Today on MSN online, there was yet another series of articles on attention
deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is amazing how much media attention this
particular disorder is getting these days. The articles and news stories that are out there
all seem to have a different message about ADHD. Some challenge the very existence of
ADHD while others support the idea that the prevalence of ADHD in the world is
extremely high. There are also articles that focus on the potential harmful effects of
medication and bad outcomes that have been associated with medications.
I imagine that this must be confusing, frustrating, and even, in some cases, terrifying for
people to get all of these mixed messages.
After reviewing the articles on MSN, I typed in “adhd” on google and got 26,700,000
hits. I guess it’s safe to say that the issue is not ignored. Let’s think. If I wanted to look
at all of those pages, estimating each website took me an average of 90 seconds to peruse
(not actually read, mind you), I would be able to review all of that information in
40,050,000 minutes or 76.2 years. I don’t know about you, but I do have better things to
do with my time.
I think this was a good exercise for me to try to understand what it might be like to have
ADHD. The feeling of having that much information was very overwhelming. How was
I supposed to know which site would be reputable and even where to start? With ADHD,
I imagine that every day tasks probably look like you’re getting bombarded from
26,700,000 directions. It must be very anxiety provoking and depressing, not to mention
frustrating at times. No wonder some people with ADHD end up having what we call
“comorbid” problems. Among others, these can include anxiety, depression, behavior
problems and even substance use problems. Kids with ADHD get in trouble a lot, which
stresses them out, which makes the symptoms worse.
Good education on these issues, therefore, is crucial in successful treatment. This is why
I have listed some credible sites that discuss ADHD and ADD on my
“education/resources” page. I also plan on writing plenty more about attention deficit
problems in the news and views section. Stay tuned (if you can).