3 ms·

If it’s a physiologically based condition we should be able to observe it in other population groups. I’ve heard that the French don’t medicate their hyperactiv

If it’s a physiologically based condition we should be able to observe it in other population groups. I’ve heard that the French don’t medicate their hyperactive children; they send them to cooking school. Some articles have explored how paranoid schizophrenia has been handled among American native tribes (shamans, medicine men, etc) and how it manifests differently among cultures (in Africa historically people seem to get laughing voices while in the US and a lot of the West threatening voices). For similar reasons, I suspect most of the correlations of ADHD with substance abuse and poor social relationships have more to do with how we treat our peers in the US. Then there’s the hunter-gatherer theory for how ADHD may have actually been advantageous but I have little insight into how well that’s accepted.

autoexec 8y ago
The french do medicate children who are diagnosed with ADHD, but they don't depend on medication to the extent that the US does. Ideally, where medication is needed it is used along with therapy including cognitive behavioral therapy and teaching other life skills and coping mechanisms. In the US where our healthcare is prohibitively expensive and we're all overworked and have far less time to spend on ourselves many kids and adults with ADHD get the pills but very little other help. France also has a different means of diagnosing the condition which leaves some people with ADHD unable to get diagnosed and for others diagnosis is long and difficult. There is a even support group for french families dealing with problems getting a diagnosis. I can see how ADHD could have been somewhat advantageous in the past but even in a world where you don't have to clock in to work at a specific time 5 days a week or pay your bills each month being able to choose when and to what extent your attention is focused would always be beneficial. I'm sure people with ADHD have always suffered even if their illness was at times a benefit for the group.

autoexec 8y ago

The french do medicate children who are diagnosed with ADHD, but they don't depend on medication to the extent that the US does. Ideally, where medication is needed it is used along with therapy including cognitive behavioral therapy and teaching other life skills and coping mechanisms. In the US where our healthcare is prohibitively expensive and we're all overworked and have far less time to spend on ourselves many kids and adults with ADHD get the pills but very little other help. France also has a different means of diagnosing the condition which leaves some people with ADHD unable to get diagnosed and for others diagnosis is long and difficult. There is a even support group for french families dealing with problems getting a diagnosis. I can see how ADHD could have been somewhat advantageous in the past but even in a world where you don't have to clock in to work at a specific time 5 days a week or pay your bills each month being able to choose when and to what extent your attention is focused would always be beneficial. I'm sure people with ADHD have always suffered even if their illness was at times a benefit for the group.