original: http://www.freep.com/voices/columnists/eblak28_20010228.htm

Local comment: Myths add to frustrations of ADHD

February 28, 2001

BY KIMBERLY BLAKER

Recently, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the nonprofit organization Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder; the American Psychiatric Association; and Novartis, the manufacturer of the drug Ritalin.

The suit is based on a claim that ADHD was created by the nonprofit group, the health organization and Novartis to create a market for Ritalin, which is used to treat the disorder.

As an adult with ADHD and the parent of two children with ADHD, I find this suit quite disturbing. What's most unfortunate about this whole controversy is the cost to those of us who have the disorder. Vast amounts of time and funds are being wasted defending the reality of ADHD and its appropriate treatments. Therefore, further progress is being stalled that could help people who suffer from it.

The widespread myths that come from such lawsuits can also be devastating. The progress that's been made in society's understanding of ADHD is being set back. Numerous children with ADHD will not be diagnosed or properly treated because parents will be confused and misinformed.

Just as society was beginning to understand that people with the disorder are not lazy, stupid or crazy, they are being confronted with rumors that ADHD was all contrived.

ADHD is a real neurological disorder. The U.S. Surgeon General, the American Medical Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health have all recognized it as such.

Even if their expert pronouncements were not a fact, I could still vouch for ADHD's reality. It impacts nearly every aspect of my life and the lives of my children.

Living with ADHD is far more than simply accepting a few personality quirks. It is struggling to regulate attention from one extreme to the next, from trying to focus on the uninteresting to trying not to over-focus on things that are stimulating.

Living with ADHD is trying to keep a handle on emotions that swing on a moment-by-moment basis. It's trying to deal with the little, everyday tasks in life that feel overwhelming. Deciding what to prepare for dinner, even something as simple as choosing between a can of soup and a box of macaroni and cheese, can be agonizing.

It's trying to listen when being told something for the tenth time. It's an adult wandering around aimlessly or a child sitting on the floor, completely lost in her thoughts and unsure what she is supposed to be doing.

Living with ADHD is trying to function around extreme physical and mental disorganization. The overwhelming stimuli from sights, sounds and thoughts are like an avalanche crashing down.

Living with ADHD is often trying to help your own children get through their struggles with the disorder while barely being able to function yourself. How can you organize your kids' lives when you can't organize your own? How can you get them to stick to a homework routine or do chores when you can't remember them yourself?

The only way for most people with ADHD to have what resembles a normal life is to take medication. It's not the ideal option, but when you've watched your child suffer the loss of friends and self-esteem, or struggle to do simple homework assignments, it's necessary.

Ritalin has been the one medication that allows my son to remain in school and to be successful. Without Ritalin, he has no tolerance for frustrations and explodes over the slightest disappointment or aggravation. He can't sit still or stop talking long enough to eat a meal, let alone do homework. He becomes so fixated on stimulating activities such as computer games or a movie that I literally have to block his view before he has a clue that he was spoken to.

Without Ritalin, he acts impulsively and reacts with no thought to the dangers or consequences. At almost 8 years old, getting dressed is a 45-minute ordeal. Although there are other medications that work for some people, after months of experimenting, we learned that Ritalin was the only one for him.

What's scary is that the myths surrounding Ritalin pressure parents to try medications and treatments for ADHD that pose far more risks or side effects than Ritalin. Some misconceptions about the drug are that it turns kids into zombies, or that it gets a kid high, as if he or she were on cocaine. Neither of these are true if Ritalin is prescribed and used properly.

Another untruth is that Ritalin is a replacement for parents who can't be bothered to discipline their children. It's true that in the doses prescribed for ADHD sufferers, Ritalin helps regulate neurobiological abnormalities. However, Ritalin won't change behaviors that are caused by poor parenting.

For parents of children with ADHD, it's hard to deal with the pressures of society when at every turn, the uninformed are accusing us of being drug-pushers. So instead of doing what's best for our kids, we often spend considerable time and money trying to satisfy people who are clueless as to what we really endure.

Maneuvering through the obstacles created by this suit will certainly put all involved and everyone affected by ADHD to the test. But hopefully, in the end, the myths surrounding ADHD and Ritalin will be dispelled once and for all.

KIMBERLY BLAKER lives in New Boston. Write to her in care of the Free Press Editorial Page, 600 W. Fort St., Detroit, MI 48226, or via e-mail at kimberlyblaker@hotmail.com.