showing there is something off beam with parenting, society, and the environment?

It could be that ADD/ADHD, a condition in which individuals just can't slow down, is a signal to do just that... slow down! Children who were once raised by stay-at-home moms, allowed to sleep in, and encouraged to explore life like a child are now roused from sleep at all hours to be shuffled off to daycare and preschool, fed prepackaged convenience foods for breakfast lunch and dinner by busy parents, and placed in front of the television to revel in the antics of Sponge Bob and Family Guy.

Before the blame is placed solely on the shoulders of parents, one must take into account the situation that forces parents to take these measures. One most prevalent factor is the rising cost of education that forces parents to opt for warehousing children. More often than not, both parents would have to generate income in order to provide for the family. This has in turn created a regulated, narrowly focused, and task-oriented lifestyle for their children and children with ADD/ADHD are the ones that suffer from it the most. Just like many restrictions are placed on children suffering from other disorders, this type of lifestyle is certainly not the one that should be imposed on children with ADD/ADHD.

There is of course no need for parents to feel guilty in creating this situation for their children because most parents do what they do because they think it is the best for their children. Therefore, parents are now encouraged to think of the best option for their children. Even the FDA has labeled additives safe and the failure of the medical community to keep people informed on alternative methods of treating ADD/ADHD may have led to the current predicament.

The trend toward natural, non-medicinal, alternatives for treating such health conditions as Type II diabetes, high cholesterol, and even ADD/ADHD indicates that people are beginning to realize that the medical community and the health industry took the wrong path in opting for the quick, pharmaceutical, cure, and that other options are not only available, but preferred.