Post by marionk on Jun 12, 2016 8:41:21 GMT
Googling Johnny Depp and ADHD, for some reason threw up this article.
Really? They ALL had symptoms of ADHD before age 12?
IF that is actually true, then surely it demonstrates that ADHD is one hell of a lot more important than anyone has realised, because that would mean that ADHD LEADS TO over 20 conditions, not the other way round!!!!
Maybe it IS actually true! I for one had ADHD symptoms years before I got depressed.
And if iron deficiency was the cause, why the bleeping hell did the doctors consider it not low enough to need treating until FIFTY years after I first noticed symptoms of ADHD.
I can actually detail how ADHD led to my iron levels finally getting so low that I finally got treatment for it.
(Short version: ADHD makes western style living very stressful, stress causes heavy periods leading to anaemia.
The full version involves another 'non-existant' condition (adrenal fatigue).
For some reason 'delayed menopause' isn't recognised until you're over 55, even though in my case it was clearly delayed by the anaemia, as witness the fact that my periods stopped within weeks of clearing up the anaemia.
This is yet another reason why I don't trust the experts and their settings of 'acceptable levels' of things. Gah! I could start another rant thread now!!))
Sort of, but technically it's wrong, ADHD meds don't replace anything, and the body, (actually he should have said brain) wasn't producing 'the appropriate levels' in the first place. If you raise the level of a neurotransmitter by 'artificial' means, higher than the level our regulating systems consider normal, those regulating systems will reduce production accordingly.
More importantly, he's missing the fact that ADHD people don't have enough in the first place. Whether this is because we use it up too fast for our brains to produce it fast enough, or because whatever controls the levels is 'set' too low, or because we don't produce as much as NTs or whatever . . . not even the top of the field experts know!!
And there aren't many things out there that have any helpful effect on any of them anyway, so if mph and strattera don't work, then there's only the potentially addictive ones left!
Even though he says
(implying those with ADHD)
he doesn't seem to have grasped the fact that except under particular circumstances* they cannot concentrate without them in the first place!!
We are, perhaps, effectively born addicted, except we don't realise until we start taking the stuff. The withdrawal symptoms for normal people sound just like I am normally!
*If a subject interests us sufficiently that we get a 'kick' out of it, that 'kick' enables us to concentrate on it.
The people taking them are well aware of any side effects, so what's his point?
Possibly sometimes, but I have tried lots of things over the years, medical and otherwise, and nothing has been as helpful as mph, and the beneficial effects (such as they were-not much really) seem to be permanent (after taking a very low dose of gingko as well).
Yeah, the first group doesn't have anything wrong with them, the second have ADHD!
That's actually fine, as he's not actually referring to ADHD people, just people that have a normal level of distractibility but have been misdiagnosed!! Thing is though, that all through the article he's making out that ADHD doesn't exist, so here he is implying that ADHD is just people that don't bother trying to get enough sleep and take stimulants instead GRRRRRRR
Cart before horse anyone? I have been treated for various conditions, thought to be at the root of my problems, to no avail.
Only since realising I have ADHD and getting meds appropriate to it, have I had any improvement from anything! (Apart from dark chocolate )
He uses the word 'usually' though, and this implies that treating 'the original condition' doesn't work in all cases. Maybe . . . those are the only genuine ADHD cases he has had!
So now he's saying ADHD DOES exist?!?
And what does he suggest those people do, who do not respond to his treatment of what he considers to be 'the underlying cause'?
So far the best thing available is those nasty addictive stimulants that he clearly won't prescribe for anyone.
Actually, as an added thought I do wonder if the problem is with too little production or too much consumption of certain neurotransmitters, then something that keeps them around longer, without taking the levels over what our brains would keep them at, wouldn't be addictive . . .
Having been addicted to Seroxat, I am terrified of getting addicted to anything, but I'm increasingly coming to think that I would know if it was happening (I actually did know with the Seroxat, but the doc didn't listen) and that if it only raises levels to what they ought to be, maybe it won't be addictive anyway. (Apart from withdrawal setting me back to my lousy version of normal. )
Over the course of my career, I have found more than 20 conditions that can lead to symptoms of ADHD, each of which requires its own approach to treatment. Among these are sleep disorders, undiagnosed vision and hearing problems, substance abuse (marijuana and alcohol in particular), iron deficiency, allergies (especially airborne and gluten intolerance), bipolar and major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and even learning disabilities like dyslexia, to name a few. Anyone with these issues will fit the ADHD criteria outlined by the DSM, but stimulants are not the way to treat them.
Really? They ALL had symptoms of ADHD before age 12?
IF that is actually true, then surely it demonstrates that ADHD is one hell of a lot more important than anyone has realised, because that would mean that ADHD LEADS TO over 20 conditions, not the other way round!!!!
Maybe it IS actually true! I for one had ADHD symptoms years before I got depressed.
And if iron deficiency was the cause, why the bleeping hell did the doctors consider it not low enough to need treating until FIFTY years after I first noticed symptoms of ADHD.
I can actually detail how ADHD led to my iron levels finally getting so low that I finally got treatment for it.
(Short version: ADHD makes western style living very stressful, stress causes heavy periods leading to anaemia.
The full version involves another 'non-existant' condition (adrenal fatigue).
For some reason 'delayed menopause' isn't recognised until you're over 55, even though in my case it was clearly delayed by the anaemia, as witness the fact that my periods stopped within weeks of clearing up the anaemia.
