Guest writer for Wake Up World
As someone diagnosed with ADHD, I believe the whole thing is a scam.
As far as I recall, I have always been considered extremely hyperactive. The most striking example is me, 22 months old, constantly riding my tricycle in the house. I used to manage my level of energy pretty well, but after entering school, my liberty to do so became increasingly restricted. My activity level then became a major struggle.
I’m 24 years old now, and I have spent most of my psychology degree studies investigating the causes of ADHD. I have the benefit of insight into both the body of research available and the mind of someone who is said to have ADHD. My readings and experience have both led me to a single conclusion: the concept of ADHD is nothing but a scam, a hoax perpetuated by Big Pharma and the psychiatric industry.
ADHD has no distinguishable brain abnormality.
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This is the main reason why ADHD is a scam: the legitimizing factor is a total lie. No neurological abnormality has been found in people with ADHD. While farcical “scientific” figures have plagued social media, supposedly showing “the ADHD brain”, neuroscientists remain unable to identify ADHD with a brain scan. The popularity of the notion of a chemically imbalanced brain in people with ADHD serves to legitimize the cult of the chemically imbalanced brain. However, the brain of people with ADHD doesn’t legitimize anything, because there is no unifying neurological factor in people with ADHD.
There are no standards of “good” and “bad” brain chemistry or structure that can distinguish between normal controls and any psychiatric illness. Just as neuroscientists have no idea why people with ADHD respond so inconsistently to various types of medication, they are also completely unable to identify the neural bases of ADHD. The fact that psychoactive drugs can reduce hyperactivity doesn’t mean that they correct a chemical imbalance, they just create a new one, much like alcohol and shyness.
“None of the techniques reveal causal factors pertaining to the physiological underpinnings of ADHD; rather, the studies are relational in nature. These technologies currently lack adequate specificity and sensitivity for psychiatric conditions and therefore should not be used for informing clinical practice”. — Weyandt, Swentosky, & Godmundsdottir, 2013
The fact that ADHD has no biological marker doesn’t mean that the symptoms are imaginary, or that they aren’t debilitating. It means that the ADHD brain has not shown to be abnormal. Therefore, any policy or practice about ADHD should not pertain to assumptions about a globally dysfunctional brain, just the behavioral maladjustment and its contextual boundaries.
This reasoning doesn’t only apply to ADHD, however. In fact, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, or bipolar disorder can’t be identified by brain scans either. What is unique to ADHD, however, is that its symptoms of clinical severity radically vary from one context to another, within seconds.
Also see: The Fictions Surrounding ADHD and the “Chemical Imbalance” Theory of Mental Illness
ADHD symptoms are not universally impairing.
The concept of hyperactivity takes its meaning in relation to the environment. The level of activity (or arousal) of a certain organism depends on the surrounding stimuli. Those with ADHD are consistently under-aroused, and are constantly seek excitement and novelty. This explains why the symptoms of ADHD mainly emerge at work, or in the class room. People with ADHD can play video games for hours, yet struggle concentrating on work or chores for just a few minutes. It also explains why people with ADHD can make some very bad decisions — they don’t feel as impacted by consequences.
People with ADHD have a higher preferred level of arousal, and hyperactivity seeks to increase stimulus input. Their needs are entirely incompatible with the current education system that is probably the most un-stimulating environment that children had to experience in the history of mankind. School, daycare, homework, and even certain sports all have strict rules constantly restricting the liberties of children throughout the day. Many adults also struggle being inactive, but are at least granted more autonomy in and outside of work. People vary in their ability to tolerate boredom.
“When there is a discrepancy between the child’s level of arousal and level provided by the environment, the child will engage in instrumental responses in an attempt to provide optimal stimulus input for maintenance of alertness.” — Zentall & Zentall, 1983
Chronic boredom is prevalent in Western society because of the demands we are subjected to. We have the misfortune of being born in an era in which most jobs are only a combination of paperwork and computer work. In less advanced economies, where manual work is most important, those who can’t tolerate high stimuli environments are seen as impaired. Neuroscientists would probably easily find deviations from normality in them, too. Hyperactivity is only considered a disorder due to expectations of inactivity.
Nowhere in the human nature is it written that it is normal, or desirable, to be inactive for hours every day. Given all the health benefits of an active lifestyle, it is safe to assume that humans require a certain level of activity for optimal health — mental health included. If everyone with ADHD demanded longer breaks and more novelty at school or in the workplace, the organizations would adapt accordingly.
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ADHD is a scam.
