[geeks] Re: Psychotropics aka anti-depressants, etc

[Gavin Hubbard]

>Message: 10
>Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2003 21:47:29 -0400
>From: Shannon <shannon at widomaker.com>
>Subject: Re: [geeks] Re: Psychotropics aka anti-depressants, etc
>To: The Geeks List <geeks at sunhelp.org>
>Message-ID: <20030728014725.GA1895 at widomaker.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
>On Sun, Jul 27, 2003 at 10:49:40PM +1200, Gavin Hubbard wrote:
>
>> I'm sympathetic to your position yet I'd be wary of making such a sweeping
>> generalisation. After all, I've never seen a rhinoceros yet I do not take
>> this to be evidence of their non-existence.
>
>What?
>
>I didn't make a sweeping generalization.
>
>The sweeping generalizations are being made by people telling parents
>and teachers that nearly every child who lacks attention span ADD.
>
>By that definition, I cannot recall ever seeing a child that did
>not have ADD.
>
>That isn't a generalization, that is an observation.


Sorry. When you said the following, I thought you were trying to imply that ADD is not a real condition i.e. all children show signs of ADD therefore ADD is not in itself a disorder.

"I find the whole ADD thing to be a big joke. I do not recall a single child I ever met in my life who did not have it. Sure, some are a little worse than others, but IMHO ADD is just describing the natural state of most children." 

As I said earlier I am sympathetic to your opinion as I think ADD is over-diagnosed, but since I haven't met that many children I'm careful not to generalise the behaviour I've seen across all children.

Regards,

Gavin