ADHD

Why is it that about 5% of children across America have ADHD anyway? And just how long has this been available as yet another handle?

Someone I know recently said she had it. She is, oh, maybe in her mid to late forties. She was educated to be a teacher. I knew her when she was a little girl and I never saw her running about doing weird things, actually at each visit, she seemed very normal.

We didn't have special classes for ADHD people when I was growing up. Everyone was lumped together. If you didn't pass the grade, you were held back. If you where too smart for the class, too bad, there wasn't anyplace to put you then, either.

My question is: Is there a stigma? Do other children point and tease? Do you look different? How? Look, not act.

And so I go back to the mid forties lady and I wonder if some of the diagnoses she carries are plunked on her by the medical staff because they didn't know what else to do. Her list of drugs is scary.

Sometimes I wonder if doctor's just write scripts because they don't have a clue. I do know there isn't time to listen. Sometimes folks can't walk in and blurt out what the problem is and others blurt--maybe the louder the blurt and more pills. It is a case of the squeaky wheel being oiled first? Can people research an illness and know just what to say?

Does western medicine have to learn to listen FIRST? Do we need another group of professionals that do the listening? Oh, they are already out there. Oops.

If a person can only do a half a listen to directions then isn't it possible they can learn by watching instead of giving them the DX of ADHD? Think about it.