by Carol Lee

Created on: February 06, 2007   Last Updated: April 18, 2007

This statement will probably spark a lot of argument, especially from those who have been "diagnosed" with this disease, but I will come right out and say it anyway: I do not believe in ADHD.

Here's why. I was a hyper kid when I was a child. Really hyper. So was my sister. My parents would literally lock us out of the house and make us run around to burn off energy because they did not know what else to do with us. Especially in the summer, we would spend numerous hours every day running around the neighborhood, riding bikes, and being active. So did all the other kids in the neighborhood. Back then it was considered normal for kids to be energetic. And it wasn't that long ago, I'm only 22 years old. Did I have trouble concentrating in class? Sometimes. But then I would go to PE class, run around for a while, tire myself out and I would be able to concentrate better.

Flash forward to today. There is an obesity epidemic occuring even in very young children. Most children spend every spare minute watching TV or playing video games. They rarely ever leave the couch. I rarely see a child outside in my neighborhood. This is now considered normal. Therefore, the few kids that are energetic and have trouble concentrating because they are so active, are considered to have something wrong with them.

Wake up, people! Your kids don't need to be medicated! They are kids! They are supposed to be active and easily distracted, there is nothing wrong with that! When people choose to medicate their kids for ADHD it makes me sad because these kids are being told that there is something wrong with them. The medication makes their energy and spark for life go away, and they walk through their days in a drug-induced haze. Never mind the fact that it has been proven that children who are medicated for ADHD are more likely to abuse drugs later in life.

But it's not always the parents' fault. Many parents choose to medicate their children for ADHD at the recommendation of their kids' teachers or principals (who, by the way, most likely have no medical or psychological training whatsoever). Why do these teachers recommend that these children be put on medication? Because it makes their jobs easier. Teachers in elementary schools generally have classes of 20-30 children, and it is much easier to deal with 20-30 drugged out, dazed children than 20-30 energetic, normal children.

So what is the solution? Parents need to make the choice not to drug their children for this so-called "disease". True, some children are hard to handle. But there are much better ways to care for these children than drugging them. How about giving them an active outlet, like sports? Or help them to focus by eliminating distractions? How about actually being a parent, or being a teacher? What a novel idea!

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