Stimulant use in WWI/WWII | ADHD Information

Hello, I am new here and am very interested in finding more background on the possible 'roots' of ADD and similar disorders.

Of interest to me is that during WWI/WWII soldiers on both 'sides' of the conflict were given large doses of Amphetamines for management of energy and possibly also to induce high states of aggression.

I am wondering if any of you that suffer from ADD can trace back a history to a relative in the conflict(s) that could indicate a possible connection..? [ I am thinking maybe long-term Amphetamine dependance/abuse that was passed down to children and has manifested itself as ADD ]

I know this might sound far fetched to some, but it is something I am very interested in.

Thanks.

My father and grandfather were in the world wars but neither of my grandfathers nor my father even used aspirin very often. They drank beer and my dad had some wine occassionally but that was it. To my knowledge, none of them had drugs given to them during the wars. They are all dead now but I will ask my mother and grandmother if anything was ever mentioned.

I read an article that speculated that the people who founded our country were the ones who were different, didn't fit in and enjoyed adventure for the most part. It decided that our forebears were most likely ADHD to a great extent and that the people who emmigrated here after that were very likely to be the same way. That would account for the high rates we are seeing today.

Education was treated very differently until the very late 1700s and in some rural places even later, with "hands on" and "one on one" teaching much more prevalent then. Education is taken more seriously here now than it was even 50 yrs ago. The theory is that ADHD was always present in large numbers here but it wasn't seen as such a problem until recently when strict "teaching many people in one room with only one format" teaching started to make it obvious.

I don't think they really had a lot of research into it but they pointed out that what we know about past leaders in our country points to a strong likelyhood of many of them being ADHD. They learned by following their mentors around and getting individual teaching according to their personalities and needs, which is how ADHDers learn best.

One more thing for you to think about!    Barb

barb38158.8522800926Thanks for the input. My grandfather was a lancaster bomber radio operator during WWII, and was supplied with massive doses of Amphetamines in order to complete almost suicidal bombing runs from England over mainland Europe.

After the War he suffered a total of 9 strokes and had also shown signs of severe depression. My father shows symptoms of untreated ADD and both my sister and myself have struggled with drug dependance [read: self medication] and depression our entire lives.

My Mother's side of the family shows none of these problems.

It seems very strange to me that when I seek information on this subject from the 'authorities' they are VERY reluctant to talk about it or even admit it is true. It is almost like they are hoping the issue is forgotten before people finally discover why so many children today are suffering from ADD, and also why so many people are pre-disposed to drug abuse - especially in the USA which pushed these drugs heavily on their troops.

Also of interest is that in the USA Amphetamines are STILL given to military pilots ( Go-pills ), yet any attempt to get in-depth studies on the long term effects of this are usually met with a brick wall.

Please note that this is not in any way an attack on the use of stimulants to properly treat ADD - I myself and currently taking 10mg of Adderall XR to manage my own symptoms.

Peace

That is interesting! I had never heard of their use in the military before. I wonder if that is why there seem to have been so many alcoholics in those generations. They came home and turned to alcohol when they couldn't get the uppers. I have got to ask around.

My father was a paratrooper in the army during WWII. The only thing he would talk about from the 7 yrs he put in was jumping out of airplanes, and even them he only mentioned once how terrifying it was to jump out into unknown territory without knowing for sure where the enemy were. He just wanted to put it behind him and get on with his life. His father died when I was four so I don't remember whether he talked at all and my other grandfather never once mentioned his tour. I only knew he had been in because my grandmother would tell us how hard it was here while he was gone.

My grandfather served in WWII, refueler for the planes. I know he did not get past grade school in his education, actually dropped out to work in the fields.

He was a very simple soft spoken man, always kind. He raised me for quite a few years, but I was too young to know much more about him.

I know sister has more serious problems then myself - mostly health problems, but suspect that she is also Bi-Polar w/ ADD as myself (but many years they have had her on so many strong drugs already) for headaches and other problems.

Seperated from biological family so that is the extent which I know of here.

 

Neither my father or Grandfathers were in World War II.  I know one of my Grandfathers was in the NAVY but I believe it was peactime or possibly WW I.

I think Barb has a good point.

Think about it for a minute. You live in a little village in Britain, Spain, or Portugal. People think that the oceans are full of demons and sea monsters. People sail away and never come back. You hear stories of flesh-eating natives and giant man-eating creatures is strange lands. And someone says "hey, how would you like to climb on board this tiny little wooded ship and sail straight out into the ocean for a few years away from Europe just to see what the heck is out there"? These guys were all ADD!

Pioneers, trappers, hunters, cowboys, farmers, railroad workers, ditch diggers, and later factory workers could have ADD and never know it. It is when we start going to formal school or having jobs requiring scheduling and time management etc. that we start to run into trouble.

As for your original point (sorry, I got a little distracted).

It is an interesting theory. My dad was in the navy and an anti-aircraft gunner in WWII on board ship. They could have given them anything. He said they often were given salt tablets, malaria pills, etc. They would never have questioned.

I also think that our environment has changed considerably over the last 50-75 years. We now consume huge amounts of non-food food (coloring, additives), and are continuously bombarded with radiation from TV and computers as well as waves from radio, cell phones, TV, sattelites, and who knows what else.

Hello,  I see that this topic has been almost a year without activity but I am new and have been investigating the amphetamine use during WWII by our veterans.  My father in law has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Lou Gehrigs disease and my interest is in his disease connection with his service during WWII. 

I was surprised to see that there may be a connection with amphetamine use of WWII veterans and descendants with ADD  as a child and a grandchild (possibly 2)of my father in law's is ADD or ? afflicted.

My father in law was an air gunner flying out of London, England  and every mission started with "Bennies" and "whisky" given without question.  He never talks about it as there was an unwritten law to "never tell". 

Have any of your WW vets. been diagnosed with a motor neuron disease?

Regards,

Shirley

 

 

My great-grandfather was in WWI, my grandpa in WWII. As far as I know, my grandpa was given two lucky strikes in his lunch during his time in the Navy but never any pills. My great-grandfather I don't know...but it makes me wonder since I'm pretty sure my grandpa has ADHD.

 

-Cheekydeeky