Commented on November 25, 2008 12:01 am
I’m sorry, Tara, but this is far from a “new view.” Hallowell has been promoting this idea for years now. And while it might have helped the public to view ADHD in a more balanced manner — which is a wholly good thing — it’s also caused too many parents to eschew medical treatment for their children with ADHD. This, tragically, can result in heart-breaking outcomes. Too often, this is simply not a helpful message; it is a pandering, damaging one.
Many top ADHD clinicians and researchers have cautioned against this appealing spin, even as the media continue to scoop it up in the mistaken belief that it’s a fresh angle. Some misguided psychologists used to promote schizophrenia as a gift, too, as if that did the people suffering from schizophrenia any favors.
The other day, I met a bookstore owner who was highly interested in reading my new book on Adult ADHD, not for herself but for her 19-year-old son. A highly educated and affluent woman living in North San Diego County, she said she chose the school-accommodation (IEPs, etc.) and “follow his passion” route for her son when he was diagnosed with ADHD as a child. “I was determined not to DRUG my son,” she said.
Trouble is, his “passion” and his untreated ADHD ultimately led to some desperate efforts in trying to calm the “noise” in his brain with illegal substances. Three visits to a rehab center later, he is still a heavy Oxycontin user. It’s no surprise, given that most drug-rehab centers routinely (and seemingly stubbornly) refuse to acknowledge the neurocognitive disorders and mental illnesses that lead to many addictions. His mother despairs at the continued futility of trying to reach him; his “denial” is rock-solid now, and he is beyond her control, though not her feelings of financial or emotional responsibility. This is a tragic place for parents to find themselves. “If I had it to do all over again, I would definitely would pursue medical treatment for his ADHD from the very beginning,” she said, tearfully.
Moreover, who says that becoming an Olympic medalist is any indication that one has “succeeded” as a person? Talk about a false premise. Many highly narcissistic people are driven to be top achievers — precisely because they lack a sense of self. In their eyes, they’re only as good as their last achievement. Moreover, given the chronic insatiability associated with ADHD (dopamine, after all, involves the brain’s reward system), how fair is it to hold out money and fame as the tickets to make a person feel okay, accepted, loved? Is this what parents really want for their children?
For many people with ADHD, all the achievements in the world don’t replace a sense of self (even a self-concept) that the medications for ADHD can help to provide, given their role in “strengthening” brain circuitry, especially as it affects the prefrontal cortex. Otherwise, it can be like filling a bottomless pit. And isn’t that the stereotype of many people who achieve fame and celebrity? Rather than fame and celebrity “ruining” them, I suspect it is more often their undiagnosed/untreated disorders that sealed their final fate.
Please be more careful before holding up the “gifts” theory as one that more parents of children with ADHD should aspire to. It’s a message that can seem to buoy parents spirits. But, when taken to an extreme, it is dangerous snake oil that prevents parents from accepting reality — and taking solid steps to guarantee their child’s ongoing chance for happiness in life.
We deal with enough denial about ADHD — on a personal and societal level. We need to educate with the facts about ADHD. That’s what will help both children and adults live happier, more fulfilling lives.
In fact, ADHD deficits are much more impairing in adulthood than in childhood, due to the very adult demands of staying employed, managing money, raising children, maintaining one’s health and all the rest. In other words, “managing” a child with ADHD is a piece of cake compared to managing your adult offspring (or mate) with ADHD.
We all wish Michael Phelps the best. We thank him for letting children with ADHD to know that they can achieve their dreams as well as anyone else. But this “forgo medication and follow your passion” message is one fraught with complication — and peril.
Gina Pera, author
FROM TPP — None of the people I spoke with believe (nor does the story suggest) that this more positive model of ADHD means giving up medication as an option. Dr. Hallowell does not advocate foregoing medication and offers it as one option for children and their parents. As the story notes, he now is even a paid consultant for a pharmaceutical company that makes A.D.H.D. drugs. Michael Phelps is certainly a new dynamic in this discussion, and his superstardom certainly does raise new questions about how this is playing out in the ADHD community. I have consistently asked readers not to use hte blog to promote their books. If readers are interested in yours, they can google your name or find you on amazon.