OK this should very properly be in neuro but I'm lazy (sue me). What do you think of the ADHD/ADD phenomenon? I am not too convinced that SO MANY kids can all be diagnosed with this. I think that a lot of these kids are understimulated and downright bored. I would be really interested if anyone has a great review they can reference that sets it all out there. I personally think that some of these kids are just not being well guided ...but no doubt some of you think differently, so let's hear it. I attended a seminar on this subject given by a researcher in this area and I just reckoned that the diagnosis of ADHD/ADD was so broad and subjective that I wasn't convinced. Please educate me.

The problem is it being misdiagnosed, like autism often is.

Like alot of psychological problems, there is both a cognitive and physiological influence, and each component can vary in strength. Problems like this are difficult to diagnose, so at the risk of malpractice suits and offending todays "nothing is our fault" society doctors lean towards overdiagnosing it.

Here is a link to the diagnostic criteria for the disorder-dsm-IV

 

http://www.psychologynet.org/add.html

 

As you may see, the diagnostic criteria is localized to a specific phenomenon so as long as the psychologist,psychiatrist is using the dsm-IV the chances of misdiagnosis would be unlikely. If ADD/ADHD was caused by mal-parenting we would have a lot more children labeled with ADD/ADHD than we do today. ADD/ADHD is deemed to be largely caused by genetic factors and the mainstream perspective is that the rare subgroup of children who are diagnosed with ADD/ADHD have genetic factors that push them to the extremities that distinctly separate them from other children. There is no distinct characteristic style of parenting that causes the disorder. Subcategory of parenting styles are broad and their influence is generally the same. The dinstinction in children with ADD/ADHD is genetics. In other words, despite parenting style it is very difficult for these children to control their distinctions in urges; they are not malleable to influences of parents, teachers, and authority. Of course misdiagnosis may happen due to psychologists who haved strayed from mainstream psychology or due to incompetency.