I am starting to think we have more messed up people today now that we have all these shrinks and medical pharmacy companies attempting to make money on all of our problems. What happened in the good old days if you had ADD/ADHD? I suspect most of us would have just adopted fine and went on with our lives if we were adults in the 1950s.

Our lives would not have been so complicated and we would have had much more support by friends and family than in today's isolated world. We would likely had worked in a factory doing real work instead of a chusy office job where we have time to pent. What do you think?

Well, I can't speak to the 1950's, but I was diagnosed with 'hyperactivity" in the 1960s and my parents were encouraged to give me Ritalin, but they didn't since it was a condition I was suppose to outgrow in a few years.

The non medication, non shrink route wasn't so bad for me. I struggled in elementary school, but my parents were right there supporting me through everything. They also provided helpful resources like summer school for math and reading and combined it with fun stuff like tennis lessons, music lessons, etc.

I got on a healthful eating kick on my own in my teen years (no sugar or processed food and lots of Omega III rich homemade granola with walnuts and pecans, etc) and I started running several miles a day (or the equivalent time in bike riding). As I found out years later, I was unwittingly doing the natural approach by combining lots of exercise multiple times a day with Omega III rich foods. Involvement in music groups and religious activities also was stimulating and gave me something to feel good about when my grades were only so so.

I'm really glad my parents didn't put me on medication (although several years ago I started them on my own). For me school wasn't a bad fit, especially high school and college. I loved learning and as I go older and was allowed to choose classes I enjoyed I started to flourish in school. I definatley agree with you that it is easy to pathologize ADHD more than necessary and perhaps we put caps on ourselves that aren't necessary. I wonder sometimes if I could have accomplished what I have, if I had had the standard "treatment" and was feeling somewhat broken. Even as an adult getting treatment I've had to remember that I actually have been successful in many areas and not to quit too soon (you know that old train story -- "I think I can, I think I can" attitude).

I don't think a factory would have worked for me -- I'm not that good with my hands and I would be bored to death and probably dangerous! However, I do think picking a career that is a good fit is especially essential for someone with ADD. For me, working with people and ideas is what fits best. A really good book related to this subject is called Raising Resillient Children by Brooks and Goldstein. They basically say that research has not found medication in childhood to equate to success in adulthood which pretty much surprised everybody, so they look at the factors that do equate to success for ADD and non ADD kids alike -- things like a sense of empathy, focusing on your strengths, etc.

I was born in 1973 - AD/HD was unknown then, but hyperactivity certainly wasn't. Unfortunately my parents too thought it was 'just a phase' and basically didn't do anything except come down on me like a ton of bricks when I did poorly academically.

And would quite possibly still be doing nothing today when I've reached the ripe old age of 34. They and I have both suffered as a result, and I'm only just getting past the blaming and regretful stage. And BOY am I glad I'm both on medication and in behavioural counselling.

Mind you it's not surprising considering they're both GPs - there's an old saying about the shoemaker's children usually being the worst shod, same often goes for doctors' children being the worst doctored.

I don't think a lack of diagnosis or medication would make our lives less complicated. Look at how many posts there are here, on an ADHD forum, by those of us with known ADHD, still wondering what is "wrong" with us and why we can't manage certain things. Life is still confusing and complicated, but we understand that there is a neurological difference at work. It's not our fault, and we're (usually) not being difficult on purpose.

I didn't have any major issues growing up. I don't think things were abnormally rough for me until a few years ago. But, when they did get rough, I thought I was losing my mind. And so did my husband. I won't dwell on the distant past and how it may have been different if I had been diagnosed earlier, but I can think about the recent past and how it may have been different if I continued to be in the dark. And it looks pretty dark!
Would I ever find coping mechanisms without being able to google ADHD? Would I worry that I might not be able to parent my children because I don't know what's wrong with me? Would my husband believe I could parent our children? Would he stick around to find out? Pretty complicated, in my opinion.

I was born in 66 was misdiagnosed as having BiPolar in my teens. My Shrink put me on antidepressants for a while but didn't seem to do anything. After I went out into the working world and learned how to adapt by documentation and schedules. I became successful in business, however, did not continue my education because I was unable to "adapt" in a classroom setting. I probably could have gone alot further in the business world if I had been able to continue my education and climb the corporate ladder higher.

I learned though my children that I had ADD/ADHD. I have 2 children that are diagnosed with ADHD and are on medication. I never had BiPolar. My husband and family has never complained of me having mood swings, etc. They have complained about my forgetfulness and inability to stay focused at times.

I see my children and how much clearer they are when they are on their meds and I know I am doing the right thing for them. I don't want them going through their childhood like I did feeling like they are in a fog. I'm hoping that with my help they are able to adapt better as they get older. I'm not sure about how to get them through adaping in the classroom though. Any Suggestions?

I think a hundred years ago, you would have been normal.

Me, grew up not knowing and not medicated. I have no regrets really, I learned how to deal with things on my own.

Of course in "the good old days" those who could not get with the program did not log on to on-line support groups etc. Instead they quietly drank themselves to death.

Of course in "the good old days" those who could not get with the program did not log on to on-line support groups etc. Instead they quietly drank themselves to death.Good point! While I'm glad my parents didn't start me on meds as a child -- I'm equally glad that medication and a good psychologist were available when I "hit the wall" as an adult. I had really crashed and burned and needed help. As a kid I was lucky enough to have an environment that helped minimize the problems caused by ADD, but with a full load of adult responsibilities and no Mom and Dad close by to pick up the pieces, well ..... you know.

I guess the good old days were only such if the circumstances, level of impairment, and support systems were such to allow them to be good.

Thanks for expanding on my terse post.

Good point! While I'm glad my parents didn't start me on meds as a child -- I'm equally glad that medication and a good psychologist were available when I "hit the wall" as an adult. I had really crashed and burned and needed help. As a kid I was lucky enough to have an environment that helped minimize the problems caused by ADD, but with a full load of adult responsibilities and no Mom and Dad close by to pick up the pieces, well ..... you know.

I guess the good old days were only such if the circumstances, level of impairment, and support systems were such to allow them to be good.

In the good old days, we didn't have timeclocks, freeway traffic, dozens of phone calls to make (no phones yet...think about that for a minute), no emails to reply to, just...letters, and working with the hand or mind.

I think that up until the 60s ADD was probably not a big problem for folks. once assembly lines and cubicle work became more common though...

I grew up in the 80s/early 90s, and have watched people get promoted ahead of me (better memories, always on time, dontcha know) watched people get raises and perks...same reasons...

