[email protected]

In a message dated 5/30/2002 4:05:37 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[email protected] writes:


> It helped us because we didn't know why he was doing the things he
> was. Once we knew it had a name, and much more importantly, what it
> was all about, it helped us tremendously.
>
Well - I already said that I think the label is useful in that it can help
parents find support for living/working/dealing with issues of kids who have
a certain set of traits.

But - I'm wondering -- how does knowing that this set of traits is called ADD
help you to know WHY a kid is doing the things he does. We don't know what
causes ADD, do we? Clinically? So it doesn't really provide any explanation
of why, does it? It seems like circular reasoning. The diagnosis is MADE
based on the existence of a large number of a certain set of personality
traits and then the diagnosis is used to explain why the person has those
traits?

--pam



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[email protected]

In a message dated 5/30/02 5:35:09 PM, PSoroosh@... writes:

<< The diagnosis is MADE
based on the existence of a large number of a certain set of personality
traits and then the diagnosis is used to explain why the person has those
traits? >>

The preliminary diagnosis.

The final diagnosis is dependent on the person's response to ritalin (or
other stimulants).

Dr. Magnusson, my doctor for a long time and an unusually honest doctor, in
my experience, says that if ritalin doesn't help the person, then the
preliminary diagnosis is withdrawn. She says the difference betwen "ADD"
and "ADD-like symptoms" is the effect of the drug.

That is quite a pharmaceutical carts-before-horses moment.

Sandra