Just curious. I have always had this sneaking suspician that ADHD (along with many other mental illnesses) are overdiagnosed. I know I may get attacked for suggesting this, as I have personally been diagnosed with ADHD myself. I just wonder sometimes what this means for our society, is it good that we classify so many different issues which perhaps we were intended to live with. For example, there are probably degrees of ADHD, severe ones which of course require medication and minor ones where medication is kind of a "touch-up" drug.

I get nervous when I read stories of kids who are 12 or 17 months getting diagnosed and getting medication that early. Up in MA where I work, a girl died who was overmedicated and she was 18 months old. I feel sometimes like I really dont care who the doctor is, kids should at least be in school before they get any medications.

I'll get off the soap box now :soapbox:

I dunno I don't mean to inflame or upset anyone. This is probably just me feeling conflicted about the fact that I am trying Adderall and I am 26 years old and have spent the last 20 years of my lfie telling myself I would be weak and giving in if I tried drugs to cure a mental condition which I feel I can will myself out of if I try hard enough and do other things right (e.g. eat & exercise, etc) appropriately.

Yes, ADHD is way overdiagnosed, simply because kids want meds to help them through school and see a problem in only having a 2.5 GPA, in my opinion anyways. Also its easy to fake ADHD and get diagnosed just to get drugs to abuse.

That's kidn of what I was thinking.

Like most broad, blanketing statements, your's negates itself in it's scope. As a senior in high school, I worked with a family friend that was finishing her dissertation in child psych with a focus on ADHD. What she (and others since) have found is a polka dotting of diagnosis concentration. Young, white males did tend to be overdiagnosed where as girls and adults were drastically underdiagnosised. Even more telling what the when overdiagnosis did occur, it did so at the underdiagnosis of true ADHD kids. This is misdiagnosis rather than overdiagnosis.

Parafly, just a warning but your post probably will upset people. Many people here are in the underdiagnosised group, myself included. But given what you said at the end there, it sounds like you really need to start learning about what ADHD is and how it's treated. It's very common for the newly diagnosed to feel guilty and have many mistaken notions about what they have.

There are two sides to the coin. Both the overdiagnosed and underdiagnosed exist. Healthy kids are drugged just to keep them quiet, either subduing a natrually exuberant spirit, or so that teachers and parents don't have to deal with more complex underlying issues. Then there are the ones, as this forum will most certianly attest to, who have never been given the help they truly and fully deserve and left to sink or swim on their own. As I argued via email with Dr Fred Baughman (completely futile exercise), the existence of one side doesn't cancel out the existence of the other.
Ultimately this boils down to some amount of integrity and responsibility. All the people who abuse the label and the meds give the many genuine ADDers a bad name.

P.S: I sometimes do wonder if it's the lack of understanding about ADD and LDs that are partly responsible for apparently widespread abuse of meds in colleges. I've read a few online student magazine letters section in which some people rant about the unfairness of LD students getting special consessions, extra time, etc. whereas all the non-LD students, with their own struggles and time commitments, are expected to just suck it up and deal with it. Meds, I suppose, allow non-ADD/LD students to take back what they see as an unfair advantage over them.

Having ADD myself, I still hold the opinion that it is over-diagnosed, at least among children. I believe that many of the ADD-like treats that kids appear to have are a direct result of a poor dietary habits. I could be wrong, and I am sure many kids DO have ADD, but living in a country child obesity, I do wonder sometimes.

Yes, ADHD is way overdiagnosed, simply because kids want meds to help them through school and see a problem in only having a 2.5 GPA, in my opinion anyways. Also its easy to fake ADHD and get diagnosed just to get drugs to abuse.Yesterday at the Psychiatrist's office I realized how easy it is to get a hold of these so-called Controlled Substance drugs. A quick CAARS test that can easily be manipulated by anyone with an ounce of brain power covers the Doc's butt and starts you off on the meds route.

I have no complaints. It took me 7 years to seek treatment and I would have hated to be told to wait for a more thorough ADD test, but I think you're right - it's easy to fake it, and I have no doubt many college students abuse it on a regular basis.