I was only diagnosed last year. Just knowing what's going on makes it a bit easier. I'm sure some kind of medication would also make me more capable.

well i went undiagnosed for a long long time. I did what many people did in my situation that did not really know what was going on with them. I self medicated. there is a reason why so many people are addicted to drugs and the drug culture is so big. there are so many that for on reason or another are self medicating. I know so many people look at the 1950's as this idealic age, but really if you think about it it was the decade right before the 60's and the major termoil that it brought with it. I think a lot of that had it's start in the 50's and mabe too many lived in denile from what was going on? I dont know.

In the 50's? I would have been the unemployed town drunk and died at an early age.

Sedation, structure, stimulation, support or plain ol' suffering. 4 out of 5 ain't bad! :rolleyes:

I really don't think that the good old days were that "good". If you had a problem you were likely to be more socially isolated and wind up institutionalized, either medically or criminally. History has been full of people medicating themselves, for most of human history that was the only kind of help available. Narcotics didn't become illegal until 1914, and were widely used in all kind of remedies, the only effect being to keep the user blissed out as much as possible. After prohibition alcohol became the most widely used drug to keep people numb to their realities.

I think we are better off today. The average lifespan of humans has increased greatly, as a result of better scientific understanding of physiology. There is no perfect solution, magic pill to fix everything, but there are millions of people out there enjoying their lives the best way they can thanks to science, these people would otherwise have been relegated to the dustbin.

I can't get down on the pharmaceutical industry either. Sure there are a lot of people being over prescribed medications, and doctors make wrong diagnoses, but the human animal is complicated, and again, there is no magic fix-all. If I compare the pharmaceutical industry to the auto industry it becomes obvious which one causes more damage, which product results in more needless deaths and injuries. There is always risk in everything in life, it's just part of the program. Around 22000 people die every year in Europe from respiratory problems caused by diesel emissions, mostly the elderly, and the number is suspected to be even higher as more is learned of the role diesel particulates play in heart attack. But somehow the greatest fear and outrage is reserved for the pharmaceutical companies, maybe because what they do is so personal, it gets right inside us, and can't be externalised.

Offed themselves. (if being a maverick didn't work out)

cocaine and morphine and opium were legally sold over the counter up until...the 20s I think?

so if someone lived in the 19th century, one could simply purchase a fine bottle of some variety of snake oil, and be assured of results.

Offed themselves. (if being a maverick didn't work out)

And there were more opportunities back in the day to BE a successful maverick - I can't run off to be the first up Mount Everest, down the Nile or up the Klondike to the gold rushes any more, it's all been done already.

"And there were more opportunities back in the day to BE a successful maverick - I can't run off to be the first up Mount Everest, down the Nile or up the Klondike to the gold rushes any more, it's all been done already.<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->"

Exactly! While everyones chopping wood, im thinking about whats over that next mountain, get on horse and go.

I think they did the same as they do today.

My Mom (born 1940) was dx'd with "MBD" aka "minimal brain dysfunction" -- which is the "old school" term for "attention deficit" or "executive function disorder" in the 1960s. There was no 'testing' as is routinely done today. She was just diagnosed by her Psychiatrist. (

She was put on Ritalin, then Dexedrine, etc. She eventually went off those drugs.

She just got tired of the side effects (peeing, dry mouth, insomnia, sleepy when it wears off, etc.) and taking a pill every 4 hours, etc.

Now that I know more about her childhood history, I think she has dissociation-induced amnesia and memory and attention issues from trauma.

Actually our perspectives are not that far apart. The dilemna comes when the frontier is settled -- in one person's lifetime. Yesterdays explorer becomes today's "town drunk". Here in Seattle which was the jumping off point for the Klondike that sad tale was replicated many times. Seattle is also home of the original "Skid Road" ...

<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->"And there were more opportunities back in the day to BE a successful maverick - I can't run off to be the first up Mount Everest, down the Nile or up the Klondike to the gold rushes any more, it's all been done already."

Exactly! While everyones chopping wood, im thinking about whats over that next mountain, get on horse and go.

I think if someone in the family had a problem, it was kept quiet a lot more... no internet, not as much opportunity to talk to someone about it. And the whole aspect of it being taboo. Lots of families had a father who drank, for example, or a 'mad' uncle, or a sister who was bad with her nerves. They just didn't have labels for it all.

They became mountain men, cowboys, pioneers, prospectors or the town drunk.

In the 1950's there were more physically demanding jobs, less distractions. I believe the most severely effected were probably labeled "bad" and suffered horribly however those who were higher functioning probably adapted one way or another

Those who weren't institutes probably took "mother's little helper" - or simply obtained medication via family doctor. Doctors were more generous with the narcotics back in the 1950's Dexedrine wasn't hard to come by - small doses were sold as diet pills in grocery store until the late 1960's early 1970's

Although some drugs were illegal many more were less regulated. My grandfather had a prescription for desyxion simply because he wanted one. There was no triplicates no DEA none of that crap so there was more availability legally - we now suspect he was taking it for ADD it simply wasn't diagnosed as such - he could have taken it for "mental alertness" -

In the good old days, we didn't have timeclocks, freeway traffic, dozens of phone calls to make (no phones yet...think about that for a minute), no emails to reply to, just...letters, and working with the hand or mind.

I think that up until the 60s ADD was probably not a big problem for folks. once assembly lines and cubicle work became more common though...

I grew up in the 80s/early 90s, and have watched people get promoted ahead of me (better memories, always on time, dontcha know) watched people get raises and perks...same reasons...

I was only diagnosed last year. Just knowing what's going on makes it a bit easier. I'm sure some kind of medication would also make me more capable.

Good point about the good old days. I am pretty sure that ADD would not have been such an issue in the past. These days it is probably harder to find activities in which ADD is not a problem (could this be one of the reasons for the increase in poeple being diagnosed?). However, if the symptoms were bad, even in the "good old days" you would have probably ended up as the town drunk.

i think in the past parents were more prone to deny that their child had anything wrong with them.

In some ways were are more accpeting today of these types of disorders.. there not so much a taboo.

My genius grandfather who could build TV's and radios in his basement and ran a repair service in his spare time, and who had an electrical engineering degree, spent his life underemployed at the post office.

I am starting to think we have more messed up people today now that we have all these shrinks and medical pharmacy companies attempting to make money on all of our problems. What happened in the good old days if you had ADD/ADHD? I suspect most of us would have just adopted fine and went on with our lives if we were adults in the 1950s.

Our lives would not have been so complicated and we would have had much more support by friends and family than in today's isolated world. We would likely had worked in a factory doing real work instead of a chusy office job where we have time to pent. What do you think?

