6 ms·

Has ADHD been prevalent throughout the history and have I've just been blind or is it a new-ish development (in the past ~100 years)?

SamoyedFurFluff 5y ago
I don’t know if ADHD has been diagnosed throughout history, but it seems to exist in a similar prevalence internationally regardless of culture, so my suspicion is that because the study of the human brain and behavior is pretty new then neurodevelopmental disorders diagnosis and discovery would be pretty new. It would be like dismissing germ theory because the prevalence of germ theory is about as new as ADHD.
- zqna 5y ago
  Well, not true. It's very much a disease that was invented in US, and which is propelled by multibillion pharma-business: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/health/the-selling-of-attention-deficit-disorder.html https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/health/the-selling-of-att...
  - inter_netuser 5y ago
    you are doing a great disservice to millions who suffer from a very real condition. Go to a local support group and tell people on disability their problems were invented by multibillion pharma business.
    - bobthechef 5y ago
    - zqna 5y ago
      They are suffering there where being different and not participating in a rat race is considered as the problem. Here, tell this to my support group.
      - inter_netuser 5y ago
        everyone is different from one another. so you differentiate yourself by being different others...? seems very circular. You are absolutely free to drop out of the "rat race", aka the evolutionary process, which admittedly can be quite stressful. Just have to accept the consequences first, every choice comes with trade offs. The diatribes against well established condition as some sort of a pharma conspiracy is just the defence mechanism to avoid facing the disability. Not an uncommon strategy, but probably not very productive. ADHD is most effectively treated with basic 100 year old generic drugs, as well many thousand old remedies like nicotine. What's next, common cold is the aspirin lobby conspiracy? Guess what, some people manage to live happy lives, have happy families and success in business (that you call rat race) despite being fully paralyzed waist-down, and some even with limbs severed. I know some of those personally. I also know others, that chose instead to do nothing but complain. I'm sure you can guess the outcomes easily. Best of luck in the new year.
        zepto 5y ago
        > You are absolutely free to drop out of the "rat race", aka the evolutionary process, Modern American Education is not ‘the evolutionary process’. If anything it is quite the opposite. More like forced domestication.
        inter_netuser 5y ago
        you can always drop out and prove the world wrong. good luck. i'm sure you'll do great either way.
        zepto 5y ago
        Bizarre comment. You seriously think the modern American education system represents ‘the evolutionary process’ or that the only option is to drop out? Education in its current form is relatively new, but also outdated, having been developed to train workers for an industrial society that no longer exists. There is no reason we can’t be intelligent about this, and recognize that as a society we can do better if we understand its problems. We do that by discussing it. If you think it’s perfect, that’s ok, but then it’s odd that you choose to come here and engage.
  - SamoyedFurFluff 5y ago
    But that article was published in 2013, closer to a decade ago. Do you have anything more recent? Recent studies I’ve casually googled point to 3-5% prevalence internationally.
zqna 5y ago
ADHD is epidemic in the rich countries that are obsessed with a so-called "success". Especially in the country where getting sick makes somebody else rich. https://adhd-institute.com/burden-of-adhd/epidemiology/ https://adhd-institute.com/burden-of-adhd/epidemiology/
inter_netuser 5y ago
do you think infections, traumatic brain injury, vitamin deficiencies, and the myriad of other reasons that can impair your cognitive function been prevalent throughout the history? That's all ADHD is, an umbrella term for impaired executive cognitive functions. ADHD can very often be due to undiagnosed conditions, or comorbidities that aggravate it. To put in perspective: there are billions walking around with undiagnosed hypertension, which is trivial to diagnose and treat. When was the last time you took your blood pressure?
watwut 5y ago
There were kids who were seen as "bad" from young age and often beaten. Not doing tasks they were told to, playing instead, being lazy (meaning not doing what they were told to), misbehaving. So, they have beaten them or accused parents of spoiling them. It was not particularly rare. The young delinquency was a thing too. Kinda hard to say how many of them were adhd, but it is quite likely some were.