This is yet another reason why I don't trust the experts and their settings of 'acceptable levels' of things. Gah! I could start another rant thread now!!))
What’s so bad about stimulants? you might wonder. They seem to help a lot of people, don’t they? The article in the Times mentions that the “drugs can temper hallmark symptoms like severe inattention and hyperactivity but also carry risks like sleep deprivation, appetite suppression and, more rarely, addiction and hallucinations.” But this is only part of the picture.
First, addiction to stimulant medication is not rare; it is common. The drugs’ addictive qualities are obvious. We only need to observe the many patients who are forced to periodically increase their dosage if they want to concentrate. This is because the body stops producing the appropriate levels of neurotransmitters that ADHD meds replace — a trademark of addictive substances. I worry that a generation of Americans won’t be able to concentrate without this medication; Big Pharma is understandably not as concerned.
First, addiction to stimulant medication is not rare; it is common. The drugs’ addictive qualities are obvious. We only need to observe the many patients who are forced to periodically increase their dosage if they want to concentrate. This is because the body stops producing the appropriate levels of neurotransmitters that ADHD meds replace — a trademark of addictive substances. I worry that a generation of Americans won’t be able to concentrate without this medication; Big Pharma is understandably not as concerned.
Sort of, but technically it's wrong, ADHD meds don't replace anything, and the body, (actually he should have said brain) wasn't producing 'the appropriate levels' in the first place. If you raise the level of a neurotransmitter by 'artificial' means, higher than the level our regulating systems consider normal, those regulating systems will reduce production accordingly.
More importantly, he's missing the fact that ADHD people don't have enough in the first place. Whether this is because we use it up too fast for our brains to produce it fast enough, or because whatever controls the levels is 'set' too low, or because we don't produce as much as NTs or whatever . . . not even the top of the field experts know!!
And there aren't many things out there that have any helpful effect on any of them anyway, so if mph and strattera don't work, then there's only the potentially addictive ones left!
Even though he says
I worry that a generation of Americans won’t be able to concentrate without this medication,
he doesn't seem to have grasped the fact that except under particular circumstances* they cannot concentrate without them in the first place!!
We are, perhaps, effectively born addicted, except we don't realise until we start taking the stuff. The withdrawal symptoms for normal people sound just like I am normally!
*If a subject interests us sufficiently that we get a 'kick' out of it, that 'kick' enables us to concentrate on it.
Second, there are many side effects to ADHD medication that most people are not aware of: increased anxiety, irritable or depressed mood, severe weight loss due to appetite suppression, and even potential for suicide. But there are also consequences that are even less well known. For example, many patients on stimulants report having erectile dysfunction when they are on the medication.
Third, stimulants work for many people in the short term, but for those with an underlying condition causing them to feel distracted, the drugs serve as Band-Aids at best, masking and sometimes exacerbating the source of the problem.
Possibly sometimes, but I have tried lots of things over the years, medical and otherwise, and nothing has been as helpful as mph, and the beneficial effects (such as they were-not much really) seem to be permanent (after taking a very low dose of gingko as well).
In my view, there are two types of people who are diagnosed with ADHD: those who exhibit a normal level of distraction and impulsiveness, and those who have another condition or disorder that requires individual treatment.
For my patients who are in the first category, I recommend that they eat right, exercise more often, get eight hours of quality sleep a night, minimize caffeine intake in the afternoon, monitor their cell-phone use while they’re working and, most important, do something they’re passionate about. Like many children who act out because they are not challenged enough in the classroom, adults whose jobs or class work are not personally fulfilling or who don’t engage in a meaningful hobby will understandably become bored, depressed and distracted. In addition, today’s rising standards are pressuring children and adults to perform better and longer at school and at work. I too often see patients who hope to excel on four hours of sleep a night with help from stimulants, but this is a dangerous, unhealthy and unsustainable way of living over the long term.
That's actually fine, as he's not actually referring to ADHD people, just people that have a normal level of distractibility but have been misdiagnosed!! Thing is though, that all through the article he's making out that ADHD doesn't exist, so here he is implying that ADHD is just people that don't bother trying to get enough sleep and take stimulants instead GRRRRRRR
For my second group of patients with severe attention issues, I require a full evaluation to find the source of the problem. Usually, once the original condition is found and treated, the ADHD symptoms go away.
Cart before horse anyone? I have been treated for various conditions, thought to be at the root of my problems, to no avail.
Only since realising I have ADHD and getting meds appropriate to it, have I had any improvement from anything! (Apart from dark chocolate )
He uses the word 'usually' though, and this implies that treating 'the original condition' doesn't work in all cases. Maybe . . . those are the only genuine ADHD cases he has had!
It’s time to rethink our understanding of this condition, offer more thorough diagnostic work and help people get the right treatment for attention deficit and hyperactivity.
And what does he suggest those people do, who do not respond to his treatment of what he considers to be 'the underlying cause'?
So far the best thing available is those nasty addictive stimulants that he clearly won't prescribe for anyone.
Actually, as an added thought I do wonder if the problem is with too little production or too much consumption of certain neurotransmitters, then something that keeps them around longer, without taking the levels over what our brains would keep them at, wouldn't be addictive . . .
Having been addicted to Seroxat, I am terrified of getting addicted to anything, but I'm increasingly coming to think that I would know if it was happening (I actually did know with the Seroxat, but the doc didn't listen) and that if it only raises levels to what they ought to be, maybe it won't be addictive anyway. (Apart from withdrawal setting me back to my lousy version of normal. )