We also thought removing sections of people's brains to treat mental illness was a good idea. Heck, we also thought locking people away in institutions was ok too. And well, if you can't do either there was always Eugenics (survival of the human qualities deemed to be 'fit'.)

My point is that medical research has brought us more knowledge and more understanding about ourselves. The fact that generations before us managed to adapt is not a valid enough to keep researching. That's like saying that well we're all going to die anyway, why bother searching for a cure for cancer?

There's no doubt that society suffers from a lot of problems today than it did before. Maybe there are evil pharmacutical companies plotting our demise. Or maybe more people are tied of 'adpating' and stepping out of the shadows, reaching out for help so that they may enjoy their lives, instead of being locked in a mental prision.

If it was pre-industrial age, people had to do so much work for everything they had or did. If you didn't motivate you would die. You had to have wood for heat and cooking, Every meal was a major amount of work not to mention all the work that went into the animals and crops. I think that kept a lot of people from sinking into depression because they had to get out and the exercise put out good endorphins so they were naturally healed. I talked to my grandmother before she died 2 yrs ago at 93 yrs and that's what she told me. She said you never heard the word depression it would be just someone had the blues and maybe if she goes to town and buys herself something new she will feel better. Procrastination and lack of motivation were unacceptable and that person was labelled lazy. No one would hardly put up with someone not pulling their own weight, everyone had to work. The people that just couldn't do it and were completely disabled were really screwed if their family couldn't or wouldn't care for them.

From what older relatives who were diagnosed in middle age and older...plenty of gin and cigarettes. Also, I think dexedrine was developed in the 1920s and has been used for any number of psychiatric issues since the 30s.

Also, as a number of posters have mentioned - the institutional model of mental health treatment was in full swing in the US until the Kennedy era. Drugs (and orbital lobotomies!) were supposed to cure everyone then...hence de-institutionalization. Before that, I guess it was pretty easy to get inconvenient relations committed to a psychiatric facility. The poster above mentioned a grandfather (right? I'm having trouble scrolling up to see at the moment) who would not have tolerated an individual who did not contribute to the household - believe in many cases those individuals were simply packed off the funny farm.

With regards to the remarks about pre-industrialized society...madhouses, asylums, and the like have been around in Europe since the 13th century. So that's been a few centuries of dealing with all manner of mental health issues by simply tucking those who have them out of sight. <shudder></shudder>

I think I would have been burned at the stake!:D

With regards to the remarks about pre-industrialized society...madhouses, asylums, and the like have been around in Europe since the 13th century. So that's been a few centuries of dealing with all manner of mental health issues by simply tucking those who have them out of sight. <shudder></shudder>I've done a fair bit of research in Scotland re: genealogy with many records available online and people were placed in an asylum for things like epilepsy which is very treatable now.

What was school like in the fifties, you ask? If you were hyperactive and talked too much, you spent many hours in the corner, teachers were allowed to spank, hit, pinch, and rap your knuckles if you were too slow or messy doing your work. There were no student services for extra help and it was not unusual to have 40 kids in a grade one classroom.

There were no calculators for math so you spent hours memorizing your times tables. If your fine motor skills were delayed, too bad, there weren't any alphasmarts, laptops or computers to help you and that's when you might feel the snap of a ruler on your small knuckles for messy work.

In the fifties, there weren't any books on tape, videos, or t.v. programs to help you learn to read. You were put in reading groups and your reading group could fluctuate if you couldn't keep up. If you couldn't read, you failed and repeated the grade. If that still didn't work, there were always schools for the handicapped and I have it on good authority that some kids with ADHD wound up in segregated schools and didn't belong there.

In the sixties, I learned to do cursive writing with an inkwell and a nibbed pen. Real ink separates the poor motor skills from the good. If your penmanship with a pencil wasn't up to standard, you had to continue using a pencil while others advanced to pen and ink.

High school in the sixties: still no calculators, but we did learn to use a slide rule. No computers or word processors, but we used standard typewriters, not electric, to type out papers. Schools didn't put up with major discipline problems like they do today. If you didn't shape-up, you were shipped out.

My kids can't believe this one: female students were not allowed to take shop courses and were not allowed to wear pants to school.

If you struggled with organization, teachers didn't keep on you or phone parents about missing assignments; there were no extended deadlines for assignments, no rewrites or extra time, no quiet place to write exams, no adaptations like calculators, readers or scribes, and no IEPs. If you couldn't do it, they failed you.

Ah, yes, the good old days.

Why do people always glorify "the good old days"? Back in the day, people who were "different" were often hidden away in institutions, or as many people have commented, they became the town drunk. I wouldn't say we were better or worse off today than we were in the past. Every generation has different problems.

ADHD certainly has its benefits, but it doesn't lend itself very well to a corporate culture. In the goold old days, I'd imagine that while many with ADHD ended up the town drunk, just as many ended up the town's wise man.

I was born in 1962 in rural Missouri. AD/HD was unheard of, as far as I know. However, the manifestations in me were certainly present. I probably echo the same thing many undiagnosed children heard...S/he has sooo much potential (followed by, s/he just needs to apply him/herself).

Many times, the symptoms of AD/HD were interpreted as character flaws, not a diagnosis. That is unfortunate and has left a lot of people with emotional baggage from being preceived by authority figures (parents, teachers, etc) as being more or less "bad" (character wise).

Without intervention, I suppose many lived perfectly unfufilled lives, accepting a lifestyle much lower than their potential and beating themselves up for their character flaws.

As the old cigarette commercial said, "You've come a long way baby"...and let's be thankful for that.

Some people might have an illusion of a "Leave it to Beaver" 1950's utopia but the "good old days" never existed.

This is actually a foolish question, meaning answering it requires all kinds of leaps of logic--so it isn't really worth exploring.

What did people with bad hips do before hip replacement surgery? Well, they suffered, they put up with it. Doesn't mean they were OK. They were probably tired as hell, frustrated as hell, in pain, ineffective at jobs, vulnerable to all kinds of drug and alcohol abuse.

Mary Todd Lincoln had several children die, and historians say she was incredibly despondent. Today we would say she was "depressed." But since the word and concept of "depression" didn't exist back then, it's a little awkward to use it. But either way, the lady had all the symptoms of what modern folks would experience with severe depression. So just because she didn't know she was "depressed" doesn't mean she wasn't depressed!

(And losing a child to all kinds of diseases was fairly common back then, fairly "normal." And yet, Mary Todd Lincoln was in enormous, crippling, devastating pain.)

