by Krystal Nguyen

Created on: June 10, 2009   Last Updated: June 11, 2009

I am a full time student with ADHD, and have felt the affects of not being diagnosed until I was 17. I had a very hard time concentrating in school, became bored very easily, constant urge to move around and lack of enthusiasm. My speaking is still very fast and sporadic and I have a hard time staying on the subject of conversations if I don't take my medication.

If they would have listened to my mother who told them there was something not right about me, not out of anger and frustration, but out of the love of seeing her once "A" student drop to "Fs". I might not be in the situation I am in now. I am now 21 and on Adderall which is working out fantastically! I have a 3.5 GPA in my college and can actually pay attention when the teacher is talking.

The problem isn't that it is over diagnosed; it is how you deal with this diagnosis. My ADHD is pretty severe, as I have tried weaker drugs with no affect. There are some though, that only slightly have ADHD. They are in the borderline range. These people would benefit from trying out natural remedies like fish oil with omega fatty acids.

To give a child so young such a strong medication is a barbaric thing to ask of a child. They will become dependent on the medication if they take it at such a young age. Their minds need to time to fully mature and grow. There are some new lighter medications out, but I have noticed Adderall has been the choice drug.

I also do notice parents blaming their frustrations on ADHD and as long as they see a good psychologist that has the child's best interest at heart then there will be no problem. The parents are essentially to blame for this whole mess. The psychiatrist doesn't show up at houses doing random ADHD checks. The parents are too busy with their own lifes to notice a cry of attention or a simple discipline problem.

When you say that it is overdiagnosed, it scares psychiatrists from using the diagnosis on patients that truly are in need of help. Then the ones that do need the help are left in the dark looking like pill seekers.

You must also look at it from the child's eyes. Having ADHD is extremely frustrating and can cause depression and Bipolar if you do not treat it. I say this because I am now also diagnosed as Bipolar and when I take my ADHD medication there is also a significant improvement in my moods. I see so many children get so frustrated and depressed because people blame them for the way they act when it is a mental disorder and that is what we all forget. ADHD is a terrible mental disorder and does affect kids more mainly because as adults we tend to hide our problems and not seek treatment for them. We believe we can cure everything ourselves.

I used to be on the side of those that say it is overdiagnosed until I gave medication a try and saw the huge difference in my life that it made. As long as the options are explored, the drug isn't too strong for the child, and therapy is also used with the medication, then it is a case that calls for the diagnosis.

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