What is the Reality of ADD Treatment?

ByShaun Snapp

Executive Summary

  • ADHD diagnoses continue to rise.
  • What tends to be undiscussed regarding the medical establishment of the implications of ADD treatment.

Introduction

If you search for the term ADD treatment, in most cases, you will be taken by Google to some of the biggest medical information websites. The problem is that all of these websites have undisclosed financial conflicts with pharmaceuticals that make ADD medications as the primary ADD treatment. Reading these websites will promote ADD medications, and following their advice will, in many cases, result in being prescribed ADD medications.

We have no financial conflicts or other connections to drug companies or medical establishments. We will use our independence to review some of the information from these websites.

How Does the Term ADD Differ From the Term ADHD?

It is a natural question to ask, what is the difference between ADD and ADHD symptoms in adults?

ADD is simply an older term and euphemism for ADHD. This article discusses ADD, but it is used interchangeably with ADHD, so really, Signs of ADHD in adults are the same as signs fo ADD in adults.

The medical profession has made a big deal about the distinction between these terms, but they both describe a lack of attention. The difference in the terms is that the word hyperactive was added (the H). However, this was not an improvement in the term because not all types of ADHD are hyperactive. Therefore, if a type of ADHD is not hyperactive, why is the term ADHD still used?

Thus, the medical establishment’s explanation for why ADHD is superior to ADD or simply “attention disorder” does not make much sense. Yet, ADHD is now the term under which attention issues are classified.

About ADD or ADHD Medications

The medications available break into two basic classifications: stimulants, which are either amphetamines or similar drugs like methylphenidate or antidepressants.

ADD Drug Category #1: Simulants

The problems come in when scientific claims are made about how many of these drugs work by pharmaceutical companies. Amphetamine and amphetamine-type drugs cause not only those with attention issues to concentrate more, but they will also cause any person to concentrate more and increase their motivation. Using the effect of these drugs, we would increase (in the short term at least) the performance of everyone by placing them on amphetamines.

However, amphetamines or similar types of drugs can be considered blunt instruments, which have short- and long-term side effects and never actually address the ADD but provide short-term concentration increases while the drug is taken.

ADD Drug Category #2: Antidepressants

The second category of drugs uses various antidepressants. Antidepressants were originally based on the low serotonin hypothesis but continue to be used years after this hypothesis has been disproven. The logic and evidence for using antidepressants to treat attention issues are weak. Still, antidepressants keep expanding their use, going as far as recently being submitted to treat covid.

What a Diagnosis of ADHD Means And How ADHD Diagnoses Massively Increased

The information on the growth in ADHD is better for children than for adults, so let us review the growth for children in the US.

Look at the growth in ADHD diagnosis and drug treatment in less than 20 years. If ADHD is being diagnosed broadly, why hasn’t research determined the reason for ADHD?  Adult ADHD diagnoses are also greatly increased in the past 20 years. 

Remember that a positive diagnosis for ADHD will, in the vast majority of cases, lead to amphetamines, Methylphenidate, and or an antidepressant, and often drugs to control the symptoms of these drugs, which include mood stabilizers and sleep aids. There have been scandals related to professors at the most prestigious universities that influence the DSM and ADD medications levels for money, which I cover in the article What is the Problem With Medically Defined ADHD Symptoms? (Subscription required)

I never see any explanation of these scandals in these pharmaceutical-funded articles on ADHD.

Article Example #1: From Johns Hopkins

The following quotes are from the website of Johns Hopkins.