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Dialogues@RU is published
annually
by the
Writing Program at
Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey
Volume 4
Fall 2005
The Clockwork of Attention Deficit Disorder: Mechanisms in Illusion - Page 6
By Xiaolei Shi
Parson, however, offers a much more plausible scenario than Armstrong's "downright 'failure'" hypothesis. Parson contends that, "people who go into teaching tend to have done well in school themselves. They gravitate toward orderliness, sequentially and familiarity" (30), affirming a certain mode of thinking which Parson tags as "left-brained thinking" with an auditory learning style. This form of thinking is contrary to that of children who have ADD, who Parson contends are "right-brained and have a visual learning style" (13). Those with a right-brained thinking style can "multitask easier" and "do difficult math problems in their head, remember long lists of words and are excellent speed readers" (14). According to Parson, part of the problem of ADD is a self-affirming and obedient style of education that is incompatible with the learning style of students who have a propensity toward right-brained thinking.
A very controversial issue surrounding ADD is that of its treatment with low strength amphetamines such as Ritalin. In a recent Forbes article by Robert Langreth entitled "Just Say No!" the author attacks our cultural fixation on medication. Langreth states that the "results of pill dependence are insidious and devastating: billions of dollars in ever-higher drug costs; millions of people enduring some highly toxic side effects; and close to 2 million cases each year of drug complications the result in 180,000 deaths or life threatening illnesses" (1). While Ritalin and many other drugs do quell the symptoms of hyperactivity, they do so at the risk of toxicity. Dr. Julian Haber, author of ADHD The Great Misdiagnosis, claims that Ritalin "can cause psychosis, including manic and schizophrenic episodes" (68). Furthermore, "of the 192 children diagnosed with ADD at a Canadian Clinic, 98 were managed by drugs, mostly methylphenidate (Ritalin). Of those treated with drugs, 9 percent developed psychosis" (68). Haber also notes that the prolonged use of Ritalin can cause "reduced oxygen supply, tissue shrinkage, and permanent distortion of brain cell structure and function" (71). While these symptoms are not typical of short-term use, the crucial problem is exhibited when minor complications emerge such as "nervousness, insomnia, confusion, and depression" (71); because of the prevailing pill-popping culture, doctors "may slap on another diagnosis, of depression or antisocial personality, and treat this diagnosis by adding antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or narcoleptics (commonly used for epilepsy) to the treatment mix" (70). Through the assumption that medication is the answer, not only is the emerging long-term effect of Ritalin not addressed, but is compounded by the side effects and costs of other medications.
Given that ADD may be genetic, or the result of nervous-system damage, or its symptoms may be caused by medical conditions, substance abuse, and anxiety, or may be a set of behaviors that all children exhibit during high-stress periods, or may be produced by an incompatible education system or social over-stimulation, it would seem prudent to reexamine the tendency to medicate a disruptive child as if he were a murderous Alex, to reduce an individual to "a clockwork toy to be wound up by . . . the Almighty State," one who "can only perform good" (ix). Should children who challenge the expectations of family, community, and school system with upsetting and troublesome behavior be forcibly tranquilized into conformity in the interests of society, or their own "self-esteem"? How does the pacified and normalized child challenge our ideology of the individual? In the coming years, we will have to examine these questions as we explore how ADD furthers our understanding of the social construction of normalcy.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Thomas. The Myth of the A.D.D Child: 50 Ways to Improve Your Child's Behavior and Attention Span Without Drugs, Labels, or Coercion. New York : Plume Books, 1997.
Barkley, Russel. Taking Charge of ADHD. New York : The Guildford Press, 2000.