I was having all kinds of problems before I ever thought I had adhd. Not knowing of the concept didn't make my life any easier. In fact, it made my life harder, because I had trouble identifying the source of a lot of problems.

Some people might have an illusion of a "Leave it to Beaver" 1950's utopia but the "good old days" never existed.

Ughhh, I'm so sick of that stupid illusion. And this isn't really related to ADHD, but back in the "good old days" there were lynchings, "Whites Only" signs at restaurants and other public establishments, Japanese Americans were incarcerated for the crime of being Japanese, there were race riots because *gasp* black people wanted to attend the same public schools as whites, girls were not encouraged to go to college, women popped "Mommy's Little Helper" pills like candy, people were forcibly sterilized for being poor or non-white, and we could go on and on with examples. Even the wealthy, well-to-do folks couldn't escape the HORRORS of the good old days. Remember John Kennedy's sister? She was mildly disabled but was forced to undergo a lobotomy which ruined her life.

Of course, I don't think the present days is all rosy and peachy either. Every generation has problems. The best we can do is try to deal with the world's problems instead of fantasizing about an era that never existed.

if the past was truly "the good ole days" why was the average expected life time so much shorter than it is today? HMMM, my thought is because without the medications and research today everyone with ADHD in those "good" days were the outcasts in town, because they were viewed differently (and still are) the difference now is we are at least headed in the right direction. I however don't think everyone with ADHD needs to be medicated, some cases if caught early enough could just require working with the gifts that each individual is given. IN MY OPINON!!

Ughhh, I'm so sick of that stupid illusion. And this isn't really related to ADHD, but back in the "good old days" there were lynchings,

I had the same example in my mind when I made my post.

Some people might have an illusion of a "Leave it to Beaver" 1950's utopia but the "good old days" never existed.


I think Beaver was a bit adhd, don't ya'll??

First of all, everybody who responded with "the good old days weren't so good" really missed the point, didn't they? The fact that the phrase is in quotation marks clearly indicates a certain amount of ironical awareness, if not outright sarcasm. Avoiding the question by focusing on a concept largely unrelated to the subject matter indicates a lack of respect for the question or the questioner(if the questioner wanted to know if the 'good old days' were really good or bad, they would have asked that question, instead). If you really think the question is totally uninteresting or unimportant, read another thread.

I think the question is a good one, and one that I think is very important. Albert Einstein almost definitely had ADD (failed grade 1 twice); would he have discovered special relativity, general relativity, Brownian motion, and some of the fundamentals of quantum physics in a very short timespan if he had been on amphetamines or stimulants? I don't know, but I doubt it.

At least some of the problem is overdiagnosis - some people are making BILLIONS on ADD drugs and treatments - if you don't think that promotes overdiagnosis, you are very naive. Some of it is also a response to our instant-gratification, fast-paced, soundbyte culture. However, I think the biggest reason that ADD/ADHD people need treatment to function in our society is that we have a society that values conformity and the ability to perform repetitive tasks. Henry Ford's assembly line revolution was based on the interchangeability of parts, unlike earlier machines; modern service-based culture is based on the interchangeability of workers. Unfortunately, some of us are not easily classified or conditioned to fit into pre-determined categories. We were designed for one machine, now we are being used as spare parts for another.

I think that a lot of it has to do with the roles we were evolved to fulfill in our pre-industrial tribal groups - a period of human history that lasted millions of years, as opposed to the 200 years we've been sitting at desks and working on assembly lines. Groups need leaders, they need nurturers, they need bean counters, they need loners, they need inventors, and they need contrarians. I think, in some kind of archetypal primitive human tribe, that the ADDers would be the ones who could hyperfocus on tracking an animal or an enemy, despite snowstorms or extreme heat. The ADHD types would have been good warriors, egg-gatherers (you know you love to climb), firewood getters, etc. Maybe we're not suited to sitting in an institution while someone else determines the rules. I think my innattentive-type ADD might have made me great hunter in an earlier time - ironically, I'm a vegetarian in modern times, because I can't stand the idea of animals being kept in high-density captivity. (That's the same reason I don't become a high-school teacher.:o)

Even in a medieval town, I think the ADD and ADHD types would have been better off (as far as anyone who wasn't royalty was, in a feudal society). I think I might have made a good blacksmith or craftsman - I hyperfocus on tasks that involve detailed manual labour, combined with a fair amount of creative problem solving.

The question I ask myself: How much do I want to fit into this society? A society that thinks that the world's most deadly toxin or unnecessary surgery is a great idea, if it makes you look good; that earning a fortune is more important than working part-time so you can hang with your children or loved ones; a society that thinks a GMC Yukon Denali or Hummer is a good commuter vehicle for a single person; a society that thinks celebrities are more important than science or art; a society that is so scientifically illiterate, it is largely ignorant of 19th century science, much less 21st century science; a society that would rather drive to a gigantic cube in a paved wasteland to buy their groceries from a multinational corporation than walk or bike to some place they can get local produce from a local human; a group of people who apparently think that their cell phone conversations are more important than my life, based on the way they drive.

Sorry... rant over. My point is, if they have drugs that will make me normal, should I volunteer or fight it with every fibre of my being?

First of all, everybody who responded with "the good old days weren't so good" really missed the point, didn't they? The fact that the phrase is in quotation marks clearly indicates a certain amount of ironical awareness, if not outright sarcasm. Avoiding the question by focusing on a concept largely unrelated to the subject matter indicates a lack of respect for the question or the questionerI don't think anyone was trying to avoid the original person's question. We're just looking at how ADHD would have fit into the whole "big picture". That's why people were mentioning topics like prejudice, advances in medicine, social/cultural values, etc.


Albert Einstein almost definitely had ADD (failed grade 1 twice); would he have discovered special relativity, general relativity, Brownian motion, and some of the fundamentals of quantum physics in a very short timespan if he had been on amphetamines or stimulants? I don't know, but I doubt it. Who knows what would have happened if Einstein had been on stimulants? Would Hitler have been obsessed with killing Jewish people if someone had given him some anti-psychotic medication? Who knows? In either case we don't really know the answer.

At least some of the problem is overdiagnosis - some people are making BILLIONS on ADD drugs and treatments - if you don't think that promotes overdiagnosis, you are very naive. Some of it is also a response to our instant-gratification, fast-paced, soundbyte culture. However, I think the biggest reason that ADD/ADHD people need treatment to function in our society is that we have a society that values conformity and the ability to perform repetitive tasks. Henry Ford's assembly line revolution was based on the interchangeability of parts, unlike earlier machines; modern service-based culture is based on the interchangeability of workers. Unfortunately, some of us are not easily classified or conditioned to fit into pre-determined categories. We were designed for one machine, now we are being used as spare parts for another. I think overdiagnosis is a problem and yes, the drug companies make alot of money. But for people who truly have ADHD, medication can be a lifesaver.