I notice that it varies, my hometown when I was a child was a "ritalin mill" but adults do not usually get medicine that is a stimulant there for AD/HD. The town I currently live in is what I can only describe as "Adderall central", most people here on stimulant meds are adults and children are less likely to be medicated

There are two sides to the coin. ... Then there are the ones, as this forum will most certianly attest to, who have never been given the help they truly and fully deserve and left to sink or swim on their own. You're absolutely right. I was one of those never-diagnosed-why-would-he-possibly-have-ADD kids. That eventually led me to drop out of high school (I was already deep into a computer business I started, so that wasn't too bad back then..)

If I asked my parents today they would still say I don't have ADD... Go figure!

There are two sides to the coin. Both the overdiagnosed and underdiagnosed exist. Healthy kids are drugged just to keep them quietLurker, Proscrire was able to support her statement with research. Please tell us how you have come to your conclusions about diagnosing /underdiagnosing ADHD. By the way, most experts in the field disagree with this belief.

Parafly, one must also remember that ADHD is often listed as a co-morbid condition to other more serious diagnsoses. Some parents / people are more comfortable with some labels.

Thanks for the honest responses everyong. Glad to see the question was taken and answered reasonably and no one flew of the handle at me :)

Parafly, I just thought of something. I know people who refuse to wear glasses even though they can't read without them. What's more embarrassing: asking someone to read for you or wearing one of the many cool eyeglasses available today? I've known people who refused to take insulin until their diabetes became life threatening and caused permanent damage. You are not giving in by taking meds for your brain. We are not just a body. I would think less of someone for not trying and feel sorry for those who are unable to use meds.

Even if life was OK before? What if I just thought I could do better, be a better husband, be a better employee? Even thought these things are OK right now.

I listen to some poeple on some of these threads talk about how they can barely make it through a day and then I feel guilty. Like my symptoms aren't THAT bad. I think i've developed many effective coping mechanisms to make it through the day succesfully. (filing systems, lists, multi-tasking).

Parafly, I spent several hours with my diagnosing psychiatrist. One thing he said that stuck was, "ADD or not, you are still o.k." That was his opinion. :D
Many people with ADHD live o.k. lives. They raise healthy kids, hold down jobs, stay married and sane. The difference is we underachieve. Can you honestly say you don't have to work harder in some areas of your life than other people to achieve the same things when you know they don't have half the ability you have? NOT ALL PEOPLE WITH DISORDERS ARE DYSFUNCTIONAL! Unfortunately, some people believe if you are able to juggle all of the balls in the air with some regularity, then you couldn't possible have ADHD. Some "professionals" still believe if your kid isn't in trouble at school or with the law, they don't have ADHD. We know that's not true and, hopefully, forums like this will spread the word.

Many people with ADHD live o.k. lives. They raise healthy kids, hold down jobs, stay married and sane. The difference is we underachieve. Can you honestly say you don't have to work harder in some areas of your life than other people to achieve the same things when you know they don't have half the ability you have? NOT ALL PEOPLE WITH DISORDERS ARE DYSFUNCTIONAL!Here, Here. Truer words were never spoken.


Even if life was OK before? What if I just thought I could do better, be a better husband, be a better employee? Even thought these things are OK right now.My life was OK too before my diagnosis and treatment. But it wasn't until after that I realized HOW MUCH BETTER my life could be. It's like suddenly discovering that the car you've had for years is a Porsche. Where as you were fine with driving before, now driving takes on a new thrilling dimension cause you can go 220 mph and still turn on a dime and give 9 cents change.

The flip side is that because ADHD is a neurological condition, one can't get effect change by trying harder and working better. (It's like saying I don't need glasses, I'll see better if I squint more). It is only through treating our ADD and working with it, not against it that we can go beyond OK to GREAT.

I would say I think I could accomplish more than I do now it I could suppress some of my symtpoms. That being said, I think I am quite on par with most of my coworkers - but I feel like I should & could be further ahead. I watch what they do & say and I think to myself, I could do that better, and then when it's my turn, I stumble.

Or, I get a task, and I know I can do it in the time expected (say, 8 hours). It would take a coworker of mine 8 hours to do the task. It takes me 2 hours, but no one knows that, becasue I sit around for 6 hours and then do it in 2. If I did in the first 2 hours, I would have six more hours to excel at my work. But I never do that... even with all my willpower it's like I can't get past that hump.

I just hope I am not lying to myself... I really thought for the past two months that I have been researching that I have ADD, and now that I have a bottle of pills in my cupboard I am questioning all of it.

