America's Education System Is Fine : Othor Games

» Sun Nov 07, 2010 2:45 am

Which is why I said "ignorant at best."

Ignorance is bliss. Bullying happens.

» Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:36 pm

My point is that nobody us born with ADHD, they develop it when they are in their environment. Therefore the eastern coast has such a higher percentage of ADHD, you should look at the environment of that area. This includes everything, from the education system to the way they live at home.
That's the only real way of stopping the ADHD "epidemic".

The problem with the idea that ADHD is simply a mental disorder that "nobody is born with" is that, then, why is the worldwide prevalence rate of ADHD around 5%? (found http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/6/942, http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/164/6/942, and http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/164/6/856). If no one is born with ADHD, then it is certainly environmental, which, as you stated, then indicates that the socio-cultuural system in which the child is raised causes ADHD. However, we see ADHD in every culture around the world. So, either every single culture is causing ADHD, or, more likely, that there is a genetic and an environmental component to ADHD.

Also the school system should be completely uplifted and changed cause as it is it is extremely inefficient and failing. And anything that is inefficient and as important as the education system should be fixed. Look at Finland for example, their education system is a lot more efficient and crime, child defects and teen pregnancies are all lower per capital than the USA, hell the USA is the highest, almost by double than any other first world country in all 3 categories and all 3 boil down to education and social inequality. (One of which is off topic)
But with a degree you probably already know all of this.

Considering I live in Michigan, we have the dichotomy of having one of the better public state-run universities in the United States and, not a two hour drive away, some of the absolute worst public K-12 systems in the nation. So, yes, I am well aware of it, even if I didn't have a degree that touched on the socio-cultural issues present in the city of Detroit and how they affect education.

Agreed, another problem with the school/health system is when you have a mental disease like ADHD, they label you, which makes you live shadowed by your disease. I remember when I was diagnosed with depression my doctor told me that I better take antidepressants or else its all going to get worse. Well I didn't and I know I have a better outlook on life than most "normal" people do. Addrall is given you way to frequently, and its abused by students here a fair bit.

Amazingly enough psychologists are well aware of the "labeling" issue - that is why many psychologists will refer to individuals as clients instead of patients and as "suffering from" a mental disorder rather than being "a disorder." You will likely notice, if you read some of my posts on psychology, that I almost never say "a schizophrenic person" but rather "a person with schizophrenia" or "a person suffering from schizophrenia." And also it is great that you were able to avoid taking antidepressants and things still went well. However, that's a poor strategy to give everyone else - ignoring the advice of a mental health professional is something I will likely never condone. There are a good number of people who suffer from depression and/or bipolar disorders who start to feel "good" again and then stop taking their medication - and then they wonder why the cycle hits them harder all the more.

Uhhh adderall is amphetimine, as in a chemical that can cause psychosis, addiction, tolerance, etc. It sounds familiar to something like, oh I dunno methamphetamine. Doctors give this out way too much, and to people who really don't need it. What ever happened to using something like exercise and diet to help control it first? Some of these so called, ADHD cases are just kids who are a bit over excitable, or hopped up on sugar and coffee, will giving them adderall really help?

Actually, yes, yes it will. It's contra-intuitive, but giving (some) children stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin does help calm them down, because Adderall and Ritalin help to increase the amount of dopamine in a person's brain, which, as a neurotransmitter, is linked to learning and behavior in the brain. Is Adderall and Ritalin addictive? Yes. Will they help everyone with ADHD? No. Will exercise and diet help people with ADHD? Not all the time. The whole idea of "eating right and exercising" is not some sort of cure for all mental disorders. No one would tell a person suffering from paranoid schizophrenia that he simply needed to exercise more and he'd be fine.

Oh no I totally understand that some people need medication, and I get that a stimulant helps some people with ADHD. I've known a few guys who are much better off with the medication. I just mean that doctors need to put more effort into each patient, rather than just giving them some pills.

I completely agree. Many ADHD drugs are over-diagnosed, and the mental health field is aware of this fact and is trying to tamp down on it. As I mentioned earlier, part of the problem is that people want a "quick fix" and don't want to have to sit through lots of psychotherapy to see any meaningful results, especially when it is their child with the behavioral issues.

» Sun Nov 07, 2010 4:44 am

No one would tell a person suffering from paranoid schizophrenia that he simply needed to exercise more and he'd be fine.

Actually I have seen this, astonishingly; same with heart conditions, diabetes and so on. Although mental health seems to bear the brunt of "you can magically heal yourself by the power of your mind" and other nonsense, I've seen it applied to other medical conditions too. Although some of it is a reasonable concern about the prescribing habits of doctors (by which I mean without properly considering the problem), a lot of it seems to be based on some nasty puritanical attitudes or sheer ignorance; often both. It can be a potent combination that leaves the pontificator in question remarkably impervious to reason, unfortunately.

» Sat Nov 06, 2010 5:31 pm

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