SamoyedFurFluff 5y ago

I don’t know if ADHD has been diagnosed throughout history, but it seems to exist in a similar prevalence internationally regardless of culture, so my suspicion is that because the study of the human brain and behavior is pretty new then neurodevelopmental disorders diagnosis and discovery would be pretty new. It would be like dismissing germ theory because the prevalence of germ theory is about as new as ADHD.

zqna 5y ago
Well, not true. It's very much a disease that was invented in US, and which is propelled by multibillion pharma-business: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/health/the-selling-of-attention-deficit-disorder.html https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/health/the-selling-of-att...
- inter_netuser 5y ago
  you are doing a great disservice to millions who suffer from a very real condition. Go to a local support group and tell people on disability their problems were invented by multibillion pharma business.
  - bobthechef 5y ago
  - zqna 5y ago
    They are suffering there where being different and not participating in a rat race is considered as the problem. Here, tell this to my support group.
    - inter_netuser 5y ago
      everyone is different from one another. so you differentiate yourself by being different others...? seems very circular. You are absolutely free to drop out of the "rat race", aka the evolutionary process, which admittedly can be quite stressful. Just have to accept the consequences first, every choice comes with trade offs. The diatribes against well established condition as some sort of a pharma conspiracy is just the defence mechanism to avoid facing the disability. Not an uncommon strategy, but probably not very productive. ADHD is most effectively treated with basic 100 year old generic drugs, as well many thousand old remedies like nicotine. What's next, common cold is the aspirin lobby conspiracy? Guess what, some people manage to live happy lives, have happy families and success in business (that you call rat race) despite being fully paralyzed waist-down, and some even with limbs severed. I know some of those personally. I also know others, that chose instead to do nothing but complain. I'm sure you can guess the outcomes easily. Best of luck in the new year.
      - zepto 5y ago
        > You are absolutely free to drop out of the "rat race", aka the evolutionary process, Modern American Education is not ‘the evolutionary process’. If anything it is quite the opposite. More like forced domestication.
        inter_netuser 5y ago
        you can always drop out and prove the world wrong. good luck. i'm sure you'll do great either way.
        zepto 5y ago
        Bizarre comment. You seriously think the modern American education system represents ‘the evolutionary process’ or that the only option is to drop out? Education in its current form is relatively new, but also outdated, having been developed to train workers for an industrial society that no longer exists. There is no reason we can’t be intelligent about this, and recognize that as a society we can do better if we understand its problems. We do that by discussing it. If you think it’s perfect, that’s ok, but then it’s odd that you choose to come here and engage.
- SamoyedFurFluff 5y ago
  But that article was published in 2013, closer to a decade ago. Do you have anything more recent? Recent studies I’ve casually googled point to 3-5% prevalence internationally.

zqna 5y ago

ADHD is epidemic in the rich countries that are obsessed with a so-called "success". Especially in the country where getting sick makes somebody else rich. https://adhd-institute.com/burden-of-adhd/epidemiology/ https://adhd-institute.com/burden-of-adhd/epidemiology/

inter_netuser 5y ago

do you think infections, traumatic brain injury, vitamin deficiencies, and the myriad of other reasons that can impair your cognitive function been prevalent throughout the history? That's all ADHD is, an umbrella term for impaired executive cognitive functions. ADHD can very often be due to undiagnosed conditions, or comorbidities that aggravate it. To put in perspective: there are billions walking around with undiagnosed hypertension, which is trivial to diagnose and treat. When was the last time you took your blood pressure?

watwut 5y ago

There were kids who were seen as "bad" from young age and often beaten. Not doing tasks they were told to, playing instead, being lazy (meaning not doing what they were told to), misbehaving. So, they have beaten them or accused parents of spoiling them. It was not particularly rare. The young delinquency was a thing too. Kinda hard to say how many of them were adhd, but it is quite likely some were.