man fuck articles like this. I was diagnosed with ADHD in elementary. school was extremely difficult for me and I even flunked grade 2, but was pushed onto the next grade after my parents complained. My parents didn't believe in giving me the meds. I graduated high school with honors, but it took hours and hours of study because I was never able to focus. Then I started university... I was completely overwhelmed and dropped out. We've built a society where its a detriment not to be able to focus, denying your children a level playing field is absolutely cruel.
The pills don't magically give you the ability to focus. They make you nervous and neurotic. You focus on things not because you have improved self control, but because your brain is closer to a panic and more anxious. Now I'm ultra neurotic and overall brainfucked. You didn't miss out. Oh also, they kill your appetite you so hardly eat and you'd end up inches shorter than you are now.
Maybe it was the medication you were on but my medication most definitely greatly improved my ability to focus and actually reduced my anxiety. But like I said we could have been on different medication, have different body chemistries, etc.
As a person with ADD, I don't like taking the medications. It makes me feel like a zombie and emotionally dead inside. I hated it. It stripped everything of me but made me "productive" (as in acing school work - which did brilliantly). However, I feel it wasn't worth it.
It took months just to feel normal again. For those who were wondering, I took a mix of short and long releasing stimulants. Although, I mainly blame the short releasing ones for most of my troubles.
So? The problem is our school systems and or work environments, not our biology.
We are a VERY significant minority of the population, and our institutions are not working for us. We should organize and do something about it instead instead of letting people try to medicate away our differences.