The unexamined life is not worth living? :D

My life was OK too before my diagnosis and treatment. But it wasn't until after that I realized HOW MUCH BETTER my life could be. It's like suddenly discovering that the car you've had for years is a Porsche. Where as you were fine with driving before, now driving takes on a new thrilling dimension cause you can go 220 mph and still turn on a dime and give 9 cents change.You go girl! Besides, if we didn't have ADHD, we wouldn't be able to talk to brilliant people on this forum. :cool:

Even if life was OK before? What if I just thought I could do better, be a better husband, be a better employee? Even thought these things are OK right now.

I listen to some poeple on some of these threads talk about how they can barely make it through a day and then I feel guilty. Like my symptoms aren't THAT bad. I think i've developed many effective coping mechanisms to make it through the day succesfully. (filing systems, lists, multi-tasking).Well, the way I see it is, yes, I can get by without ADD meds. I have for the past 7 years or so. What I realize today is that I missed out on life because I let it slide for so long without any kind of treatment. As I got older, I started feeling very frustrated because I couldn't stop thinking that life is just passing me by... how everyone else is making advancements and some kind of progress (career-wise, relationships, whatever) while I always felt like I'm not going anywhere.

My stubborness (read: chronic procrastination) introduced new problems into my life, in addition to the usual ADD stuff, including depression and anxiety. While they say ADD itself does not get worse with time, the adverse effects of NOT treating it will bring a whole new host of issues that will eventually lead the Psychiatrist to wonder what the issue really is. What came first? My ADD or my depression? Is my anxiety caused by my work- and performance-related frustrations? I think so. I'm terribly mad at myself for taking so long to do something about it.

But I know what you're saying - it's so crazy - even today I started thinking "What if it's really depression that distracts me so badly throughout the day?". I don't really believe that, but I let so many new problems into my life that I have no other choice but to wait and see.

Is ADHD being Overdiagnosed? I don't think it's overdiagnosis. I think in a few cases it's misdiagnosis. Because the doctor isn't really sure what the diagnosis is even after some careful trial and error cases...

Here's a twist to the original question. I do believe, especially for the very young, that other medical conditions should be ruled-out first. There are many, MANY conditions that mimic ADHD symptoms. Docs are very quick to come to conclusions and lump things into an easy dx and an easy fix. We ask for it, we go in and we want a pill, and they give it to us. Here is where we have to be our own and our children's best advocate, and strive to have a thoruogh physical with labwork, checks for sleep problems, food/diet issues, etc.

I agree. Thing is, it's hard to rule out other conditions in many cases... Also, as an ADDer who waited so long to get treatment, I want to be better NOW, not in 6 months after we rule out other stuff.

Having said that, I also know for a fact that my current diet contributes to my overall mood and concentration levels. I also stopped going to the gym at some point. But I think I'm aware of myself enough to admit that I now overeat and am very careless of good nutrition because of the ADD itself - at least the part that makes me so frustrated (and therefore quite sad and depressed) every day because I KNOW I'm leading a dysfunctional lifestyle. For a while now food has been my only escape. I hope this changes with time, because I truly miss caring about my body and eating right.

Docs are very quick to come to conclusions and lump things into an easy dx and an easy fix. We ask for it, we go in and we want a pill, and they give it to us.Not in my experience. Doctors in my community are reluctant to diagnose ADHD because of the "flavour of the month" mentality driven by the media. Recently, Bipolar in children has taken some of the heat off of ADHD.

1Kid, my post cautioning another member about suggesting meds to her new doctor was based on my experience and the experience of others I know. Some doctors do not react positively to patients who come in with their own diagnosis and just want a prescription. That is precisely why I took more than a year to research ADHD before asking for my referral to a specialist. I had to be sure of my facts before I would risk losing credibility with my doctor. Sure enough, he grinned and said, "Well, you know it's the flavour of the month disorder at the moment." Nonetheless, he referred me to a great psychiatrist who knew his stuff and really helped me.

You are quite right about seeking physical causes for symptoms. It's easy to forget that some people aren't aware of this. A good example is depression in young children which may appear like hyperactivity instead of depression.

The unexamined life is not worth living? :D

Love Thoreau!

