Yes, I agree, ADHD needs a new name!!!

I think it can be rather negative and traumatizing to stick these labels on kids at such a young age. Just because some kid is having some trouble paying attention in class, well then they get labeled as having some kind of disorder and then they’re probably thinking Why is something wrong with me??? Then there’s this push that they take some kind of medication like Ritalin and Adderall. Seems to me like the pharmaceutical companies are making some money off of some vulnerable kids. And while I’m at it, can we think of a better name for bipolar disorder??? Not everyone with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder is violent or an alcoholic or drug addict!!!! Tired of all this stupid stigma going on. When does it end? People are not labels. So here is a clip by Penn Holderness who I guess has had to deal with having this label put on him. I think he has the right idea, hold on a minute here………………

[Hidden]

And here he is!!!youtu.be/ugKm0iTbF4Q(Not working as expected?)

[Blueruth]

maybe it doesn’t need a name…it is a learning style which society doesn’t want to accept. there is a new book called strangers to ourselves by Rachel Aviv that examines all ideas of MH through stories. She sites a study that people who are labeled “noncurable” illnesses like bipolar and autism are less likely to improve or get off meds. MH is very complicated since it involves the mind which can fool us and is easily influenced. Well look at the likes of temple Grandin who also has a new book about learning style. She describes it like a sentence sort of. Patients give up a certain hope and embrace the idea that they will always need meds.

I was labeled ADHD back in the day. Also bipolar. Finally autistic spectrum. Depression too but that is the only “curable “ one of the bunch. The many labels delegitimizes all of them. I have major flaws for sure. I just think I need to adjust to them not try to hide them with meds. Side note…my father may have been undiagnosed autism spectrum of some sort. If he had been diagnosed would he have gone to the top technical college in the world?

[Hidden in reply to Blueruth]

Good point. I have been given this bipolar diagnosis and it really feels like you’ve been labeled a reject!!! It doesn’t help that my Dad has bought into this and he doesn’t seem to encourage me much to try to go further in college or be very supportive of ideas and dreams I have for myself. It’s like this attitude of you have a disability, just accept it. Accept that you need to be on medication the rest of your life and that you are mentally ill. Who the hell gives anyone the right to judge someone else as being mentally ill???!!!! Sure I have my problems, but there are people out there messing around with guns needlessly killing other people and they may not have a diagnosis of mental illness but that sure sounds mentally ill to me!!!! It’s like you get this label put on you like you’re a rotten can of peas that should be taken off of the shelf. People are human beings, not labels. My Mom has a teaching degree and she’s also taken a number of classes towards teaching special Ed. She’s learned about autism and she has said to me that growing up, she thinks I have autistic tendencies. I was shy and quiet a lot of the time. I learned to read at a young age and I enjoyed reading. However what was also going on is my family moved a number of times when I was young. My Dad didn’t get a really steady good job until I was about 10. We moved from Michigan to Illinois and back to Michigan. When you move like that, it isn’t easy to be the new girl in class when you’re young and making friends and then having to move and leave those friends behind and start over in a new school where you don’t know anyone. I think I adapted the best I could. And my parents have some issues between them and my Mom has bipolar disorder . It isn’t easy to have a parent with this condition either. I can remember a few times where my Mom went to a psyche ward and suddenly it’s where’s Mom??? Where did she go? Is Mom okay? My sisters and I have talked to each other and we all love our Mom but there have been times we’ve felt like Mom was acting weird. A big reason why I never had children is I don’t want to act like my Mom and I wouldn’t want my kids to get this diagnosis and I would feel guilty like they suffer from depression because of me.

[misslillie]

Agreed. Lots of stigma tied to ADHD. My issue is nobody believes or understands my ADHD. Today I hate myself. Why do I keep talking until I put my foot in my mouth and discredit myself. Wish that sympton would go away.

[Hidden in reply to misslillie]

I wonder how old were you when you were diagnosed with it? Were there some issues going on in your family at the time??? Maybe you had some classes with a teacher who was just really boring and didn’t make learning interesting. A teacher makes or breaks a class. I always did better in subjects in school where I liked the teacher and thought I was really learning something important. I was never the greatest at math, however for Algebra I had a good teacher who could see the effort I was putting in it and that I was trying and she even stayed after school with me for a couple of times to go over those crazy story problems with me that would give me a headache a lot of the time. I passed that class with Bs. I remember some of the students thought she was crabby and was like, well I like her!!! She didn’t let anyone goof off, you had to pay attention in her class.