The history of ADHD seems to be rather controversial today, and seems to gain more and more attention as public awareness of ADHD continues to increase.
Some of the most common responses I hear, include:
"There was no ADHD when I was younger."
"ADHD was created by greedy pharmaceutical companies to make money."
Children today just need more discipline."
ADHD is just an excuse to allow bad behavior and bad parenting.
ADHD is just an American problem and doesn't exist anywhere else.
ADHD is an evolutionary trait from our days as hunter-gatherers.
And the list goes on...There is no questioning that ADHD is on the rise today. And it keeps changing. The medical community changes the name. How much we understand about the true symptoms and challenges will change, and even as a condition, how someone experience's the symptoms will change throughout their life.
So of course it makes sense to doubt how real ADHD is?
Let's be clear for a moment. All of the above statements are totally false when it comes to making an argument for ADHD not being real. But at the same time, every one of them makes a great argument and holds some truth.
We can look at them one by one, but your time would be better spent understanding what the real problem is. There are real challenges facing families, children, parents, and adults all over the world. And it's time we gave you some real answers that will make a difference in your life.
ADHD as a condition has existed for just over 100 years. A physician in Great Britain once wrote about impulsiveness in children and called the condition "Defect of Moral Control." Later in 1922, the same symptoms were called "Post-Encephalitic Behavior Disorder."
Later in 1960, the condition was called "Minimal Brain Dysfunction," and eventually changed yet again in the late 1960's to become known as "Hyperkinetic Disorder of Childhood."
It makes sense that we are all confused and question the reality of ADHD as a biological, diagnosed condition.
But we're not done yet!
In 1980, the condition earned the name "Attention Deficit Disorder," which was eventually changed to "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder."
Sadly, with the upcoming publishing of a new guide on diagnosing mental health conditions, we anticipate a new name change. While there is some good that will come out of our increased understanding, there is of course the downside from constantly changing the name and creating more confusion.
What You Really Need To Know About The History Of ADHD
There will always be a debate among professionals, the media, and the public about just how real ADHD is as a condition. The bottom line for me, is that it is real simply because we are identifying a group of symptoms and behaviors, and the condition is being talked about in society at large.
Now that's not to say, ADHD is not real or that we should question. But the fact is, a label and a name only goes so far. It is my belief, and personal mission, to have people focus more on the individual and unique challenges of each child, rather than by getting caught up in the name or label.
We can't see ADHD. We can only see the behavior. We can't cure ADHD, but we can understand and accept that there are differences in the human brain of people being identified or diagnosed with ADHD from those who do not meet the criteria.
While the name has changed, the challenges our children face are very real. And I hope you will join me in seeing your child as a whole person with unique challenges and talents.
If you'd like to learn more about ADHD and what most people don't know to tell you, be sure to sign up for your very own ADHD Essentials Course. In this 3-hour audio program, you'll get to learn the basics of ADHD, how medication is said to work, and why it is so important to include the family. Visit http://www.adhdessentialskit.com today to get your complimentary audio course.
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