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The ADD (1980) / ADHD (1989) world has always been fairly shady in my opinion. The argument that this disability was invented rather than discovered so that ph
by photochemsyn 5y ago
The ADD (1980) / ADHD (1989) world has always been fairly shady in my opinion. The argument that this disability was invented rather than discovered so that pharmaceutical outfits could push amphetamines on kids is fairly valid, and a lot of the 'adult ADHD' behaviors seem equally explainable as a side effect of amphetamine addiction:
> "ADHD drugs, such as Adderall and Ritalin, increase levels of the brain chemical dopamine and provide mental stimulation. This, in turn, allows users to become more focused and calm because they no longer need to engage in self-stimulating behavior."
> "The number of young people abusing ADHD medication has been steadily increasing over the last five years, with almost 9 percent of high school seniors abusing and approximately 35 percent of college students in the same category. And unfortunately, this misuse does have consequences: Over 19,000 people have suffered from complications related to ADHD drugs since 2013."
It gets less attention than opiate abuse as deadly overdoses are much less common, but amphetamine addiction has major psychological effects - whether we are talking about street meth, ritalin, adderall, desoxyn, etc., the general effect is the same.
In addition, there's no clear diagnostic test for ADD/ADHD (no way to even distinguish between the two), it's just an opinion based on the subjective judgements of psychiatrists - and yes, just as with the opiate business, there are kickbacks with the pharma outfits and reckless prescription practices.
1. https://drugabuse.com/blog/spotlight-on-adhd-meds-and-their-frightening-meth-connection/ https://drugabuse.com/blog/spotlight-on-adhd-meds-and-their-...
- cranium 5y agoWhat if you experience side effects of amphetamine addition as an adult without having ever exposed to amphetamines ? Yes, ADHD drugs are abused and it leads to complications. But, to quote Alexander Scott, "drug users use a lot of drugs": https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/drug-users-use-a-lot-of-drugs https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/drug-users-use-a-lot-o...
- opwieurposiu 5y agoRecreational stimulant users use 10x to 50x higher dose then ADHD users. 20mg vs 1000mg of the same drug produces very different effects. If you are serious about treating your ADHD you take the minimum effective dose because if you become tolerant it stops working. https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/drug-users-use-a-lot-of-drugs https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/drug-users-use-a-lot-o...
- nosefrog 5y agoAs someone with pretty bad ADHD, to the point where I'm basically unemployable without medication (and I know that because I started working before I took any ADHD meds and almost got fired because of it), I don't agree with the characterization that ADHD was invented by drug companies. One way to think of it is to see attention/motivation control as a spectrum. There are going to be people in the bottom X% of that spectrum, where it starts to negatively affect their lives. I'm thankful we live in a society that recongizes those people and has come up with ways to help them, since I've benefitted tremendously from ADHD treatments.
- greenshackle2 5y agoThey must be putting amphetamines in the water supply then, cause I have ADD symptoms and I never took them.
- chrsig 5y agooh fuck off. > In addition, there's no clear diagnostic test for ADD/ADHD (no way to even distinguish between the two) they're literally the same thing. ADD got renamed to ADHD in the publication of the DSM IV. > it's just an opinion based on the subjective judgements of psychiatrists No, there are standardized screenings with recognized scales, as well as evaluations to measure attention span. This can also be said for several mental illnesses: depression, anxiety, ocd... >> > "ADHD drugs, such as Adderall and Ritalin, increase levels of the brain chemical dopamine and provide mental stimulation. This, in turn, allows users to become more focused and calm because they no longer need to engage in self-stimulating behavior." Yes. that's the point. Give 20mg of adderall to someone without adhd and see how calm they are. That dopamine boost brings someone with adhd up to neurotypical levels. I'd also say: consider how many people are diagnosed with adult adhd without ever having been on a CNS.