Love Thoreau!I'm embarrassed to admit I couldn't make it through Walden, even on meds. I should try it again now that I'm even MORE mature. :D

Is ADHD being Overdiagnosed? I don't think it's overdiagnosis. I think in a few cases it's misdiagnosis. Because the doctor isn't really sure what the diagnosis is even after some careful trial and error cases...Most experts would agree with you, Andy.

Love Thoreau!Eh, he stole it from Socrates....who stole it from the Oracle at Delphi.

Is ADHD being Overdiagnosed? I don't think it's overdiagnosis. I think in a few cases it's misdiagnosis. Because the doctor isn't really sure what the diagnosis is even after some careful trial and error cases.It's more like the diagnosis criteria are unsure. The doctors are being given an uncertain tool to begin with. (keep in mind that when I say uncertain in this case, I refer to the academic level of certainty which takes several decades of clinical tests to confirm) Current diagnosis depends several highly interpretive issues. Clear rates of misdiagnosis would be very difficult to determine without massive study. Hence my refusal to make any statement as to the degree of over or underdiagnosis, other than that misdiagonsis occurs. However if some large funding group wants to help me out, I'll get started on clearing that up pronto. :p

Lurker, Proscrire was able to support her statement with research. Please tell us how you have come to your conclusions about diagnosing /underdiagnosing ADHD. By the way, most experts in the field disagree with this belief.
Which part? That there both exists cases of overdiagnosis AND underdiagnosis, or that overdiagnosis exists?

I just hope I am not lying to myself... I really thought for the past two months that I have been researching that I have ADD, and now that I have a bottle of pills in my cupboard I am questioning all of it.I can't say that over the last year or so I haven't had the same thoughts. Then my wife reminds me to take my meds cause I'm driving her nuts and I feel better about it.

In Aus (at least in Queensland), as an adult it's not that easy to medication. I have to see a psychiatrist (not psycologist), they have to make an application to the health dept, which if approved gives them permission to prescribe to me for a period of 2 years. They apparently have to make reports during that time of the effects it's having and the permission to prescribe can be pulled if the health dept is not happy. But I was able to get 6 months worth of repeats. Which was good as he is in a different city from me.

But under the age of 18 I believe a paedetritian (don't even pick on my spelling ;) ) can prescribe medication without problems. Obviously when there are media reports of rampant prescriptions of adhd meds it always involves children.

I get nervous when I read stories of kids who are 12 or 17 months getting diagnosed and getting medication that early. Up in MA where I work, a girl died who was overmedicated and she was 18 months old. I feel sometimes like I really dont care who the doctor is, kids should at least be in school before they get any medications.


I have never heard of this before, except in anti-medication propaganda.






I dunno I don't mean to inflame or upset anyone. This is probably just me feeling conflicted about the fact that I am trying Adderall and I am 26 years old and have spent the last 20 years of my lfie telling myself I would be weak and giving in if I tried drugs to cure a mental condition which I feel I can will myself out of if I try hard enough and do other things right (e.g. eat & exercise, etc) appropriately.


I believe this to be your real issue, so the question isn’t really weather or not ADD is over diagnosed but weather or not you should be able to handle it without the help of medications, or are you weak for trying them.

Approaches to ADD are a personal choice, need for medications is some thing dependant on many thing including but not limited to the environment , type of symptoms, co-existing conditions, Are you weak for feeling they might improve your ability to reach your potential in a non-ADD world?. I don’t know wearing glasses sure helps me to navigate a motor vehicle about in a visual clarity world. Am I weak for needing corrective lenses? Yeah I could probably get to where I am going without wearing my contacts but how many people places and things I run over in doing so are drastically reduced when I wear my corrective lenses.

I can accomplish things without my Adderall but how many people places and things are allowed to remain intact in doing so is drastically increased when I take my Adderall. :o






As I argued via email with Dr Fred Baughman (completely futile exercise),Ultimately this boils down to some amount of integrity and responsibility. All the people who abuse the label and the meds give the many genuine ADDers a bad name.

Well said, you insight may have been wasted on the good doctor but it resonates a truth that is illusive to many.







I suppose, allow non-ADD/LD students to take back what they see as an unfair advantage over them.


