Summer Travis

Morgan Andaluz
English 100
December 12th, 2015

Attention-Deficit America
Recent reports, published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, suggests that 5.8 million
children ages 5 to 17 in the U.S. are now diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder
(Welsh). My name is Summer Travis, I am 17 years old, and I am 1 of those 5.8 million children.
Other research conducted by Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington
University also notes an increase in ADHD diagnosis of 43% since 2003, a 53% rise in girls, and
a 52% rise in adolescence (Welsh). Are there that many children with ADHD? I suppose Im not
as different from everyone else as I thought. What is happening to the attention spans of
Americas children? Are we handling this ADHD epidemic correctly? Are our treatments
treating our children well?
My Story
Personally, I have been diagnosed with ADHD for the last four years. People had been
telling my mother that I had it for years, since middle school, since elementary, but it started to
become harder to manage once I started high school. Having ADHD has its ups and downs and it
is definitely hard to deal with at times. I've always felt like I was more broad than other kids,
like I viewed the world differently.
In the 9th grade I started taking the prescription drug Adderall to aid my frustration and
performance in high school. It was the time grades started to count for something. The
medication helped me get my work done on time and complete assignment more efficiently. I

was no longer the class daydreamer and my teachers became happier with my progress. All
seems good and dandy huh? But that was not how I felt inside.
Although I was proud of the work I had completed and my grades were higher than they
had normally been, I felt like a robot programmed to be successful and behave like everyone
else. I felt as if I lost my compassion and lightheartedness and wonder. I had never felt so
uncreative. I was determined and successful but I never satisfied. Was this what being normal
was like? And if so, did anyone else notice how boring being normal actually is? How boring
sitting still and focusing on nonsense actually is? My friends, boyfriend at the time, and others
who had known me for years all noticed a difference in my personality while I was taking
Adderall. I realized I wasn't the only one who noticed I wasnt really myself anymore. Naturally,
because of my negative experience and stubborn tendencies I stopped taking my medication
every day as I was supposed to, and my grades dropped but I could finally breath again.
Don't get me wrong, not every individual notices or is as strongly affected by stimulant
medications as I am. These drugs do have helpful benefits. The question you have to ask yourself
is, how far are you willing to go to to make someone focus? As a society we have become more
than accustomed to and in my opinion WAY too comfortable with popping pills in order to fix
ourselves and our children. We have become so comfortable that we are giving amphetamines to
children as young as three years old! Do we really know how these medications are affecting
America's children? The pharmaceutical companies are getting paid to build America's very own
children robot army. Stop them!
What is ADHD?
According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, AttentionDeficit Hyperactive Disorder is a health condition involving biologically active substances in the

brain and affects certain areas of the brain that allow individuals to solve problems, plan ahead,
understand others actions, and control their impulses (American Academy of Child &
Adolescent Psychiatry).
ADHD is stated to be a chronic condition that includes a combination of problems, such
as difficulty holding attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. ADHD stands as one of the
most common childhood disorders and often continues through adolescence and adulthood.
There are 3 subtypes of ADHD: predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, predominantly
inattentive, and combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive. Most children have the
combined type of ADHD. (The National Institute of Mental Health)
Characteristics of ADHD
Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD (Hasan).
Inattention: Children and adults who have symptoms regarding inattention may be easily
distracted, inattentive to details, forgetful, and frequently switching from one activity to another.
They may become bored with a task after only a few minutes (unless they are doing something
enjoyable), have difficulty organizing, learning or completing tasks, and following directions.
Students with attention symptoms often have trouble completing or turning in homework
assignments, losing the things needed to complete tasks or activities Students with attention
symptoms are often the daydreamers. No wonder teachers are often the first to pre-diagnose
ADHD!
Hyperactivity: It is more than likely you will notice those with symptoms of
hyperactivity. These individuals tend to talk non stop, be constantly in motion, have difficulty
doing quiet tasks or activities. Children with hyperactivity usually tend to dash around, touching
or playing with everything or anything they come across.

Impulsivity: Children and/or who have symptoms of impulsivity can come off as very
impatient and often interrupt conversations or others activities. Those with impulsivity may also
tend to blurt out inappropriate comments, show their emotions without restraint, and act without
regard for consequences.
In addition to having a harder time focusing and completing tasks, sitting still, and
listening to directions children with ADHD may also struggle with low self-esteem, troubled
relationships, and poor performance in school. As children grow older, symptoms of ADHD may
lessen and/or become easier to manage. However some individuals never seem to outgrow their
tendencies. (National Institute of Mental Health)
Diagnosis
There is no one test to diagnose ADHD. In children, symptoms of ADHD are typically
easier to diagnose as the symptoms displayed are more often clearer cut and dramatic than those
of adults. It's no wonder in the U.S the average age of ADHD diagnosis is 7! However, because
all children and individuals all mature at different speeds, have different personalities and energy
levels, and all people (especially children) show some sort of symptom relating to ADHD at one
point or another, ADHD can be difficult to diagnose.
To diagnose ADHD properly and avoid misdiagnosis, a licensed health professional will
gather information about the patient's everyday behavior and environment in addition to
completing in-meeting tests to measure a patient's abilities. Because ADHD is considered to be
possibly inheritable, looking at family histories for ADHD may also be used as a clue to help
determine whether an individual has ADHD or not. Specialists will typically first try to rule out
other conditions that may be leading to similar symptoms expressed by ADHD including:

