The prevalence of the ADD/ADHD diagnosis does not definitely indicate that something is dreadfully wrong with the nation’s children, but rather that something has definitely changed. Although some cases of out-of-control children being diagnosed with ADD/ADHD are most likely due to nutritional imbalances and deficiencies as well as allergies and sensitivities, a good number of cases are likely due to the fact that child rearing has changed.
Many supposed disorders are due to factors that influence the social, emotional, and environmental development of children. It is because of these factors that ADD/ADHD landed in the American Psychological Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) as a psychiatric disorder. In truth, it is likely that ADD/ADHD is not best described as a psychiatric disorder at all, but rather as more of a personality type.
Not only have some experts argue that ADD/ADHD should not be in DSM but many other conditions too that have been classified in DSM as psychiatric disorders. Individuals diagnosed with these conditions as well as ADD/ADHD does not feel as though they suffer from a psychiatric condition and there have been no evidence to support that they fall under psychiatric disorder.
Are individuals who suffer from ADD/ADHD just different?
It is obvious that an individual suffering from asthma would not be classified as having a psychiatric condition. It’s also obvious that someone with diabetes would not be classified according to DSM criteria. In the same manner, individuals diagnosed as having ADD/ADHD should avoid a psychiatric diagnosis.
No evidence to support diagnosis of ADD/ADHD
In the rush to diagnose and medicate individuals to fit into the mold that society creates for the majority of people, the medical community has labeled an entire generation of children as unmanageable. And in that rush, millions of children are being medicated on a daily basis. But some evidence suggests that the problem is not with those who suffer from ADD/ADHD, but rather the problem is with a society that feels these individuals must be suppressed.
The rise in diagnosis of children with ADD/ADHD can be linked to the changes made in parenting, education and rules invented by society. Furthermore, these individuals do not feel as is there is anything mentally wrong with them. These individual are distinct because they process, perceive and react more to internal and external stimuli than others.
Children of today are not so free to interact with the environment. The society has posed many restrictions and values that these children needs to conform to and this has created many problems within these children as well as the way they interact with the environment and society when they are unable to do so.
There have been suggestions that these uncontrollable individuals may not necessarily require medical treatment for them to become normal like everyone else in the society. Their differences are not a defect but it is a sign that society may need to be finding the middle ground in handling these differences.
Could the rise in ADD/ADHD be a sign in showing there is something off beam with parenting, society, and the environment?
With all the rush that we have imposed upon our children it is no wonder that they have become the individuals that are hyperactive. Children used to be pampered at home by housewife mothers. They are free to sleep, eat and explore their childhood. Now, children are rushed to school and even preschool and daycare by their working parents, given prepackaged food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Parents who have no time for their children would usually resort to providing entertainment in the form of television. All these has negative effect in a sense that parents are neglecting the fact that these children needs to be slowed down to enjoy life a little.
Before the blame is placed solely on the shoulders of parents, one must take into account the situation that forces parents to take these measures. One most prevalent factor is the rising cost of education that forces parents to opt for warehousing children. More often than not, both parents would have to generate income in order to provide for the family. This has in turn created a regulated, narrowly focused, and task-oriented lifestyle for their children and children with ADD/ADHD are the ones that suffer from it the most. Just like many restrictions are placed on children suffering from other disorders, this type of lifestyle is certainly not the one that should be imposed on children with ADD/ADHD.
And before parents ride the waves of a guilt tsunami, they must realize that most people do what they are think is right. There has been nothing, until relatively recently, that encouraged parents to think for themselves when selecting options for their children. The FDA labeled food additives safe and the medical community failed to keep people informed of alternative methods of treating ADD/ADHD and many other disorders and illnesses.
The medical community have been making an easy turn to pharmaceutical treatment when in comes to treating ADD/ADHD all these while and more and more are beginning to realize this as the trend shows that they are shifting to natural, non-medicinal, alternatives for treating such health conditions.

About the Author:
As a leading practitioner in the field of treating attention deficit disorder, Jimmy Brownen has had man years of experience in the treatment of such disorders. For more information on adderall or vyvanse, please visit his site today.

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