They are full of small red ants because of their own selective memories, I am sure many of these “normal” kids have so convienly forgotten about making fun of the kids who didn’t understand the alphabet, or how the left and right hand are supposed to look different so you could tell them apart. They have no clue what it is like to be laughed at because you can not pronounce common words, and what it is like to have half the alphabet look like the other half. If they do not like dyslexic getting enough time to read perhaps all who are not dyslexic should learn to see things as we do. May be we should all adopt the dyslexic way of reading and writting. Once every one can be as confused by the writen word as we are then all should be allowed un-timed test. . .oh yea and points off for spelling crap correctly or the non-dyslexic way. . . . how would they like it if it took them 30 minute to write the above response?



The people you describe are a bunch of whines. If they would quit acting like 2 year olds so worried about some one getting some thing they don’t they would have time to focus on thier own stuff and get it done in the time allowed. Yea we dyslexics got some thing they didn’t and we would be more than happy to share our LD with them. . .poop I will switch I will take all my test timed if the letters in this stupid language would learn how to not look so much alike,learn how to be still on a page or if we could just forget spacing, letter orders, sentence structure, and punctuation rules.






What came first? My ADD or my depression?

Odds reside in favor of the ADD being the first the depression cause by the chronic underachieving and never understanding why thus you coming to the conclusion that you must be a lazy bum. Hence the depression. . . . . .


Although depression can cause ADD type symptoms like difficulty focusing and memory lapse few are born with noticable depression however most ADDers are born with ADD traits.





I could be wrong, and I am sure many kids DO have ADD, but living in a country child obesity, I do wonder sometimes.


Well this excludes me then because I am hyper ADDer, I spent most of my life on a see food diet = I see food I eat it. :D I have spent most of my life under weight according to those government charts. I remember one saying it was up-dated making allowances for age and at my age 30+ I was supposed to be 135 pounds. I was heaver than I had ever been in my life at 115, now at 40 some thing I am about 125 and heavier than I have ever been in my life. I have ADD and I eat a healthy diet. . . . and gets lots of exercise I would get more if they made stronger computer chairs so I could hold my self up using my arms to give my butt a break while I am reading. . . . stupid chairs keep breaking.


Do I think ADD is over diagnosed?

I think some times people do fake ADD to get pills{they should be ashamed}, I also think some times people's ADD gets missed and they are simply told to try harder. I am hyper and I wasn't diagnosed with ADD until I was 29. I think some times people are disgnosied with ADD that really have some thing else and some are like me and are diagnosed with several things before finding out they have ADD.

I personally do not think there are hard fast rules one way or the other that apply accross the board. These things will continue to be a problem until they discover a sure fire physical type clue that is indicitive of ADD while ruling every thing else out. This is just another way of saying

the existence of one side doesn't cancel out the existence of the other.

A truth that continues to be illusive to many but perhaps the addition of my words will help some.

"Approximately, 3 to 5 percent of children are diagnosed" source www.aboutmh.com

i am sure that more than this number of are diagnosed. it seems that every other person i meet their kid has ADHD

Going somewhat off-topic here but I guess when you have a condition that is so linked with behaviour, it can sometimes be very difficult to see where the ADD ends and your own choices, attitude, willpower etc. begin.
Hence the "Am I weak for taking ADD meds" questions start, because you simply can't tell. Eventually, I think, from reading all these forums etc., it seems through learning more about how you work, you may begin to be able to tell the difference better and stop feeling guilty about the choices you make to help the ADD. (I myself certianly haven't reached this stage by any means, since I'm not sure I even have ADD, or even that I have problems that would justify me suspecting that I might.)
Parafly are you worried that you might not really have ADD, or that you fear meds are prescribed too easily even if you don't need them, so you feel guilty for taking them?

Btw meadd823-- absolutely. Extra time for dyslexics only helps level the playing field. Everyone is equal, but not everyone is the same. Not the same thing! If an asthmatic is allowed to skip rigorous outdoor physical education classes in heavy smog, is that unfair because everyone should be treated "equally?"
I think part of it is jealousy that their own personal problems are not "officially" recognised. If there was a stronger support system for all different kinds of problems, be it disabilities, financial, emotional, whether by campus or by peers, they might compare their situation less unfavourably to LD/ADD students.

It's not a perfect world. Naturally you're going to have people on medications who don't need them and vice versa. I like the answer above "adhd is both over and under diagnosed". I think the more serious issue is the people not getting the help they need. I think the propaganda of stimulants being over prescribed hurts more than it helps.

In a perfect world, only the people who needed the medication would get it.

