I was diagnosed once as a kid, and again as a teenager. I was prescribed medication just as fast as I was diagnosed. In either case it hasn't helped, as it concerns my focus. In fact I quite often felt worse when I relied on these later on. What it helped was to ascertain that I do not in fact have ADHD, and to learn that the diagnosis process is a complete joke.
My issue was primarily of chronic fatigue from inadequate sleep through my teen years, informed in part by high levels of anxiety and stress at home. Conversely as a kid, diagnosis came recommended by a teacher (!) because I was "daydreaming in class" - that's it. Details of my fatigue were made aware to the psychiatrist I was sent to at the time, but perhaps because I was scheduled for focus/attention issues, it was completely ignored.
I eventually regained my focus in adulthood, after pain and trepidation, with a multi-pronged approach that included reinvigorating sleep, reducing my anxiety levels, and diet / regular exercise.
Make no mistake: this is not to proselytize that "ADHD doesn't exist". But I would put it to you that since there is a perverse incentive to diagnose it, it's diagnosed as though everything is a nail in North America. There should be more credence given to the possibility that focus issues can be symptomatic of other problems.
I also find it dubious that children can so easily be diagnosed by virtue that a long day of boring lectures and sitting still is difficult to pay attention to. This is almost ubiquitous among children, though yes, it will exacerbate things more among kids who have more of a difficulty with focus. This brings to mind the story of Gillian Lynne, choreographer for Cats, who was brought to the doctor for her fidgeting - he suggested she go to dance school where she excelled. Why is it unthinkable that certain children be allowed to flourish in more appropriate environments? Because they're an inconvenience to adults - that's all. It's not less virtuous to be a person drawn to more physical engagement with the world.
Also see: A Disease Called Childhood: Why ADHD became an American Epidemic, by Marilyn Wedge, Ph.D.
My issue was primarily of chronic fatigue from inadequate sleep through my teen years, informed in part by high levels of anxiety and stress at home. Conversely as a kid, diagnosis came recommended by a teacher (!) because I was "daydreaming in class" - that's it. Details of my fatigue were made aware to the psychiatrist I was sent to at the time, but perhaps because I was scheduled for focus/attention issues, it was completely ignored.
I eventually regained my focus in adulthood, after pain and trepidation, with a multi-pronged approach that included reinvigorating sleep, reducing my anxiety levels, and diet / regular exercise.
Make no mistake: this is not to proselytize that "ADHD doesn't exist". But I would put it to you that since there is a perverse incentive to diagnose it, it's diagnosed as though everything is a nail in North America. There should be more credence given to the possibility that focus issues can be symptomatic of other problems.
I also find it dubious that children can so easily be diagnosed by virtue that a long day of boring lectures and sitting still is difficult to pay attention to. This is almost ubiquitous among children, though yes, it will exacerbate things more among kids who have more of a difficulty with focus. This brings to mind the story of Gillian Lynne, choreographer for Cats, who was brought to the doctor for her fidgeting - he suggested she go to dance school where she excelled. Why is it unthinkable that certain children be allowed to flourish in more appropriate environments? Because they're an inconvenience to adults - that's all. It's not less virtuous to be a person drawn to more physical engagement with the world.
Also see: A Disease Called Childhood: Why ADHD became an American Epidemic, by Marilyn Wedge, Ph.D.