Write your search in the input below and press enter.
Esc to close.

The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich

Peak Performance:
Not Just for Sports, for Life

  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
    • Recent
    • Athletes
    • Coaching
    • Sports Parenting
    • Sports Administrators
    • Life
    • Administrators
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Products
    • Toolkits
    • Audio
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Apps
  • Services
  • Chalk Talk
  • About Dr. Stankovich
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Hello. Sign In

My Account
  • Login
  • Register
0
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk
Subscribe
The Sports Doc Chalk Talk with Dr. Chris Stankovich
  • Recent
  • Athletes
  • Coaching
  • Sports Parenting
  • Life
  • Administrators
Home / Blog / If Everyone is ADHD, is Anyone ADHD??

If Everyone is ADHD, is Anyone ADHD??

By: Dr. Chris Stankovich | @DrStankovich | Aug 15, 2016

No Comments

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is easily the most popular disorder in mental health, and to many the “en vogue” disorder to have these days.  Unlike other mental disorders that carry a negative stigma, folks with ADHD rarely hide it — and in many cases seem to boast about their ADHD being a funny burden that prevents them from doing things they generally aren’t interested in doing.  And with no blood work, EKG, or other physiological measures to detect ADHD, getting the label only requires answering a handful of remarkably simple questions about everyday behaviors.

Who is ADHD?

What does a person with ADHD look like?  The easiest way to answer that is to look in a mirror, for if the disorder weren’t already an incredibly easy diagnosis, in many cases a diagnosis never even takes place — in other words, patients simply tell their doctor what they think they need and are provided samples that often lead to an ongoing, indefinite treatment of more psychostimulant drugs.

[youtube][/youtube]

On the surface ADHD seems relatively harmless, especially when we hear a person joke about their ADHD preventing them from paying attention in class, or remembering to cut the lawn.  Rarely is ADHD spoken about in the same light as other disorders like depression, schizophrenia, and eating disorders; instead, ADHD often plays a certain type of crutch, or built-in excuse, to perform poorly or get out of things we don’t want to do.

What’s the big deal?

At this point you might be thinking to yourself “so what if I’m ADHD?”  One big, growing problem that I have witnessed firsthand at my practice are the number of kids, some as young as 6 years old, being prescribed Schedule II medications including Adderall, Vyvance, Ritalin, and Concerta (drugs in the same category as vicodin, cocaine, and oxycodone).  Think about that for just a moment — kids who struggle to sit still (ironically, a normal trait in kids) are being given high-powered drugs — and often they are provided these drugs without an actual psychological diagnosis taking place.  If this isn’t scary enough, check out the side effects from this drug category listed here.

The number of kids I see who come to me already on an ADHD medication is alarming.  Sadly, kids can’t speak up for themselves, and even if they did adults (parents) who believe they know better would overrule them anyway.  Instead of considering diet, exercise, family skills training, and counseling, the first option has become to place kids on drugs indefinitely.

Many teens and college-aged students have discovered that Schedule II drugs provide a pleasurable effect, and seek the drugs solely for recreational reasons.  In some cases they exaggerate symptoms to their parents and doctor, while others simply buy, sell, and trade these drugs on the streets, schools, and college campuses.  In fact, countless young people have admitted to me in therapy sessions that they really enjoy taking the drugs for recreation, and are surprised how easy they are to get.

Can anyone really be ADHD if everyone is being diagnosed ADHD?!

So the question is if everyone is being diagnosed, is anyone really ADHD?  With already very loose criteria for the disorder, many people are not even being diagnosed, making it seem like just about every kid today is ADHD.  Again, if we are all falling into ADHD, how is that not “normal?”  Moving forward, the questions I would like to see addressed include:

  • Are there true, significant psychological distinctions for ADHD, or is the disorder simply a collection of annoying behaviors and characteristics most people experience in life?  Most kids do in fact lose their attention when asked to do things they don’t enjoy doing, but have you ever seen a kid lose focus playing video games, texting, or watching YouTube?  If paying attention is such a big problem, shouldn’t we expect to see it across life situations and experiences — not just the times when a kid is bored and/or disinterested?
  • If there really are significant differences between people with ADHD and others without, will the ADHD only be improved up by drug therapies?  It seems like a more responsible route would be to try diet and exercise changes, counseling, or any other safe measures before signing up for potentially dangerous drugs.
  • And finally, doesn’t it only make sense that actual mental health clinicians make professional evaluations whether someone displays ADHD, opposed to allowing pediatricians (many with little if any training in mental health diagnosing) simply doling out pills to parents who ask for them?

www.drstankovich.com

ADHD, attention, diagnosis, disorder, health, mental, psychology

  • Author
  • Comments
  • Details
Get to Know the Author

Dr. Chris Stankovich

Dr. Stankovich has written/co-written five books, including Positive Transitions for Student Athletes, The ParentsPlaybook, Mind of Steel.

Latest Blog Posts

  • June 5, 2023 What is Happening to Recreation Youth Sports in America?
  • May 23, 2023 Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • May 16, 2023 Mental Health Tips to Help Kids Avoid Sport Burnout
  • May 10, 2023 Watch for these Issues with Kids Playing Multiple Sports During Same Season
  • May 4, 2023 Understanding the Importance of a Balanced Athletic Identity for Kids

Comments are closed.

PREVIOUS POST

The Athlete’s Mind: STRESS

NEXT POST

Help Your Child Play as Well in Games as He Does in Practice

Category

Emotional Intelligence , Leadership , Life , Mental Disorders , Stress , Uncategorized

Tags

ADHD, attention, diagnosis, disorder, health, mental, psychology

  • Recent Posts
  • Most Read
  • What is Happening to Recreation Youth Sports in America?
  • Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • Mental Health Tips to Help Kids Avoid Sport Burnout
  • Watch for these Issues with Kids Playing Multiple Sports During Same Season
  • Understanding the Importance of a Balanced Athletic Identity for Kids
  • Morning Sports Practice Before School is Becoming the Norm, but is this Healthy for Kids?
  • Nature or Nurture? Exploring the Psychology of Sport Success
  • Breaking Down the Stages of Youth Sports
  • 3 Important Tips for Today's Multi-Sport, Youth Sport Athlete
  • Understanding Intelligence: Putting Knowledge into ACTION!
  • The Sports Doc on TV

    Catch Dr. Stankovich’s tv, radio, and print interviews and columns here!

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Watch Videos
  • Sport Performance Assessment

    Dr. Chris Stankovich Quickly and accurately test your level of mental toughness in just a few minutes using the Sport Performance Assessment.

    (SPA), an easy-to-use sport psychology system specially designed to help you REACH YOUR FULL ATHLETIC POTENTIAL.

    learn more
  • SportsSuccess360

    Life strategies for performance and character development for coaches, parents, and student athletes competing in youth and interscholastic sports.

    Life Strategies learn more
  • Contact Dr. Stankovich

    1395 Grandview Avenue Suite 6, Columbus OH 43212

    (614) 561-4482
    Media & General Inquiries
    information@drstankovich.com
    Sales & Product Support
    sales@drstankovich.com
  • About Dr. Stankovich

    • Media
    • Blog
    • Testimonials
  • Products

    • Toolkits
    • Videos
    • Books
    • Audio
    • iPhone Apps
  • Services

    • Athlete Performance Training
    • Parent Community Forum
    • Coach Education & Development
    • Athletic Crisis Response and Intervention
    • Drug & Alcohol Assessment
    • Life Success Programs
    • Counseling & Consulting Services
  • Blog
  • YouTube
  • twitter
  • facebook

All rights reserved © 2023 Advanced Human Performance Systems™

↓ ↓