various learning disabilities, other mental disorders, physical hindrances such as poor hearing or
eyesight, and emotional distractions as death or divorce. (WebMD)
Traditionally, Boys are more likely to receive an ADHD diagnosis. However, with the
recent study mentioned above showing a 55% rise of ADHD in girls, it may mean that parents,
teachers, and doctors are paying more attention to the gender differences in how symptoms
appear in young children. (Welch) Definitely something to pay more attention to look further into
America!
It is unclear why the number of children being diagnosed with ADHD is increasing so
rapidly. Some are even calling ADHD an epidemic. The rise has been tied to the increased
awareness of symptoms and better understanding by physicians as well as the lowered stigma
towards ADHD in society(Welch).
Traditional Treatment
Although there is really no cure to ADHD, there are currently treatments that focus on
reducing the symptoms of ADHD including medications, psychotherapy, and lifestyle
adjustments (National Institute of Mental Health). Treatments are aimed to aid patients lead
productive lives and make everyday life more manageable.
Apart from medications, psychotherapy works with ADHD patients to set up systems of
organization and order that may benefit the individual and help him or her live more effectively.
However, because psychotherapy takes time and cooperation and because ADHD most largely
affects children who usually lack the patience, many patients with ADHD are prescribed
medication.
Stimulants are the most common medication used for treating ADHD (WebMD). Wait,
but don't stimulants stimulate? And therefore speed up? Interestingly enough, stimulant drugs

actually have a calming effect when used to treat ADHD. ADHD medications are used to treat
hyperactivity, lack of focus, and impulsivity. These medications help patients improve their
ability to learn., focus, and work!
Because all drugs have side effects and everyone is different there are numerous types of
ADHD medications. Common name brands of ADHD medications include Adderall XR, Ritalin,
and

Concentra. It is important to remember drugs have positive and harmful side effects and it is
important to check-in with your local healthcare provider for regular checkups. Side effects for
these types of drugs typically include loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, increased heart-rate, and
even death (National Institute of Mental Health).
Researchers continue to develop more effective treatments and are even working to
discover ways to prevent ADHD but with alarming increases of ADHD diagnosis people are
starting to question the current treatments available and they should! You can trust your doctor
right? Think about, when was the last time you went to the doctor and they did NOT send you
home with a prescription?
Alternatives to Medication
Because ADHD most commonly affects children and because children are the future of
tomorrow and most of us love them or at least ours, it is important to understand how treatments
are affecting their mental, emotional, and long term health.
We already know that most not all medications have dangerous and unhealthy side
effects. Havent you heard the overly calm readings of hazardous side effects on tv perscription
ads? May cause suicidal thoughts, heart attack, or even death! To me and many other
individuals out there, it is absolutely insane to expose our children to the harmful side effects of

prescription drugs so early on in life. Stimulant drugs often have side effects including increased
heart rate, loss of appetite, and lack of sleep (Everyday Health). Sleep debt kills!
There are many of ways to manage ADHD apart from the use of prescription drugs.
Although they may not be as fast or effective immediately, and they are a bit harder to control,
they will help! When looking for other ways to help me handle my ADHD without the use of
prescriptions I found that cutting out sugars in your diet and exercising regularly helps. The use
of vitamins including fish Oil, melatonin and zinc are all natural dietary supplements that are
also all linked to helping treat ADHD (WebMD). These vitamins are usually not FDA approved
but do have positive effects of some individuals. Best things about these vitamins? They are
natural!

Resources: Works Cited:

"Adderall Side Effects, Dosage, Interactions." Everyday Health. Everyday Health Media,
2015. Web. 19 Dec. 2015.
"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." NIMH RSS. The National Institute of Mental
Health (NIMH), 2015. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
"Diagnosing ADD / ADHD: How Doctors Assess Children and Adults." WebMD.
WebMD, 2015. Web. 13 Dec. 2015.
Hasan, Shirin. "What Is ADHD?" KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about
Children's Health. The Nemours Foundation, 1 July 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.
Robinson, Ken. "Changing Education Paradigms - ADHD, Creativity and the Education
System (Sir Ken Robinson)." YouTube. RSA Events, 5 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2015.

Welsh, Ashley. "ADHD Diagnoses Skyrocket Among U.S. Kids." CBSNews. CBS
Interactive, 8 Dec. 2015. Web. 16 Dec. 2015.
"What Is ADHD?" American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. American
Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
"Vitamins & Supplements for ADHD: Fish Oil, Melatonin, Zinc, and More." WebMD.
WebMD, 2015. Web. 15 Dec. 2015.
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Yay, Summer. You pulled it out at the last minute, girl. This is some really
good writing.