ADHD: Curse or Blessing

Picture this; you’ve got a large exam that counts for over fifty percent of grade in a week. You sit down to study but for some reason you just can’t focus. You tell yourself that I’ll sleep now and begin tomorrow but the same thing happens the next day and the day after until it is the night before the big exam. You’ve tried looking up ways to increase focus but nothing works. You realize, this doesn’t just happen for all your exams but everything you have ever done. Now, imagine your hypothetical situation turning into a reality. A reality that affects 6.4 million kids in the U.S. alone. A reality called ADHD. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a condition that causes hyperactivity, impulsivity and constant inattention. So far ADHD has been commonly associated with troubled children but that is not always the case. Although it has its downfalls, ADHD has helped many people become successful. People like David Blaine, Adam Levine, and Michael Phelps; all who have used this disorder to get where they are.

The reason ADHD gets such a bad reputation along most people, mainly parents, because of its disadvantages, sometimes severe. 2 MAIN Disadvantages are listed below.

• Concentrating and Forgetfulness – This aspect can have an effect on many situations such as school and work. Trouble concentrating in school can lead to bad grades and that can lead to a shaky future. Kids may have trouble concentrating and following instructions class. They may forget homework and books. They will so be unable to sit still in class. For work, a person may forget to review a project, to attend a meeting or to turn in an assignment on time.

• Social disabilities – People with ADHD usually have very interruptive personalities. They tend to be very loud and sometimes don’t think about the consequences of their words. Kids with ADHD are likely to have little friends and will sometimes even be bullied. They will have trouble interacting with large groups and peers often.

Other smaller disadvantages include sloppiness, a need for adrenaline rush, a tendency to lie and low patience. These are just a few of the many disadvantages. Parents may often see ADHD as a curse but they are mistaken to do so. ADHD, a lot of times, can also come with a lot benefits like great determination, good sense of humor, an ability to solve puzzles quickly, tendency to be the best, and an extra ability called hyper focus. Hyper focus, although contradicting the idea of ADHD, allows that person to focus on one interesting task VERY well. The advantages are helpful but some parents still strive to find a cure. Fortunately, those parents have a wide variety of cures to choose from that can benefit the child if the disadvantages overcome the advantages. Treatments are grouped into two main categories, psychotherapy and medication. In these two categories are other related choices. Possible cures are listed below. Note that cures don’t necessarily mean to get rid of the disorder but more to tame it.

• Medication – Medicines like Adderall, Concerta and Focalin are often prescribed by doctors to people who are suffering ADHD. These drugs can reduce the amount of energy in that person and help them concentrate. Even though mediation is an option, it is often a last resort because of all the side effects: headaches, depression, insomnia and abuse of prescribed medication. Medication can also change the behavior of the receiver, which can lead to a deterioration in social skills with friends and family.

• Parenting Skills – This falls in the category of therapy. Parents often implement strict methods to get their children to focus instead of finding alternative, friendly methods. A friendlier approach to organizing your child would be creating a set schedule of what the child has to do every day, organizing all their materials needed for the day or just engaging them in fun activities so that they can focus better.

• School Accommodations (considered a type of therapy) – A of times, kids suffering from ADHD have trouble focusing in school so therefore they receive an aid to help them with daily activities. These aids help guide the students in the right direction, help the students stay on track and even correct their behavior in certain situations. An aid can be very beneficial and can significantly boost the grades of the kids suffering from ADHD.

These are the main treatments for kids with ADHD but aren’t the only ones. There are still other minor treatments that are less often. Now, with the rise of ADHD and the increasing amount of kids getting diagnosed with it, there must be some debates that are sparked by this disorder. Small debates like ethical ways of treating the disorder or whether ADHD is beneficial, are just in the background. One of the main debates is whether ADHD is actually real. This one topic has been immensely controversial and has given birth to many possible reasons. Reasons for being fake include that ADHD is a way for doctors to make money; also so many people get diagnosed with ADHD, it could just be a common misconception; and finally, ADHD is often misunderstood. Many people believe simple tapping of the pen or foot shows signs of hyperactivity and ADHD when it is only a common habit. Even reasons are presented to make ADHD seem false, there is strong evidence that suggests ADHD is real. Evidence stems from complicated genetic testing and the study of heritable traits. These two similar fields alone help doctors narrow down whether ADHD is real or not. To this day, most doctors have a general belief that ADHD exists, however, the debate is continually receiving arguments from the other side.

In conclusion, ADHD is a very widely known disorder and is very controversial. There have been many treatments to cure ADHD but ethical issues surround that area too. ADHD can also come with a lot of disadvantages but the advantage makeup for the harm. And finally, many debates have stemmed from the disorder; the main one being whether ADHD is real.

Works Cited

https://www.google.com/search?q=adhd&safe=strict&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=638&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOsoS6zK7PAhWEGT4KHZLABEEQ_AUICCgD#imgrc=Xt1rq0Ig-g-MWM%3A

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=is%20adhd%20real

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/treatment.html

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/adhd-behavioral-treatment

http://add-informatie-en-tips.jimdo.com/homepage-english/the-benefits-disadvantages-off-add/

http://www.addadult.com/add-education-center/famous-people-with-adhd/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/96700-disadvantages-adhd/

http://time.com/growing-up-with-adhd/