It's not a perfect world. Naturally you're going to have people on medications who don't need them and vice versa. I like the answer above "adhd is both over and under diagnosed". I think the more serious issue is the people not getting the help they need. I think the propaganda of stimulants being over prescribed hurts more than it helps.

In a perfect world, only the people who needed the medication would get it.If one had to choose, the lesser of the two evils is meds being overprescribed, rather than meds being underprescribed.
If someone who doesn't need the meds abuses them, what's the worst that can happen? They do so at the expense of their own character. Maybe they get all sorts of detrimental side effects, or worse. But anyone who abuses anything, be it aspirin, etc., may possibly suffer the same. Are we then going be so stringent as to assume everyone who wants aspirin only wants to get off on it?

I correct what I said in my first post; in the cases of normally active, exuberant kids being "drugged", or kids with other underlying problems (sexual abuse, causing them to "act out", attention starved, etc), that's misdiagnosis, not "over"diagnosis.

of course, steps should be taken to prevent the abuse of medications. But not at the expense of the integrity of the many who need them. Few bad apples don't spoil the bunch.

Parafly are you worried that you might not really have ADD, or that you fear meds are prescribed too easily even if you don't need them, so you feel guilty for taking them?

Well, Both.

I did a LOT of research since around December on ADHD. I was convinced I had it. I fit almost all the criteria, which I won't outline here again.

I guess I just have mixed emotions about taking drugs. A part of me wants them to help. A part of me feels ashamed and like I am giving in. My dad would've kicked my ***** for trying drugs if he were still alive- he was a big proponent of workign through things drugless, and I was too for a while. My final conclusion was that it can't hurt to give it a try.

I feel like drugs aren't doing much though. It's the 3rd day on them and I really don't notice much of anything. I'm on 20mg Adderaal XR which I take ~ 8AM when I get to work.

I think partially too I read the stories here about how people literally can't make it through a day without meds, and that wasn't me. So I wonder if I am being authentic. That's why I started another question about severity, or degrees, of ADHD. Maybe I just have it in a minor way? Or maybe I just have developed effective coping mechanisms (I do do a lot of them, the doctor who dx'ed me told me that had it not been for my ability to develop coping mechanism independantly (e.g. create lists, organize w/ filing cabinets, etc.) and had I not been naturally intellegent (i focused in school and rarely had to study and got great grades) I would likely be in amuch worse position.

There were 2 real kickers though that made me want to try the drugs, 1. being I have a hard time with my wife because I am easily distracted and oftentimes miss parts of what she says to me, which I hate. I want to be a GREAT listener for her because she deserves that. 2. I was having a hard tim emore recently at work, especially when doing tasks I am not particularly interested in.I just cna't seem to get them started or completed, unless I am pressured by a close deadline.

I dunno. I just again hope I am being honest with myself. It's probably from my upbringing but I typically used to look down on people who are on drugs for "mental" conditions, so for me to be in the position myself is akward. I am learning more about it and my perspective has changed, but in many ways I still feel like we resort to drugs too often. But then I am on drugs = personal conflict.

Thanks for bearing with me through that post. I guess this is just a changing point in my life, and I am learning a lot about myself and my views on certain topics such as medication.

BTW, the girl who I mentioned earlier who died in MA from OD'ing on ADD drugs was Rebecca Riley,

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/02/09/too_much_medication/
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/02/08/dss_case_file/
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/02/09/dss_seeking_medical_experts/

Btw meadd823-- absolutely. Extra time for dyslexics only helps level the playing field. Everyone is equal, but not everyone is the same. Not the same thing! If an asthmatic is allowed to skip rigorous outdoor physical education classes in heavy smog, is that unfair because everyone should be treated "equally?"
I think part of it is jealousy that their own personal problems are not "officially" recognised. If there was a stronger support system for all different kinds of problems, be it disabilities, financial, emotional, whether by campus or by peers, they might compare their situation less unfavourably to LD/ADD students

Lurker impressive observation and accurate assessment.

However it is not the dyslexic need that should be questioned but the ability of the educational system to adequately address individual academic needs.