I think that a lot of it has to do with the roles we were evolved to fulfill in our pre-industrial tribal groups - a period of human history that lasted millions of years, as opposed to the 200 years we've been sitting at desks and working on assembly lines. Groups need leaders, they need nurturers, they need bean counters, they need loners, they need inventors, and they need contrarians. I think, in some kind of archetypal primitive human tribe, that the ADDers would be the ones who could hyperfocus on tracking an animal or an enemy, despite snowstorms or extreme heat. The ADHD types would have been good warriors, egg-gatherers (you know you love to climb), firewood getters, etc. Maybe we're not suited to sitting in an institution while someone else determines the rules. I think that's overgeneralizing though. Just because someone is a non-ADHDer, it doesn't mean they're going enjoy sitting in a cublicle all day.

I think my innattentive-type ADD might have made me great hunter in an earlier time - ironically, I'm a vegetarian in modern times, because I can't stand the idea of animals being kept in high-density captivity. (That's the same reason I don't become a high-school teacher.:o) I think my inattentive ADHD would have made me an AWFUL hunter. First of all I would have lost my hunting spears. Even if I managed to find my hunting tools I probably would have started daydreaming while chasing an animal. Or I probably would have gotten distracted in the middle of hunting and then wondered, "Wait a minute, what was I doing again? Hmmm??? Oh yeah! I was hunting! That's it." I'm the type of ADHD hunter who wouldn't have noticed a big bear standing behind me. I would have become the bear's lunch. Yep, the huntED, not the huntER. That's how inattentive I am. I've had so many close calls due to my ADHD. Once, I was almost hit by a subway train in DC because of my daydreaming. I've been almost bitten by snakes because I wasn't paying attention. I can't count how many times I used to walk into oncoming traffic or how many auto accidents I've caused. My car insurance is almost as high as my house RENT due to my past driving record. Honestly, I think if all the hunters had ADHD the human race would have become extinct a long time ago.

Even in a medieval town, I think the ADD and ADHD types would have been better off (as far as anyone who wasn't royalty was, in a feudal society). I think I might have made a good blacksmith or craftsman - I hyperfocus on tasks that involve detailed manual labour, combined with a fair amount of creative problem solving. I think it would been harder for us to survive. Back in medieval times we had to do a lot more chores. I get distracted walking to the laundry machine. I can't imagine trying to wash each article of clothing by hand and then hanging everything! Yikes! :eek:

The question I ask myself: How much do I want to fit into this society? A society that thinks that the world's most deadly toxin or unnecessary surgery is a great idea, if it makes you look good; that earning a fortune is more important than working part-time so you can hang with your children or loved ones; a society that thinks a GMC Yukon Denali or Hummer is a good commuter vehicle for a single person; a society that thinks celebrities are more important than science or art; a society that is so scientifically illiterate, it is largely ignorant of 19th century science, much less 21st century science; a society that would rather drive to a gigantic cube in a paved wasteland to buy their groceries from a multinational corporation than walk or bike to some place they can get local produce from a local human; a group of people who apparently think that their cell phone conversations are more important than my life, based on the way they drive.
Sorry... rant over. My point is, if they have drugs that will make me normal, should I volunteer or fight it with every fibre of my being? I agree with you about all those things. I have no interest in SUVs or plastic surgery. But that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with ADHD. There are plenty of non-ADHDers who would agree with you too. And I'm sure there are ADHDers out there who like SUVs. (but I hate SUVs)

Taking medication isn't about conforming to the "norm" set by society. I chose to take medication because my ADHD was preventing me from doing the things that I wanted to do. Instead of being trapped in a world of confusion and anxiety, I feel more alive with medication. My life is far from perfect but I'm working on it. I would LOVE to be med free. In an ideal world I would be med free, well-functioning, and happy. But this isn't an ideal world so I have choose either: a) med free but non-functioning and miserable OR b) medicated but well-functioning and achieving happiness someday

I definitely prefer the latter option.

Who knows what would have happened if Einstein had been on stimulants? Would Hitler have been obsessed with killing Jewish people if someone had given him some anti-psychotic medication? Who knows? In either case we don't really know the answer.


Great answer.

Science is a collective process we would have figured out all of Einstein work without him. For example theory of relativity would have been figured out in the 60's when satellite communications would have demonstrated a variation in timing.

Anyway Einstein was a heavy smoker. Nictoine is a powerfull stimulant with utility in ADHD treatment. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18022679?ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&q=Einstein%20smoking&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/images/personas-einstein.jpg

He likely did not have classic ADHD but had high functioning autism (delayed speech development). That still means he may have had a 50% chance of having comoribid inattention/hyperactivity/impulsivity.

There is a study comparing ADHD to HFA/aspergers. The cognitive learning problems from HFA improve over time but thats not the case with ADHD. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16682102?ordinalpos=18&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)

Age-related improvements were clearer in ASD and TD than in ADHD. At older (but not younger) ages, the ASD group outperformed the ADHD group, performing as well as the TD group on many EF measures. EF scores were related to specific aspects of communicative and social adaptation, and negatively correlated with hyperactivity in ASD and TD. Within the present groups, the overall findings suggested less severe and persistent EF deficits in ASD (including Asperger Syndrome) than in ADHD.

Thats an important distinction especially if Einstein had HFA.

He likely did not have classic ADHD but had high functioning autism (delayed speech development). That still means he may have had a 50% chance of having comoribid inattention/hyperactivity/impulsivity.

There is a study comparing ADHD to HFA/aspergers. The cognitive learning problems from HFA improve over time but thats not the case with ADHD. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16682102?ordinalpos=18&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsP anel.Pubmed_RVDocSum)


Thats an important distinction especially if Einstein had HFA.

:eek::eek::eek: Whoa! I was just trying to get a copy of that exact same article yesterday! I read the abstract but couldn't get the full text copy. How weird/funny is that?

And yeah, I agree with you about Einstein. I also suspect that he did not have ADHD, although there's no way to know for sure cuz he's dead. :)

Prtsimmons,

I think you are completely wrong if you think ADHD affects us because our society wants us to be able to do repetitive tasks.

Our society has been moving away from repetitive tasks for decades now. You think a neuro-surgeon who is undertaking complex operations through the brain doesn't need to be able to focus and concentrate and prioritize and relax? Engineers? Computer programmers who are designing complicated software programs? Actors who have to learn hundreds of lines of dialogue? Lawyers?

