- Collin McCauley
- Collegeville, MN
- United States
Student, Saint John's University
This conversation is closed.
ADD and ADHD aren't becoming more common. It's our current and changing society that creates this perception.
Many of these cases appear to be diagnosed when a student is having trouble focusing in school or daily life, but our curriculums are stretching over more and more years while we have to wait longer and longer to begin actual application. Also, much of what we consider application these days in information-oriented fields has more to do with working with files on a computer screen than actual application, virtually no tactile or kinesthetic skills are needed. It's not surprising that more of us are finding it harder to concentrate. I'm not saying ADD and ADHD isn't a definable condition of the brain, but I'm more inclined to believe this problem is caused by our society moving in the wrong direction. These conditions describe personalities that don't run parallel with the way our society is structured. We seem to be diagnosing a set of individuals with a certain personality type, one that's undesirable in our society, giving it a name, and calling it a problem. In short, I believe our perception of the problem of ADD, ADHD, and other psychological disorders is the actual problem; our society structure needs to become more inclusive to different types of people, not try and change them.