Parafly hyperlink source one (http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/02/09/too_much_medication/)

Among them was the clonidine that, in excessive doses, was found in an autopsy to have caused her death. Clonidine, a blood pressure medicine.***End Quote






Parafly hyperlink source two (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/02/08/dss_case_file/)

Rebecca Riley is found dead on her parents' bedroom floor. An autopsy later indicates she was poisoned by prescription medicine. DSS removes her siblings and places them in foster care. The agency also begins taking steps to seek a second medical opinion on the treatment and diagnosis of Rebecca Riley and her two siblings

SOURCE: State Department of Social Services, State Police.
***End Quote


The child was abused and possibly given an over dose, probably well above and beyond the prescribed amount.

I included the articles stated source because if the entire article is read then it is apparent that the state had been involved with this family for some 2 years. Let me explain the truth in the light of reality.

The state is eluding to the prescribing physician as being the possible cause instead of taking responsibility for their own departments failures to remove the children from what was an un-safe environment. In other ward the DSS screwed up and wishes the public to focus upon the perscribing physician thus diverting attentionway from DSS obvious failure.


Remember state workers more than likely went into the home on numerious occasions Plus they had access to the entire family some 4 years before the child’s death. It is therefore logical to conclude the state would have had more information than a single physician. I see this is the states blame game in an effort to distract the public and media. Obviously the technique worked as the news reporter and probably most others failed to recognize what is painfully obvious.

A perfect example of M.A.D = Moronic Acceptance Disorder.

Where a majority fail to see moronic behavior therefore they accept the stupid as perfectly normal. (an entirely seperate thread all together)



Parafly hyper link source three (http://members.boston.com/reg/login.do)

The hyperlink to medical experts what me to register before I can read the article, which I refuse to do because I already am register for more things that I can keep up with.

The sources you have used as a basis for your concern are not even about stimulants which is what you indicate you are on. The doctor treating the child may not even be aware that it is abuse and neglect that caused the symptoms. Medical professional are not allowed to use crystal balls as it decreases patient confidence even though having one that actually worked would be beneficial. Being in an abusive situation can cause many of the same symptoms as ADD. . . . .


Please consider the following

Assessing Violence Exposure and Trauma Symptoms in Young
Children: A Critical Review of Measures (http://www.nccev.org/pdfs/assessing%20trauma.pdf)


The detection of PTSD symptoms in young children
is of utmost importance because poor developmental
outcomes are commonly associated with untreated
trauma symptoms (Grych, Jouriles, Swank, McDonald,
& Norwood, 2000; Yates, Dodds, Sroufe, & Egeland,
2003). Posttraumatic stress phenomena influence a number
of developmental processes including cognitive functioning,
initiative, personality style, self-esteem, outlook,
and impulse control (Pynoos & Nader, 1991). Prominent
personality changes have been reported in very young
children (Gislason & Call, 1982; Terr, 1988). Childhood
trauma studies have also consistently found regressive
behavior and a marked change in attitude toward the
future with negative expectations and a sense of foreshortened
future (Pynoos & Eth, 1986; Pynoos & Nader,
1991).
In this article, we will

***End Quote


Further down in the article this indicates that parental observation and in-put are heavily depended uponto diagnosis PTSD. How accurate could parental information be if the parent is the abuser or also be abused?

To base over diagnosis of ADD based on this evidence is not logical. To do so would be like concluding cars cause broken bones by looking only at post accident victims instead of a cross section of the automatable using population. This source does not adequately represent a typical case of a child with ADD nor it is true representation of ADD diagnostic practices.

To believe this is in any way connected to your situation would increase the evidence that fear is possibly hampering objective abilities.(IMHO)

GOOD POINT MADDA ITS NOT A THNG THAT CAN BE POSAABEL NO ONE CAN AT THIS TIME DISUSED ANYONE THAT YONUG THERE MINDS ARE NOT FULL FORMED....AT THAT TIME GENES ALONE WOUNT ACONT FOR ADD OR DYELIXA EVENMENT AS WELL WILL AS TO DEYLIAXA YES IF MORE HAD THAT WAY TO PERCIVCE THINGS AN LOOK THINGS IN DIFF WAYS MUILTABLE WAYS......THERES A DIFF VIEW ON WHAT WE PERCIVE AN,,THE THINGS WE TRADE OFF TO DO IT BUT AGAIN ID NOT SAY THERE NO FROM 12MOUTHS OLD ITHER THERES ALOT MORE TO IT I HAVE A THORY MAYBE SOMETIME WHEN.....I FIGER HOW TO PUT IT DOWN I SHARE IT... THANKS MADDA FOR INTRYING THERDE

DORMY