In fact, the demands of today's society are many ways more intellectually complex than ever before. I have a job with enormous freedom in deciding how I want to work. I struggle like hell to create structure to my work life. In some ways creativity and freedom are problems and challenges for adhd people. Many of us need deadlines and threats from supervisors to get work done, and to avoid getting lost on side projects.

You've got some notion of society trying to make everyone conform. Well, that is so in some ways, sure. But not in the way you're thinking. Yes, we are all under the pressure of deadlines, but that is because a lot of work involves working with other people, with other teams, for clients, etc., and these folks all need to know when we will be finished with our work.

But basically our society is actually paying a lot of money to "high end knowledge workers" who have the creativity to think and to think new ideas for a rapidly changing world. Just take a look around: you think it's repetitive for Verizon and all the other phone companies to, in the span of a few short years, shift their work and research from landlines to internet service and cell phones? That kind of dramatic shift takes enormous creativity and flexibility on the part of its executives and its work force. This can all be great for an adhd'er who is creative. The problem is creativity unfinished or creativity that fails to meet a deadline is wasted creativity.

Just constantly got into trouble for things at school such as "not paying attention", "attitude problems", "disrupts class". "will not sit still", "disorganized", and being gifted as well as ADHD, also my report cards will filled with "could get all A's if she would apply herself,", "very bright but doesn't pay attention," "inconsistent, does excellent work when she wants to". "unable to stand quietly in line," "does not focus and is always lost when it's her turn in reading aloud in class," "excellent artist but draws when she should be paying attention," etc etc

It wasn't years later when I finally was diagnosed and treated, that all the multitude of comments in my report cards and all the stuff I got in trouble for in school, became understandable. Back then, you were just a bad kid in school and got in trouble at home after the teacher told your parents you were misbehaving in class. In junior high school, the counselors gave me extensive testing to see if I was stupid or mentally retarded and I scored consistently in the genius category on intelligence tests and the counselors finally told my parents that they simply didn't know what my problem was and suggested they have a doctor try to figure it out!

My kids can't believe this one: female students were not allowed to take shop courses and were not allowed to wear pants to school.

I was soo glad when they finally let girls start wearing pants to school - those leotards itched my legs horribly.



At least some of the problem is overdiagnosis - some people are making BILLIONS on ADD drugs and treatments - if you don't think that promotes overdiagnosis, you are very naive.

Naive is a problem mostly because it allows room for false claims and conspiracy theories - I have heard this claim at nausea yet have failed to be provided with a single shred of hard evidence from a creditable source.


Top 10 best selling drugs (http://www.forbes.com/home/sciencesandmedicine/2006/03/21/pfizer-merck-amgen-cx_mh_pk_0321topdrugs.html)

Pfizer's cholesterol pill Lipitor remains the best-selling drug in the world for the fifth year in a row. Its annual sales were $12.9 billion, more than twice as much as its closest competitors: Plavix, the blood thinner from Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis; Nexium, the heartburn pill from AstraZeneca ; and Advair, the asthma inhaler from GlaxoSmithKline
{End Quote}

~Underlining mine~

Lipitor doesn't have all the bad publicity and government regulation that medications like Adderall and Ritalin do - so they are more cost effective to distribute also - I do not buy into the drug company conspiracy theories due to the horrible lack of evidence and my personal experience how ever I am FAR from naive.


Some of it is also a response to our instant-gratification, fast-paced, soundbyte culture. However, I think the biggest reason that ADD/ADHD people need treatment to function in our society is that we have a society that values conformity and the ability to perform repetitive tasks.

I think issues of social expectations were much more rigid back in the 1950's Women were expected to stay home and care for the house and children and men were expected to be providers. Children were expected to attend school until graduation then attend college where they would meet their spouse to be - then they were to repeat the pattern laid down for them by their parents to repeat the same cycle.


ADD isn't new it is just more noticeable because there are more of us on the planet these days. . .we are more crammed together in tighter spaces we are also more interconnected to each other - there for more aware. All of these factors make ADD more noticeable -

As some one who was hyperactive ADD with dyslexia in the elementary schools of the late 1960's I have to admit it SUCKED like a Hoover.

When I was unable to learn when and how they wanted me to I was accused of being retarded while my mother was told she was a bad parent. The good olds days weren't good -

What did we who were ADD do back then suffered long enough to grow up to be out laws or discover speed on our own and become inventors like my grandpa did.

We coped before diagnosis and medications -gee wasn't another option really. Just because my grandpa had to wipe his buttocks with newspapers and catalogs doesn't mean I should feel guilty for preferring toilet paper.

Why is is always ADHD that gets discusssed like this?

ADHD is no longer a controversial diagnosis (only the fringe element likes to perpetuate this myth), because there's too much evidence that it's a very real disorder.

But as in the "good old days" too many people with adhd in current times are suffering because daily living tasks are too difficult.

The shame is that in these days of medical advancement and the current state of knowledge about adhd so many of us are still suffering.

It would be so much more productive if we could all work together to improve our lives, and to better our positions as adults with adhd, instead of harking back to the supposed "good old days" and the "supposed" virtues of factory work.

I am starting to think we have more messed up people today now that we have all these shrinks and medical pharmacy companies attempting to make money on all of our problems. What happened in the good old days if you had ADD/ADHD? I suspect most of us would have just adopted fine and went on with our lives if we were adults in the 1950s.

Our lives would not have been so complicated and we would have had much more support by friends and family than in today's isolated world. We would likely had worked in a factory doing real work instead of a chusy office job where we have time to pent. What do you think?
First off I don't really consider the '50's as the good old days. And I do not think people did just fine either. I was born in 1956 and grew up during the sixties and seventies this was during Viet Nam, Protests and Riots, Hippies, the Cold War, (I remember in Elementary School having Civil Air Defence Drills where the fire alarm went off and we were all herded into the basement of the school in case Russia decided to bomb us.), a lot of Sex, Drugs, & Rock 'n Roll just to give you a little idea. And I went undiagnosed until May of 2008. What I did was smoked pot from 14 untill age 48. And drank sometimes too. I will never know what my life would have been like had I had Adderall all my life instead of almost one whole month out of being alive for 606 months. Unlike T.V.'s version it was not a "Beaver Cleaver World." That is what I think. Maurice

If I'd been a Mom in the '50's Vallium would have been my best friend. I would have fallen desperately short of the "June Cleaver" ideal in many wonderful ways. My husband would come home to piles of dirty laundry, kids covered in paint from head to toe and art hanging all the over the house, no supper because we forgot to go to the market or got sidetracked and spent the day feeding pigeons in the town sqaure instead. And I guess There would be no homemade desserts and apple pies because the recipes would have frustrated me and I would just make up my own pie and burn it in the end anyway. I wouldn't necessarly be the town drunk, but my husband sure would have been.

