"Diagnosis: Human" --NYT Article

[BeHereNow]

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/opinion/diagnosis-human.html?_r=0

"Ours is an age in which the airwaves and media are one large drug emporium that claims to fix everything from sleep to sex. I fear that being human is itself fast becoming a condition. It’s as if we are trying to contain grief, and the absolute pain of a loss like mine. We have become increasingly disassociated and estranged from the patterns of life and death, uncomfortable with the messiness of our own humanity, aging and, ultimately, mortality."

[lea]

Wow, it breaks my heart to read that. I had no idea what ADD was until I was an adult and going on antidepressants as a child was unheard of, or maybe just so stigmatized that no one talked about it. At any rate, talk therapy worked back in the day because that was the accepted mode of treatment. I had psychotherapy at 16 when my family moved to another state and in 3 months I was "cured." It really is sad how we have come to depend on meds - myself included - on antidepressants now close to 15 years!

[quit-once]

I just clicked the like button for Lea's comment. I totally agree with her. When I was a kid, and I am the same age as Lea, some kids were known as "hyperactive". I think Cassie called them brats. I think the whole ADD/ADHD thing is an attempt to explain normal human behavior and an excuse to medicate normal people with bad drugs.

[ashley6]

I heard on Fox News yesterday that they're trying to make the qualifications for ADHD in children more broad so they can prescribe even more children. Truly heart-breaking. I hope it wasn't true.

[quit-once]

I heard on NPR talk of the nation yesterday that 60 to 70% of all people diagnosed with ADHD will be medicated at some point in their life.

And I read somewhere that the estimated amount of people who are "afflicted" with ADHD is about 9% of the general population

Do the math. That is A LOT of people going on/off stimulants. .......like over 20 million americans. Insane, isn't it?

[ldmcniel]

I have been given the diagnosis for ADHD as well as my son. I HATE it. People think you are "dumb". Even though I had straight A's, never took a note, and didn't study. I have(or at least HAD before Adderall) a near photographic memory. To me, a person diagnosed with ADHD means "Genesis ". The kids that are usually not listening to their parents, behave poorly, and are mean to their peers are ODD, oppositional defiant disorder. There is a HUGE difference but society fails to see it.

[BeHereNow]

Ashley that's pretty sickening and I really hope it's not true, but it probably is. It's probably what's behind this rise in ADHD diagnosis rate (11%?? Where do they get these numbers?!)

On top of all that I cannot believe that they are adding some forms of grieving to the DSM. Expanding the criteria for depression--or any illness--means more diagnoses, which means more money for pharmaceuticals and psychiatrists.

I see this as a systemic corporate push to diagnose as many people as possible as having something wrong with them, which really messes with people's sense of self worth--and sense of identity-- on a deep level and sends people running back for more and more meds.

Like your story ldmcniel, being diagnosed with something like ADHD is like being told there's something wrong with you, something abnormal, while other people are able to function "normally."

On top of this, being told that we "need" a drug to function normally messes with people's sense of self worth (i.e. the way that believing that we need adderall messes up our belief in our own capabilities.)

What this article seems to be pointing to is a process of writing off as pathology the struggles and pain of life, and huge aspects of what makes us human.

[BeHereNow]

I heard on Fox News yesterday that they're trying to make the qualifications for ADHD in children more broad so they can prescribe even more children. Truly heart-breaking. I hope it wasn't true.

Ashley was it this video? It's about expanding the ages where they can diagnose ADHD. Or are there other criteria being expanded too?

http://video.foxbusi...dhd-guidelines/

[ashley6]

I just heard a clip about it, but they were talking about expanding the criteria to prescribe ADHD meds in children....like it's not easy enough. I didn't see the whole thing, so I can't speak a whole lot on if. The link didn't work for me. I'll have to pull it up again later. Thanks

[ashley6]

News

Last Updated

Changes to psychiatry's 'bible' could widen definition of ADHD

By Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, April 12 (HealthDay News) -- When the latest version of what is considered the "bible" of psychiatry is unveiled in May, experts believe several changes in it will broaden both the definition and diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder -- or ADHD.

But experts also differ on whether the shifts in thinking about this neurodevelopmental disorder will be a good thing.

Dr. James Norcross, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, outlined the major changes that should be coming in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which is published by the American Psychiatric Association.

"One is the latest age that someone can have the onset of symptoms," Norcross explained. "In the current version, it's seven years. That will be changed to 12 years in the DSM-5, which may make things easier for adults and adolescents, because they'll be able to better recall some of the challenges that may have occurred."

Another big change that Norcross expects is that those over 17 will only have to meet five criteria, instead of six, to be diagnosed with ADHD. "This could increase the number of adults [who] are diagnosed because the criteria were largely developed for children, and they're not necessarily things we see in adults," he explained. For example, one of the criteria for hyperactivity has been squirming in your seat.

The last significant expected change is that ADHD will no longer be grouped with conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. Instead, it will be grouped with neurodevelopmental disorders.

"They're trying to group disorders by similar pathology, and this is a better description of ADHD. More and more, it's being shown to be a biological process," Norcross explained.

Overall, Norcross said he thought the changes were positive and that they might remove some of the stigma that's been attached to an ADHD diagnosis.

However, another expert said the changes could lead to overdiagnosis of the disorder, and a subsequent jump in the prescribing of stimulants to treat the disorder.

"In trying never to miss a case, they may mislabel millions of people with a disorder they don't have. Everyone has problems with distractibility, but when ADHD is real, it starts early, it's intense and it's unmistakable," said Dr. Allen Frances, chair of the task force for the DSM-4 and former chair of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, N.C. The fourth edition of the DSM has been in force since 1994.

"We're already overdiagnosing ADHD. Almost 20 percent of teen boys get the diagnosis of ADHD, and about 10 percent of boys are on stimulant drugs. We don't need to make it easier to diagnose ADHD," Frances said.

His biggest concern is that by expanding the diagnosis of ADHD, more children and adults will be put on stimulant medications, such as Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta and Vyvanse.

"In the short-term, performance is improved, which makes it highly desirable. In the long-run, there's a risk of addiction. Would you think it's OK for people to take steroids to improve their tennis game? It's pill-pushing," Frances said.

"If we decide as a society that the use of stimulants is good, it shouldn't be done through a fake medical diagnosis. Making it a medical diagnosis is what's wrong here," Frances explained. "I'm not against these drugs being legal, but I'm against the backdoor medical diagnosis."

Another concern is that people who have other psychiatric disorders may be wrongly classified as having ADHD.

"Every single psychiatric disorder has distractibility as part of it. If you misdiagnose someone with bipolar disorder as having ADHD and put them on stimulants, you'll throw them into mania," he cautioned.

Norcross agreed that ADHD diagnosis in adults needs to be done very carefully. But, he said the traits of inattention and disorganization often do continue into adulthood. And, for teens and young adults, ADHD can have an impact on education and employment opportunities.

More information

Learn more about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Health News Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

[BeHereNow]

"Like" as in "thank you" lol!!

[ashley6]

You're welcome Dr. Frances sounds like a smart man! We need more in the medical field that think this way, in my opinion.