by KYYX4ever » Thu Mar 30, 2006 10:44 am
I've always had a beef with the the whole ADD thing. When I used to work with younger kids at an after-school program,(a job which I loved), we used to call Ritalin "Mommy's little helper". IMO--and this is just my opinion--ADD is just a normal, active, slightly hyper kid whose parent(s) don't have enough time for them, who can't give them enough attention, a kid who eats too much sugary foods, empty caloric junk food who watches way too much TV. My main defense is why suddenly a name for this so-called "disorder"? When the pharmaceutical companies came up with a pill, that's when the spazzy or hyper kid we all remember disrupting our classes when we were kids suddenly had ADD. Ridiculous!
I realize there are those who say ritalin helped them, but I also think it's something behavior modification/ therapy/ parental affection/ discipline could fix better, without doping some kid up like a zombie. (Have you [i]spent time[/i] with a kid after they've gotten their ritalin? they're like a zombie! Did you know you can get a hyper kid to calm down by giving them a sip of Coco-Cola ? It's true--the caffeine helps their brains focus. Did you also know that ritalin is pretty much speed? if a non-ADD person took a ritalin, they'd be all hyped up!) Pharmaceutical companies, faced with harried, stressed-out parents, have this one in their pocket.
*gets off soapbox*
I do not mean to offend any parents here whose kids are helped by Ritalin. If I did, I apologize. I just am quite against this made-up diagnosis.