ADHD is no longer a controversial diagnosis (only the fringe element likes to perpetuate this myth), because there's too much evidence that it's a very real disorder.I don't know where you live in the U.K., but many of your countrymen and women would disagree with this statement.

My daughter is currently trying in vain to get a referral to see a psychiatrist who is experienced with ADHD where she lives in Canada and doctors at the clinic she attends won't even look her in the eye. They will give her a prescription for Wellbutrin because they suspect depression, but no referral for ADHD. Fringe element? Definitely not.

"I don't know where you live in the U.K., but many of your countrymen and women would disagree with this statement.

My daughter is currently trying in vain to get a referral to see a psychiatrist who is experienced with ADHD where she lives in Canada and doctors at the clinic she attends won't even look her in the eye. They will give her a prescription for Wellbutrin because they suspect depression, but no referral for ADHD. Fringe element? Definitely not."

Instead of attacking my statement, you need to ask the doctors why they won't look your daughter in the eye, because there is no excuse for that kind of behaviour from a medical professional. Go to PubMed and do a search on ADHD, and see how much research has been done, is being done, how many studies have been written, and are being written in many languages world wide and all in reputable and peer-reviewed journals. You'll then understand what I mean when I say that the myth that ADHD is a controversial diagnosis is being maintained by the fringe element.

Filter your search for free articles, print some of them up, and take them to the doctors who won't look your daughter in the eye. If they still won't respond professionally, then it's time to change doctors, and time to find someone who is more up to date and more aware of current research.

My opinion any doctor who does not believe in ADHD by definition is incompetent and likely want do you much good anyway.

My standard recommendation is to seek out a neurologists that treats developmental disorders. If your in a socialist country that makes it difficult
to get a referral be sure to bombarded your GP with strange neurological symptoms. :)

I haven't read this entire thread, but I'd like to respond to the original post.

My grandfather was sent to a boy's (boarding) school because his mother "couldn't handle him". Then, he enlisted in the military. He was born in the early 20th century.

I have no idea if he had ADHD, but I think that this would have been one way someone could have been dealt with back then if they did. Boarding school for discipline and then the military.

My dad, on the other hand, has been ADHD his whole life. His parents were neglectful and mean. He learned over the years how to make a living for himself in creative, alternative ways different from holding down a 9-5, corporate life. He keeps a huge garden and feeds himself. He works from home.

I think there might always have been people with ADHD. Although some health conditions have been created fictitiously to make money from the "cure", and some health problems have arisen from our industrialized way of life, I think ADHD might just not have been understood, even though it existed back then.

And I also wonder: is it possible that ADHD has become more of a problem and has begun to show up more because of our way of life?

"And I also wonder: is it possible that ADHD has become more of a problem and has begun to show up more because of our way of life?"

I agree. We have no choice but to multitask our way into insanity these days. Even typically non-ADD people live ADD like lives. A slower pace, less expectations in society to perform and earn and race race race would def. make life with ADD much easier to manage.

PubMed and do a search on ADHD, and see how much research has been done, is being done, how many studies have been written, and are being written in many languages world wide and all in reputable and peer-reviewed journals. You'll then understand what I mean when I say that the myth that ADHD is a controversial diagnosis is being maintained by the fringe element.

Not very many people are as efficient with a search engine as imnapl - besides it isn't her claiming ADD doesn't exist - it doesn't matter how much she searches she isn't the one diagnosing her daughters ADD. Canada has a national health care system much like yours in the UK

The fact that you have been on the international forums for the UK helping people find clinics that treat adults then you are well aware that people from the UK have had difficulty finding doctors who are willing to diagnosis and treatment adult ADD. ADD isn't as readily accepted by medical professionals in the UK as it is here in the US according to the post from members over there.

The fringe element - I wish their views were restricted to just them - life would be easier on many of our members however even here in the US there is a decent percentage who do not believe ADD exist or more commonly ADD is simply normal behavior made up into a condition for drug company profits - you have to look no further than this thread.

Surly the idea of some one disagreeing with your point of view isn't a new concept either - I understand opposing opinion can feel like an attack but they aren't. In reality her perspective is base upon her experiences just as your is - The fact that you both have different experiences isn't surprising either seeing the two of you live in different countries.

It would be preferred if this discussion could remain respectful and civil. I hate to insist but I will if I have to.



Instead of attacking my statement,

I think she is clarifying that while the fringe element like $cientologist may be the ones how did you say it


only the fringe element likes to perpetuate this myth

They are not the only ones who believe it. Because of there propaganda and readiness to take any one and every one to court, and their negative impact upon the media many medical professionals shy away from treating ADD especially in adults {thanks in part to people who abuse the medications for recreational reasons}


I doubt she is any happier about it than you or anyone else.



Filter your search for free articles, print some of them up, and take them to the doctors who won't look your daughter in the eye. If they still won't respond professionally, then it's time to change doctors, and time to find someone who is more up to date and more aware of current research.

Speaking of research and knowledge it may be worth mentioning her daughter is an adult - based upon her statement worded as

where she lives in Canada

meaning the daughter doesn't live in the same part of Canada as she does.


f they still won't respond professionally, then it's time to change doctors, and time to find someone who is more up to date and more aware of current research.

This sounds like you are recommending finding some one who is willing to treat privately and not every one can afford this . . . . the system in Canada is run much like it is in the UK but from what I gather from post here the availability of ADD treatment is very much determined by where in Canada one lives.

You're reading waaaaay too much into my post, and therefore are misunderstanding my intentions. I'm saying that from a scientific point of view, it is not a controversial diagnosis--medical and scientific evidence backs it up--but some people (for many reasons) are choosing to continue to stereotype us. And we all probably agree that prejudice of any kind is wrong. But sometimes people's opinions can be changed, which is why I advocate searching for reputable articles and using them as a tool when we are pleading our own cause.

I do agree, however with your statement that "many medical professionals shy away from treating ADD especially in adults." Unfortunately, here in the UK, it may be due more to monetary reasons than to a fear that a prescribed medication may be abused for recreational reasons. (The increased use of sustained release versions of some drugs actually decreases the likelihood of abuse.)

