Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Let me start by saying I'm not any type of medical professional nor am I associated in any way with the practice of neither medicine nor psychology.

I am simply an observer of life and I do my best to look at things in the simplest manner or as I was taught in grammar school math to reduce things to the lowest common denominator.

With all this in mind my view on the above mentioned disorder is that it does exist , medication may help alleviate some of the symptoms but to have the disorder go into a remission (for want of a better term) you would need specialized therapy probably inpatient for a period of time. This suggestion is based on what I feel is the cause of the disorder and that is television, the computer and now other readily accessible form of electronic stimuli.

How does this electronic stimulus cause ADD you're wondering, quite simple really?

As I describe my theory please take into account I will be using simple layman's terms.

The human brain has many complex connections in it and for it to function in what is considered a normal manner they all must be properly aligned and connected to each other. This alignment/connection takes place during childhood. This is when I feel we develop our attention span.

My analogy of this time period is that of the molding of jello. You mix your jello, (this is the part of the brain that aligns and connects all the brains sensors) then you let it stay still until its form solidifies. This is what is not happening to people with ADD, their brains are not allowed the time to form properly what I perceive to be a traumatic brain injury prior to the brain being fully formed. I feel if you were to study this disorder you would discover that the percentage of people with it has increased since the advent of TV and the two working parent household.

Still confused on how this causes ADD. Again it's simple, prior to the two working parent household and the use of the TV as an electronic babysitter, children were read to, they played games inside and outside, they developed an attention span by playing hide and seek, doing puzzles, drawing and other activities of that sort that required concentration for extended periods of time, 15 minutes or longer. At the same time this was helping them develop an imagination of their own. Enter the electronic babysitter, the TV and computer. Both parents are now working and multitasking to give themselves and their children the best things money can buy when actually the best for the child would be a parent there. Because of this the parents no longer take or have the time to read, play, or just be with and listen to their children. The child is plopped down in front of the TV or computer where the electronic images or stimuli change every 15 seconds to 30 seconds, in my analogy of the jello this is akin to constantly shaking the jello mold as it solidifies. Picture that if you will, a bowl of jello that instead of begin smooth, is as jagged and turbulent as the ocean in a hurricane. I feel the same happens to the receptors and sensors in a child's brain they are not given the time they need to properly form or connect. In addition when the longest sustained attention time a forming brain is exposed to over and over again is 60 seconds or less how could you expect this person to have any longer attention span as they age. Their brain would require re-training or wiring or an additional layer of jello on it that is allowed the time to form properly. This is why I feel an inpatient time maybe required.

The sad fact of this is that I feel for the most part this disorder could be prevented if parents took a little more time with their children and allowed them to develop as nature intended not as a fast paced materialistic society feels they should. Remember we reap what we sow. These children will be running the world someday and taking care of us in our old age scary isn't it.

I don't expect the medical profession to agree with this since treatment possibly would entail actual hands on treatment not just 'here's your drugs call me tomorrow', also it is a simple diagnosis for the disorder made by a lay person and to justify their degrees and costs they complicate everything. Parents for the most part probably won't agree since it would mean they need to take responsibility for their actions or lack of action as a parent. That's OK I leave to you the reader to use your own mind and decide if this theory has merit and should be looked into. Remember you have a mind of your own use it. What they tell you in advertisements and the media is what they want you to think which is not necessarily right or correct for you but it keeps them in control and makes them money.

Jimmy Bonz