The concept of ADHD is a scam in the sense that psychiatrists do not understand the origins of the phenomenon. The functions that they cite as causing ADHD, may it be dopamine levels, prefrontal cortex activity, or impulse control, have no universal standards of normality, nor can they distinguish between people with and without ADHD.
Neuroscientists often refer to concepts that have absolutely no definition or normative data. Sensory processing disorder, a condition often co-morbid with ADHD, is a good example. It is nothing more than a meaningless buzzword. There are no established good or bad ways to process sensory information.
The ADHD phenomena is a special kind of scam, because most of the people involved personally gain from it. Everyone involved in the scheme of ADHD perpetuates its myths for their personal interests. Most diagnoses in children are requested by teachers and mothers because they are the ones experiencing the effects of the troublesome behavior. Rejecting the concept of ADHD makes them feel like they have not done their job, or that they are unable to show sufficient leadership.
Those who are diagnosed with ADHD perpetuate the myth that it is a disorder, in the objective sense, because it justifies measures they enjoy. They often think that rejecting the concept of ADHD implies that their symptoms are imaginary, and therefore, are the most radical proponents of the theory that their brains are abnormal and that they need medication. Also, the concept of ADHD prevents them from taking responsibility for many impulsivity mistakes or regrets. If you don’t subscribe to the medication cult of ADHD, chances are that you will be booted from most Internet ADHD communities.
Psychiatrists perpetuate the myth because they need to offer solutions to their distressed patients. The solutions they propose reveal the underlying motivations of the phenomenon. To manage elevated levels of energy, psychiatrists do not give free advice on sugar intake, daily activity, or coffee use — most of them are clueless about that. Meanwhile they know all kinds of psychoactive medications and the latest results of clinical trials — because that’s what people who pushed for a diagnosis benefit from.
Also see: Renowned Harvard Psychologist Says ADHD is Largely a Fraud
How I deal with it:
Since hyperactivity is clinically impairing only in settings with strict restrictions of space or instructions, I just avoid them altogether. Needless to say, I will probably not be a doctor or a physicist, but at least I do not experience severe adverse effects from my ADHD. Most affected people justify their use of medication based on the fact that they become able to concentrate “normally”. I personally just concentrate on things that I find easy to concentrate on. For example, avoiding flying into the bush while riding on my mountain bike. Or anything gym-related.
I’m basically doing what anyone else would be doing if psychoactive drugs didn’t exist for ADHD. I avoid periods of lengthy inactivity, and I’m constantly seeking novel experience.
I’m off to the water-park now — for the third time this week!
Also see: Chemical Lobotomy: The Mad Mass Prescription of Psychotropic Drugs
References:
- Weyandt, L., Swentosky, A., & Gudmundsdottir, B. G. (2013). Neuroimaging and ADHD: fMRI, PET, DTI findings, and methodological limitations. Developmental neuropsychology, 38(4), 211-225.
- Zentall, S. S., & Zentall, T. R. (1983). Optimal stimulation: a model of disordered activity and performance in normal and deviant children. Psychological bulletin, 94(3), 446-471.
About the author:
Nicolas Kilsdonk currently resides in Groningen, the Netherlands. He enjoys mountain biking, working out, and playing very fast chess. He also enjoys very fast music.
You can follow Nicolas online at:
• Twitter: twitter.com/nkgervais
• Facebook: facebook.com/n.kilsdonk.gervais
• Website: nkilsdonkgervais.wordpress.com
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I would agree with your assessment, except that I am not so certain the doctors are lying. I think they actually believe what they say, even though there is not good proof for it. This is true in almost any area of modern society. The so-called experts are almost always wrong. They continue to perpetuate falsehoods even though there is much evidence to the contrary because the falsehood makes them money.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
You idea of Zika and vaccinations being a scam differs from what he is calling a scam. Hes saying that people with ADHD dont have something wrong with them as they are lead to believe and that its not necessary to live a life on a drug said to control it.
Also vaccinations are not a scam, stop being a moron and get you and your children vaccinated.
You idea of Zika and vaccinations being a scam differs from what he is calling a scam. Hes saying that people with ADHD dont have something wrong with them as they are lead to believe and that its not necessary to live a life on a drug said to control it.
Also vaccinations are not a scam, stop being a moron and get you and your children vaccinated.
You idea of Zika and vaccinations being a scam differs from what he is calling a scam. Hes saying that people with ADHD dont have something wrong with them as they are lead to believe and that its not necessary to live a life on a drug said to control it.
Also vaccinations are not a scam, stop being a moron and get you and your children vaccinated.
You idea of Zika and vaccinations being a scam differs from what he is calling a scam. Hes saying that people with ADHD dont have something wrong with them as they are lead to believe and that its not necessary to live a life on a drug said to control it.
