The ADD Myth

July 16, 2012
About 10% of American children (and 5% of adults) have been diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), and a multibillion-dollar industry has grown up around the diagnosis, with potentially dangerous stimulants, writes “ADD coach” Burge. In her sure-to-be controversial book debunking the disorder, she asserts that those branded with ADHD experience stimuli—physical, sensory, emotional—more intensely than others. There is no such thing as ADD, she asserts. Instead, the problem for those who are distracted, disorganized, fidgety, and impulsive is to learn how to turn their intensity into a strength. Burge bashes the forthcoming edition of the psychiatric bible, the DSM-V, with its broader ADHD criteria, as well as a drug industry profiting from the label. She then offers “practices”—many based on meditation techniques—to calm, soothe, and sharpen the mind. Hers is a bold stand, and Burge is partly backed by Frances, who was task force chairman for the current DSM-IV. Still, Burge’s guidance is more suited for adults who understand their difficulties than struggling school kids. Still, her assertions should at least spur scrutiny of an “epidemic” that continues to stymie its sufferers and their families.