My Commonplace Book

Anyone who has ADHD, or knows someone who does, needs to watch this hilarious video!

woofiegrrl and I -- who have both been formally diagnosed with ADHD -- have both debunked the scarelore surrounding treatment for this disorder.

A behavioral disorder that afflicts both children and adults, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is marked by hyperactivity, impulsivity and an inability to concentrate. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 2 million children in the U.S. suffer from the condition, with between 30 to 70 percent of them continuing to exhibit symptoms in their adult years.

Few people (Tom Cruise and his ilk notwithstanding) question the efficacy of other drugs for "behavioral" conditions such as depression and psychosis. But thanks to the Scientologists and conspiracy theorists -- some of whom are using their MDs to get rich by writing and disseminating scarelore -- there is still confusion about treating this "behavioral" condition with pharmacological drugs. It's sad that so many people fail to understand that all behavior is influenced, if not caused, by brain biochemistry.

Now recent studies have revealed new information about the ways in which stimulant drugs for ADHD affect the brain, and also show that the disorder is seriously undertreated.

( Details and links )

Children should not be forced to struggle with behaviors they cannot control that are caused by a biochemical imbalance in the brain. Meredith has benefited enormously from taking medication for her ADHD. It was unknown when I was a child -- my parents called me "Miss Perpetual Motion" and complained frequently that "you have no stick-to-it-ive-ness!" I think my life would have been very different in some important ways if medication had been available in those days, and I hope good science continues to overcome the scarelore about medication for ADHD.


( Full text of third article )