Also vaccinations are not a scam, stop being a moron and get you and your children vaccinated.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
Of course it’s a scam, just like Zika, vaccinations, and every other exploitive manipulation the predators come up with. There are different kinds of people. They want us to all be the same, in their cubby holes.
In your psychology studies you will soon begin to investigate fields such as neuropsychology and you will see that there definitely are specific brain-behavior patterns of performance secondary to genetic, neuroanatomical, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological disciplines implicating the fronto-striatal systems, specifically through dopaminergic transmission. You have a skill in being able to get published though. I hope you are able to continue in your field of study and use your skills for true scientific endeavors.
In your psychology studies you will soon begin to investigate fields such as neuropsychology and you will see that there definitely are specific brain-behavior patterns of performance secondary to genetic, neuroanatomical, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological disciplines implicating the fronto-striatal systems, specifically through dopaminergic transmission. You have a skill in being able to get published though. I hope you are able to continue in your field of study and use your skills for true scientific endeavors.
In your psychology studies you will soon begin to investigate fields such as neuropsychology and you will see that there definitely are specific brain-behavior patterns of performance secondary to genetic, neuroanatomical, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological disciplines implicating the fronto-striatal systems, specifically through dopaminergic transmission. You have a skill in being able to get published though. I hope you are able to continue in your field of study and use your skills for true scientific endeavors.
In your psychology studies you will soon begin to investigate fields such as neuropsychology and you will see that there definitely are specific brain-behavior patterns of performance secondary to genetic, neuroanatomical, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological disciplines implicating the fronto-striatal systems, specifically through dopaminergic transmission. You have a skill in being able to get published though. I hope you are able to continue in your field of study and use your skills for true scientific endeavors.
In your psychology studies you will soon begin to investigate fields such as neuropsychology and you will see that there definitely are specific brain-behavior patterns of performance secondary to genetic, neuroanatomical, neuroimaging, and neuropsychological disciplines implicating the fronto-striatal systems, specifically through dopaminergic transmission. You have a skill in being able to get published though. I hope you are able to continue in your field of study and use your skills for true scientific endeavors.
I have sensory processing disorder (and/as part of an ASD diagnosis), and can tell you that my sensory integration problems are a lot more than “wordbuzz”. I struggle greatly with or completely avoid many situations that most people expect everyone can handle. Many places where most people are comfortable to socialise, shop, work, network etc cause me great discomfort or even pain, my mind gets flooded from all sides and I can’t focus or think clearly or relate to what people say, disassociate, get very depressed and tired, lingering afterstress (sensory overload) etc.So I prefer to simply stay at home, and I never go in malls, don’t do dinners, parties, avoid many shops and most public transport, there are many types of jobs that are off limits, etc. But yes, it IS contextual, because I am fine at home and in a number of other low stimuli places. However, all handicaps are contextual. It would not be considered a handicap to be missing your legs if no one had legs, and society was designed by people with no legs. In that case, legs would probably be considered a handicap, or at least some sort of impractical freak savant ability. If it was normal to experience the world the way I do, then malls would not exist, schools would not be large chaotic noise infernos, workplaces would not have phones and noisy ventilation and beeping machinery, flashing light decorations would be an abomination, social expectations would be very different, and so on. That does not make sensory processing disorder a scam or buzzword, because I have to live in *this* society, not a theoretical perfect (for me) world that does not exist
ADHD or the neurological characteristics it describes is very much the reality for many people.
The title of this article is a great way to generate interest, and leaving what the author means by their choice of words undefined until late in the article is probably intended to keep that interest. The article makes some valid points, although research may yet invalidate them. On the positive side, the article is advocating for an improved understanding of ADHD and a more holistic treatment approach, which I would argue are both worth advocating.
That said, and as a point of logic – just because everything said leading up to a conclusion is (thought to be) true, does not make the conclusion true. Does the pharmaceutical industry profit from more people getting medical diagnoses? Yes they do, and so do nutritionists, health coaches and all manner of other professions catering to health and wellness. But if you’ve been alive more than two decades and had your eyes open, you would have noticed the population now more obese, less active, less agile, less fit, physically weaker, and generally more sick than it was a few decades ago. This assessment includes children. We even have the research from then and now to confirm this obvious decline, and it doesn’t rely on medical diagnosis, just basic measurements of fitness, body composition, and metabolic health. Increasing prevalence of something does not automatically mean the diagnostic criteria are wrong.
