Anyone else here think ADHD is a myth?

Ok, Im tired of every single american teen saying, "oh I have ADHD"
SERIOIUSLY!!!! WTF!!!! EVERYONE HAS ADHD
Some people just dont choose to go getting pills for it and then Bitchin or Bragging about having ADHD

I absolutely cant stand people who keep saying that they have ADHD

American teens are just finding the dumbest ways to be different or special.

I have issues concentrating
does that mean I have ADHD?
doesn't everyone have issues concentrating at times?

Who the hell do you think you are? Are you a psychologist? Do you have any scientific evidence to debunk the proven fact that ADHD is real? Do you actually know the chemical difference between the brain of someone with ADHD and someone without it? Do you know the theory behind it AT ALL? Or are you just assuming that because YOU can usually focus on something most of the time means that everyone can?

You need to understand something about mental disorders. Everyone has SOME symptoms of most of them at some point. You're right about that. But life isn't black and white. When these symptoms interfere with the sufferer's productivity on a daily basis for years and years no matter what they try to get rid of them (other than psychiatric treatment), it's a disorder.

Do you think mental retardation is a "myth" too? I mean come on, we're all a little slow at times. Depression must be a myth because we all get sad. Cancer must be a myth because we all get sick.

I have ADD and it literally disables me from grasping large blocks of text (say, novel-length) that don't interest me. I struggled through my english classes in high school because I would read a book and try to pay attention to it, but no matter what techniques I tried to use to string it all together, I would finish the book without knowing what happened. You could make any suggestion you want regarding what I should have done about it, but I went to DRASTIC lengths and nothing worked. My ADD disabled me completely. I did NOT choose to almost not graduate from high school.

ADHD has been scientifically and medically proven to exist, whether you'd like to believe it or not. Learn a little about psychiatry and you'll realize just how unfathomably naive and educated you are.

What I absolutely can't stand are all the uninformed and misinformed idiots that are out there claiming that ADD/ADHD is a myth. Where is your proof?

There is an abundance of evidence that supports it's exsistance, begining with the DSM reference manual that is used extensively by physicans,and countless research, with many illustrating the differences in the brain of ADD individuals vs. non ADD individuals.

ADD is more than issues with concentrating,"at times". It is a disorder that affects nearly every part of their lives. It can strain relationships, and has caused many a divorce (between parents as much as with a spouse), and to make and keep friends. It can make keeping a job difficult, has led to self-esteem issues up to and including suicide.

If you would actually take the time and talk with some ADD individuals, you would learn that most would not wish this disorder on their worst enemy and wish they didn't have to live with it either. They wish to be accepted and not teased and tormented because they are different. They want to live productive lives just like everyone else and not have their disorder seen as a character flaw or myth, but as the legitmate disorder that it is.

No, it is not just a myth. A few kids in my family have ADHD and let me tell you there is a world of different between them and the other kids in my family that don't have it. Imagine a kid that is loud, running around, and misbehaving constantly as if they've had 10 cups of coffee or something. They are terrors. And it is not a behavior or discipline issue, because sometimes you see that they literally just cannot behave and sit still, no matter what you do to them. If you put them in a corner, they will just touch the wall and trace things on it and jitter around like a drug addict or something. Being on medication is the only thing that has brought their parents relief from putting up with them all day, and their teachers as well.

That being said, there are many people who are mental hypochondriacs and attribute every feeling they have to a disorder. If they experience some anxiety, they think they're bipolar. If they can't concentrate, they think they have ADD or ADHD. In truth, these people just want there to be something wrong with them, and most of it is for attention. I know some of these people--the moment they have any sort of problem, they claim to be bipolar or have ADD.

The difference is finding those who legitimately have a disorder and those who relish the idea of having a disorder because of the attention it brings.

I think it's sad that there are still people who take mental health as unseriously as the middle ages. The brain is the most complex and still least understood organ in the human (and mammal) body, and you're telling me anything wrong with it, is a myth?

Do you think a heart attack is a myth, or cancer?

I don't know about the people who are annoying you so terribly and who on top brag about their problems (?), but the statistics clearly show that people who do not get the proper treatment for these conditions, have more problems later in life. Could that be the reason why our American society is working so much better than most of the rest of the world? Have you seen what traffic is like in most other countries or simple infrastructure?

I'm curious how much of a myth you'd think this is when your children are diagnosed with autism or some other mental myths...

there is a difference between ADHD and ADD (insert "hyperactivity" between "attention deficit" and "disorder"...it is ABSOLUTELY NOT a myth, my 8 year-old son has it and takes medication. alot of the teens and older ppl that like to say they have it is b/c of the medicine they get. in effect, it's government meth, but for ppl with either disorder, it does the opposite- it slows them down so they can concentrate, while it just jacks up the other ppl that just CLAIM to have the disorder.

I don't necessarily think it is a myth, but I do believe that several kids have been misdiagnosed with it. I have seen moms and babysitters give their kids sugary snacks, all kinds of pop, juice, and even iced coffee drinks and when the kids are bouncing off the wall from a sugar and caffeine overdose they blame ADHD or ADD. Of course when they are full of sugar and junk food they can't sit still or focus and they really do misbehave. It is time the doctors stopped agreeing with parents and telling them what they want to hear instead of telling them what they need to hear.

My dad was tellin me how he watched somethin on tv the other day bout how scientists proved add wasn't real or somethin . . but wasn't really listenin to him so don't noe the details.

I'm partly undecided about whether it's real, but for the most part i will say yes i believe adhd & add are real.. But i think kids, and well everyone would concentr8 a lot better if they stopped eating so much s**t, i mean, all those preservatives and coloring can't be helping

It is an excuse for bad behaviour , Everyone uses it as a way to explain that they are stupid and couldn't`t help them selves.
How come years ago when parents smacked their children for doing wrong there was no ADHD.
and the cure for ADHD is a good smack and being told what they did is their own fault.
When is society going to wake up and see the BS that is used to explain that a person is just plain bad ,

A = a
D = ********
H= has
D = dumb ideas

i think you should know where you stand in yourself. if you think you have a problem - seek help. to be told by someone who knows you all of maybe 2 hours - do not trust them, trust you. today mental health is given like a drive thru. want fries with that? it takes time to really get through life's answers but the only one living your life is you.

Are you stupid? I agree that it is often misdiagnosed, but for you to say that the disorder itself is a myth is just ridiculous.

OMG Both my sons have it.
I hate the meds they give for it its a stimulant and I refuse to give it to them... Thats my opinion... there are ways to help control the ADHD.

its not a myth and your probably just hanging around with idiots that try and do repetitive jokes about mental health.

adhd is just a disorder which means its someone opinion of wots not normal in other words adhd is just name for an annoying little **** that wont shut up and acts a bit psycho probly from having too many preservatives and using highly stimulating things like tv and computer games

.....all mental disorders are a myth.