ADHD is Fake?!?!?

WOW! I was just reading a blog post by someone who believes that ADHD is nothing more than kids behaving badly, that it can be cured with a good old spanking, and that it is a disorder made up by pharmaceutical companies! He also claimed that dyslexia, celiac, and fibromyalgia are creative inventions.

I first skimmed to the bottom of the page looking for the punch line, then left the page because I could literally feel my blood pressure rising! I triple dog dare him to come and spend a day in my school or my house for that matter!!! Grrrr!!! My logical, rational side is very aware that there are many ignorant people in the world, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that there really are cases of over diagnosis and unwarranted medication of children, but my emotional side wants to throat punch him!

He clearly has no experience with children of any variety. He doesn't know how heart wrenching it is to see the look on my child's face when they are struck with the realization "oh no, I did it again, didn't I?" Our kids literally try so hard to be good and do the right things, only to be taken off track by their brain's inability to send and receive all of the messages properly. If this was not the case, stimulant medications would have disastrous effects instead of actually treating the biological nature of this disorder.

I am all about focusing on the positives and super powers that come with the gift of ADHD, but I am not blind to the struggles. We need to take the bad with the good and play on our strengths. Sure, ADHD wasn't diagnosed as much in our generation, but how many of us got to grow up feeling stupid, worthless, and like we would never amount to anything because of it?

By not diagnosing, treating, and providing early intervention to anyone with any type of mental illness, we are doing that person a complete disservice! Treatment only evens the playing field for neuro-typical people and all the rest of us. Everyone should have the opportunity to live up their their fullest potential, if some people need help to do so, then so be it. All human beings are valuable and should be treated as such! If only there was a treatment for ignorance and discrimination...

Soap box rant over.

It's like five steps backwards for mental health advocates!