Who am I to comment? If qualifications matter to you: I have a BSc in microbiology and immunology (University of Otago, NZ), an MSc in Human Nutrition (University of Otago, NZ), and a PhD in clinical exercise physiology (Newcastle University, UK). I am a university lecturer (Auckland University of Technology) in the area of research methods, so it’s in my training and nature to look at things critically. I am not an ADHD specialist, but have a personal and professional interest. Not being a psychologist, I don’t just see ADHD exclusively through the lens of the brain and/or mind, but also as a difference in the endocrine (hormone) system. I’ll admit to a bias for lifestyle change over medication.
None of what the above article says invalidates the reality of ADHD, but it does omit rather a lot. ADHD as it is currently understood (which is like anything, imperfectly) is not one condition but three, some might argue more: inattentive; hyperactive-impulsive; and combined. The above article appears to focus on the second – hyperactive-impulsive. ADHD is diagnosed on the basis of cognitive and behavioural symptoms; this really should not be surprising as most people have never argued that it is anything else, they are just searching for explanations when raising physiological explanations for the evident symptoms. Diagnosis requires someone to meet a set number of criteria, but not all of them. As with any condition, there is a spectrum of severity and are a spectrum of symptoms. We recognise stages of cancer, severity of burns, and degrees of obesity. It is only reasonable to extend that to cognitive/psychological conditions. Is their a level of arbitrariness? Yes, and that applies to ‘physical’ conditions too. This is however a detriment to many who fall just short of a diagnosis, as it prevents them from getting help, be that pharmacological or lifestyle therapy.
What the article also omits is the mention of a commonality in ADHD, namely reduced executive function. Executive function includes such things as control of attention, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility, but also working memory, reasoning, problem solving, and planning. These are all areas where having greater capacity is an advantage in modern society, and having a reduced capacity a distinct disadvantage. True, testing executive function is an area of debate, but debate and questioning assumptions is what scientists (should) do, as we accept our and indeed all understanding is incomplete and open to improvement. However, spend enough time with people who have ADHD, assuming you don’t have it, and you won’t need formalised tests to identify that their thinking and behaviour is different to yours to an obvious but variable degree. Also, it isn’t all brain/mind, people with ADHD have atypical HPA-axis responses. HPA stands for hypothalamus (region of the brain), pituitary (also brain), adrenal (gland on the kidneys), so this is not just a ‘psychological’ condition. I would argue that there are no ‘psychological’ and ‘physical’ conditions as every thought has a an electrical and chemical correlate and our ‘physical’ health inevitably affects our mental function. The way medicine divides things up is somewhat arbitrary and really just an aid to understanding the human body/mind. Hence we now have biopsychosocial models of health and fields like neuroimmunoendocrinolgy in recognition of how many factors interact to influence health. But I digress…
Is all this just a variation from some middle level? Yes. We all vary in numerous ways. Some vary in ways and to an extent that, in any given environment, be it physical or social, puts them at a clear advantage or disadvantage relative to the majority. Having people at a disadvantage that prevents them from making the positive contribution to society they would be capable of with some help is not in society’s interests. In the case of ADHD, much can be done to help people be productive and creative. Recognising the condition/variation is, at least in current society, a necessary step for this help to be forthcoming.
On another note, conditions considered ‘physical’ have the same problems as those considered ‘mental’. Take diabetes, which includes type 1, type 2, monogenic/maturity onset diabetes of the young, latent autoimmune diabetes of adults etc. As we understand these conditions better, we will refine and grow these labels. Diabetes has the simple tests that those arguing against the validity of ADHD and other psychological conditions demand. But these test don’t help determine the cause of the diabetes, which can be many things, and usually a combination. Why is the idea that many causes can lead to the same symptom, and the same cause can lead to different symptoms so hard for some people to accept? The human body is very complex, complex beyond current understanding. Provide one treatment to several people with the same diagnosis, e.g. high blood pressure, and they will show different responses. This variation has led to the fields of research such as pharmacogenetics and nutrigenetics. If inconsistency in response to treatment invalidated diagnosis, we wouldn’t have cancers, cardiovascular diseases, or even basic influenza.
Could we argue that diabetes is just a result of the environment and a person’s physiology being incompatible? Yes, for some forms of diabetes, particularly type 2 we could definitely argue this. However, that does not invalidate the diagnosis, which tells us something useful about a person’s physiology. Complex conditions like ADHD and diabetes are exactly that, complex. They have a variety of causes/contributors and a variety of symptoms/manifestations, this does not mean they do not exist or should not be addressed. It is in the interests of all concerned for everyone, with ADHD or not, to be provided with the assistance they require to meet their potential when it comes to contributing to the human tribe, sometimes that means first putting a label on something.