One of the main difficulties here in the UK (I cannot speak for other countries) is that some of the medications are not licensed for use in adults, and this means that some doctors are not covered for liability by their insurance companies. As a result, some doctors don't want to risk their livelihoods by treating adults with adhd. It's the licensing that needs to change.

I am not advocating private treatment (most NHS doctors are current with the latest reasearch, and are good, caring professionals) because that takes pressure off the NHS administrators (and they are the ones we need to influence) and then there's less incentive for them to change, but please don't misunderstand me here either, I fully understand why people choose private treatment. The wait is too long, and the term National Health is an oxymoron. Some of us, including myself, are working to get that changed, and we've had some successes. Things are changing here in the UK, albeit slowly, but they are changing nevertheless!

And now for one last bit of clearing up (many apologies for the long post); you say "Surly the idea of some one disagreeing with your point of view isn't a new concept either - I understand opposing opinion can feel like an attack but they aren't," but I didn't say I felt attacked, I said my statement was attacked. I really believe that it's important that we stick together, because that will make us more effective.

Anyway all this has almost made me forget my concern that from reading Imnapl's post her daughter's doctors don't appear to be addressing her concerns, and that's the real problem.

hey guys
very interesting post ...
I WAS 25 yrs off medication ( im 25 yrs n ow :P)
and i got into medical school
sometimes medication makes ur life easy but u can live without it ... for me if i wasnt in med school where my grades are dropping ( though i never failed a class) since too much work in the last yrs of study ... it started to affect my intimate life and my hobbies and many essential things ... i was sacrifycing everything to try to focus and study with meds ... thingsd are cooler , easier ... :)
So yeah we can live in 1950's without meds ... its not that hard ... but one has to choose carfeully his goals
tc all

I am starting to think we have more messed up people today now that we have all these shrinks and medical pharmacy companies attempting to make money on all of our problems. What happened in the good old days if you had ADD/ADHD? I suspect most of us would have just adopted fine and went on with our lives if we were adults in the 1950s.

Our lives would not have been so complicated and we would have had much more support by friends and family than in today's isolated world. We would likely had worked in a factory doing real work instead of a chusy office job where we have time to pent. What do you think?

I'm from Russia, where psychiatry is still in the dark ages, and childhood ADD is just starting to get recognized (forget adult ADD, that's still far off). Half of my extended family there has ADD and/or a mood disorder. Trust me, it's not any more fun for them, with no shrinks or medication, than it is for us here :). At least I have the option of treatment.

Anyway all this has almost made me forget my concern that from reading Imnapl's post her daughter's doctors don't appear to be addressing her concerns, and that's the real problem.

Had it been presented this way initially I would have agreed with you 100%

Some doctors are not easily "influenced" by patent directed research - many actually get defensive.


You're reading waaaaay too much into my post, and therefore are misunderstanding my intentions.

I read words as they appear in the sentence the pattern of usage and therefore tone - which is obvious.

Frustration is really pretty hard to cover up but whom you are frustrated can easily be misinterpretation due to limited visual clues.

I do appreciate your increased effort at control in the response to me, it made your clarification most useful - thank you.


One of the main difficulties here in the UK (I cannot speak for other countries) is that some of the medications are not licensed for use in adults, and this means that some doctors are not covered for liability by their insurance companies. As a result, some doctors don't want to risk their livelihoods by treating adults with adhd. It's the licensing that needs to change.

Ohhh okay great info I always wondered why adult ADD wasn't as readily accepted in the UK - I never knew why it wasn't I just knew several of our members from across the pond had great difficulty finding help and that medication choices were limited.



I really believe that it's important that we stick together, because that will make us more effective.

Sticking together isn't always 100% hunky dory - some times there are moments of wtffry - I wasn't trying to be divisive just open and honest. Your tone hit me as not being very nice to imnapl - and I am actually arrogant enough to believe if I saw the tone as being harsh then others reading did also

If I never say any thing to you then I never have a chance to learn any differently. Thanks to your clarification your intentions are better understood so now we can all move forward.

I really am this direct I do not have to be upset to be so - I have tried the more socially subtle way but it never works worth a crap for me - I end up making things messier than I do if I just tell folks straight out.


Thanks for sticking it out and giving me more information about your perspective - now that I understand your point of view more I agree with you on the points presented .

So yeah we can live in 1950's without meds ... its not that hard ... but one has to choose carfeully his goals

No impairment no ADD diagnosis - according to medical science.{and mctavish23}

Stimulants have been rather popular in many cultures for ages.

Traditional Chinese medicine the herb má huáng contains ephedrine and pseudoephedrine as it's princible active constituents, North Africa and East Arabia are big fans of the Catha Edulis tree which is a strong stimulant(predating coffee) they call Qat, i personally find Coffee And Tea very helpful with my concentration if I don't put sugar in and it has been around for ages. There is also Nicotine which provides a degree of stimulation I belive would be stronger if not smoked due to the carbon monoxide but far more repulsive as chewing tobacco and snuff.

So to me stimulants have been pretty popular in different parts of the world and for sure if people felt they drew benefit from them they would use them.

though i have seen quite a lot of responces about recent human history, i would say a lot of the problems have been created with the changes of life style and work in the last 200 hundred years post industrial revoloution, for millions of years before then 90% of the population would have been working the land for food production with stronger comunitys working together, life would have been far simpler back then and centred around the basics food, clothing, keeping warm, protecting yourselves from attack working more as a comunity rather than a family unit

could adhd have been more of an asset back then?

So yeah we can live in 1950's without meds ... its not that hard ...
And it is statements like that that make me wonder if ADHD is overdiagnosed. Not that hard?????? I wish.

though i have seen quite a lot of responces about recent human history, i would say a lot of the problems have been created with the changes of life style and work in the last 200 hundred years post industrial revoloution, for millions of years before then 90% of the population would have been working the land for food production with stronger comunitys working together, life would have been far simpler back then and centred around the basics food, clothing, keeping warm, protecting yourselves from attack working more as a comunity rather than a family unit

could adhd have been more of an asset back then?

Nope. I'm so inattentive I wouldn't have noticed someone trying to attack me. I don't see how a short attention span and poor concentration abilities could be conducive to working the land for food production. Growing food is not something that can be done impulsively. It requires a lot of patience and planning ahead so you'll have greater yield. I've tried my hand at gardening before. Guess what? My plants died and went to plant heaven because I could never remember to water them and give them basic care. So no, I don't see any possible advantages to ADHD regardless of the time period. I would have starved to death. Or I would have been thrown out of the "community" for being a "lazy" worker.

bet we'dd make awesome hunter/gatgerers in small tribes, though. no need to plan ahead, be in a new place all the time. sounds good to me.