i think it depends on the age...i think, with the kids, it's over diagnosed...just read up in the parents forum...the first time the kid runs around, the teachers are on the parents to go get them tested, the first time they get tested, the doctors say, OH, ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER...
and then later, they do more tests on the child and learn that they have Autism, or Asperger's, or something else totally different..
but then, in "older" people, like my parents age, when "we didn't have that mess back in my day", i think it's underdiagnosed...and they suffer as a result...
say for instance, my mother in law, i think has it...in her lifetime, she has moved her and her 6 children about 40 times!! (me and my husband sat there and counted up how many times they had moved when he was a child) and she is in her 50's, and she STILL is not stable. but she refuses to believe it exists...
i know some other "older" adults (and i mean that as in NOT the children or 20 year olds) that go through a lot, (most are my family) and refuse to get help..
oh well, whatever float's their boats!!!
I wonder when add did start to be diagnosed regularly in the US. Was it about ten years ago in the mid-nineties?
I say underdiagnosed. For 2 decades I went to doctors about depression and no meds helped. Finally a new Dr figured ADD out in 2 hours. He says many Dr's he knows don't want to diagnose ADHD in adults since it's so subjective and the meds are often abused. My Mom and Brother have ADD big time and no Dr has ever said anything to them. [QUOTE=yellowdog]The truth is that add is very painful a lot of the time. I think that the people who don't really have it are the ones who often talk about it as a gift.
I'm not saying that there aren't good
aspects but they come at a very large cost and anyone who really has it
would understand that.
[/QUOTE]
That's a really good point actually.
I think that It is underdiagnosed In Denmark. I know at least 6 people with ADHD, and only two of them are diagnosed and treated...
But I am not sure what you mean with underdiagnosed... I think that, If you have ADHD, you will get the right diagnosis.... but only if you seek it.
My best friend is ADHD with a big H, and he is also awaiting referral to a psychiatrist, like me...
[QUOTE=Mark Goode]Makes my blood boil.[/QUOTE]
That can't be healthy... stop that!
Taag Man38462.0330902778Some people truly have AD/HD and aren't diagnosed. And there are others who don't have it but are diagnosed anyway. It goes both ways. You're cousin is kind of right. Some (but not all of course) people are looking for excuses or a way to shut their kids up.I most definitely think that AD/HD is overdiagnosed. Many people look for excuses, and many people are mis-diagnosed with AD/HD.
I know a number of people who have been diagnosed and obviously DO NOT have AD/HD. Some people simply will not take fault for their actions, etc. and look to AD/HD as a "reason" for aspects of their lives. Other people don't want to deal with children, etc. A number of people are misdiagnosed and actually are depressed, or have another disorder. Often times, people are in "denial" as to what they actually have and even when properly diagnosed won't accept their diagnosis. Others are simply hypochondriacs and something "must" be wrong.
There are also a handful of people who are not diagnosed with AD/HD who have the disorder....and of course there are a number of people diagnosed with AD/HD who truly have it.
Add really can sound like the ideal thing to have - if you don't have it.
It means you're a misunderstood genius, an Einstein, a creative person with lots of energy, the person who should be the leader, the explorer.
Doesn't everyone want those qualities especially if it also means that you should be accommodated so you don't have to do boring stuff and if you lose your temper or show up late or do something else annoying, people should accept that you just can't help it.
It's why I always call it a disability - because it is - and, because it makes it less fashionable.
The truth is that add is very painful a lot of the time. I think that the people who don't really have it are the ones who often talk about it as a gift.
I'm not saying that there aren't good aspects but they come at a very large cost and anyone who really has it would understand that.
Also, I'm guessing that the people who really have it are always trying to accommodate themselves and those that don't are trying to figure out how others can be responsible for as much as possible. When you really have a disability, you prefer to be as independent as possible.
Just my opinion, but as I've learned, I'm arrogant; so, it's right!
I think it's very underdiagnosed here in Merrie England. The medical establishment seem to go to great lengths to avoid a diagnosis of ADHD. I insisted that only an expert in this condition could convince me I didn't have it - and when I finally saw one he confirmed that I did.
Those less stubborn and bloody-minded than me are sent home with a diagnosis of anxiety or similar.
Makes my blood boil.
Mark -