There's tons and tons of evidence. Your links (which are quite wonderful by themselves) only scratch the surface. addforums.com has links galore, many in stickied posts, even more provided by members in the discussions as new information is found. Not all the links are good, because as in any other forum, there are believers in and purveyors of woo.
However, those of us who experience ADD, who've lived with it for all our lives, are not the ones who need it the most, unless we're trying to learn more to improve our situations and/or treatment. The ones who need it the most are the ones who will be least likely to allow themselves to be exposed to it. *cough*Caledonian*cough* One of the drawbacks of ADD is that we tend to persist in arguing when we know we're right, not recognizing for quite some time that we're wasting our time and energy - and still we can't stop without major force of willpower. It's a trait that can serve us well when it's directed properly, but not in a situation like arguing with deniers.
Re-reading the threads I know you and I are both reading, I find it clear that the consensus is that ADD exists, that there are concrete reasons for it, and there are treatments that work. Everyone else except for one believes that the current understanding is valid, that research is progressing, and that treatment is justified. So the person screaming in the corner that everyone else is a victim of delusion is worthy of being ignored. Aaaahhhhh! That feels so good!
I am working on the next post, which will address exactly why I am so adamant about going at this one. The problem is that there are a lot of people out there who buy the denialist bullshit. Which would be fine, ecept for the stigmatization that often accompanies the denialism.
I take it particularly hard, because for many years growing up, my dad was one fo those people. Growing up with ADHD is hard enough, when you have a parent who is extremely skeptical of the existence of the disorder you suffer from, it really sucks. He has since come to learn a lot more about it, especially after finding out that my biological father and most of his kids all have ADHD.
Now I have a son of my own, who is ADHD. We also confirmed yesterday, that the child we are expecting in December, is definitely a boy, making it highly likely that he will be ADHD as well, though with my genetics, it's probable that even if it was a girl, we'd still be dealing with ADHD.
Too much stigma, makes it hard, as I'm sure you're aware of. While it gets better as the science becomes more clear, the stigma still persists. For the sake of my children, I am going to fight like hell, against that stigma.
I do what I can regarding the stigma aspect by being extremely open about my own ADD and depression, telling it as a success story of medication and therapy. Sometimes I'll be asked to explain what ADD is like, and that helps people to "get it". I think that being very "out" is a good way to go. When people meet me, they see someone who is intelligent, informed, and happy. I make people laugh a lot, I always have a "little-known fact" or an interesting story, and they think I've really got my act together. It makes me more credible when the ADD stuff comes out, and people are pretty open with me because I'm so open about it myself.
My kids are fortunate enough to have not inherited the ADD, although one has some related OCD traits and thought patterns. However, they've also learned from Mom to be open and outspoken, and their friends are more curious than appalled about their mom's ADD (or atheism - we're open about that, too!) so it's at least making a small impact. Knowledge is power.
I've known someone to vehemently deny that stress exists. Some people are beyond reason. And unfortunately others listen to them.
I know very little about ADHD, but I have no doubt that it exists (and that my friends who have ADHD do truly have a medical condition). I also have no doubt that some doctors misdiagnose patients with ADHD when the issue is purely psychological. That's not the core of the issue, but it compounds it by giving those deniers ammunition.
But I believe that, at least for most people, if they're made aware of all the facts they'd accept that it is a real, but manageable condition, and nothing to be feared, misjudged, prejudiced against, etc.
4 comments:
There's tons and tons of evidence. Your links (which are quite wonderful by themselves) only scratch the surface. addforums.com has links galore, many in stickied posts, even more provided by members in the discussions as new information is found. Not all the links are good, because as in any other forum, there are believers in and purveyors of woo.
However, those of us who experience ADD, who've lived with it for all our lives, are not the ones who need it the most, unless we're trying to learn more to improve our situations and/or treatment. The ones who need it the most are the ones who will be least likely to allow themselves to be exposed to it. *cough*Caledonian*cough* One of the drawbacks of ADD is that we tend to persist in arguing when we know we're right, not recognizing for quite some time that we're wasting our time and energy - and still we can't stop without major force of willpower. It's a trait that can serve us well when it's directed properly, but not in a situation like arguing with deniers.
Re-reading the threads I know you and I are both reading, I find it clear that the consensus is that ADD exists, that there are concrete reasons for it, and there are treatments that work. Everyone else except for one believes that the current understanding is valid, that research is progressing, and that treatment is justified. So the person screaming in the corner that everyone else is a victim of delusion is worthy of being ignored. Aaaahhhhh! That feels so good!
Hi Alsion, thanks for stopping by.
I am working on the next post, which will address exactly why I am so adamant about going at this one. The problem is that there are a lot of people out there who buy the denialist bullshit. Which would be fine, ecept for the stigmatization that often accompanies the denialism.
I take it particularly hard, because for many years growing up, my dad was one fo those people. Growing up with ADHD is hard enough, when you have a parent who is extremely skeptical of the existence of the disorder you suffer from, it really sucks. He has since come to learn a lot more about it, especially after finding out that my biological father and most of his kids all have ADHD.
Now I have a son of my own, who is ADHD. We also confirmed yesterday, that the child we are expecting in December, is definitely a boy, making it highly likely that he will be ADHD as well, though with my genetics, it's probable that even if it was a girl, we'd still be dealing with ADHD.
Too much stigma, makes it hard, as I'm sure you're aware of. While it gets better as the science becomes more clear, the stigma still persists. For the sake of my children, I am going to fight like hell, against that stigma.
I do what I can regarding the stigma aspect by being extremely open about my own ADD and depression, telling it as a success story of medication and therapy. Sometimes I'll be asked to explain what ADD is like, and that helps people to "get it". I think that being very "out" is a good way to go. When people meet me, they see someone who is intelligent, informed, and happy. I make people laugh a lot, I always have a "little-known fact" or an interesting story, and they think I've really got my act together. It makes me more credible when the ADD stuff comes out, and people are pretty open with me because I'm so open about it myself.
My kids are fortunate enough to have not inherited the ADD, although one has some related OCD traits and thought patterns. However, they've also learned from Mom to be open and outspoken, and their friends are more curious than appalled about their mom's ADD (or atheism - we're open about that, too!) so it's at least making a small impact. Knowledge is power.
I've known someone to vehemently deny that stress exists. Some people are beyond reason. And unfortunately others listen to them.
I know very little about ADHD, but I have no doubt that it exists (and that my friends who have ADHD do truly have a medical condition). I also have no doubt that some doctors misdiagnose patients with ADHD when the issue is purely psychological. That's not the core of the issue, but it compounds it by giving those deniers ammunition.
But I believe that, at least for most people, if they're made aware of all the facts they'd accept that it is a real, but manageable condition, and nothing to be feared, misjudged, prejudiced against, etc.
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