Focus on this: Adderall shouldn't be a cure for complacency

Among the many psychological ailments of society today, it seems as though everyone is suffering from some type of attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Instead of maintaining healthy lifestyles, learning to cope with stress and better time management, people assume they have a disorder that interferes with their ability to focus and complete simple tasks.

Parents immediately assume their children have an attention deficit because they squirm around in the classroom and have difficulty focusing on assignments. Even college students and adults feel that they have problems staying focused on academic tasks and work.

What is ADHD? ADHD is a biological platter of poor attention and distractibility with a side of hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. If not treated, ADHD can lead to poor school and work performance, poor social relationships and a general feeling of low self-esteem. The causes of this disorder are linked to genetic and biological components; therefore, you can't just suddenly develop an attention deficit, like many people seem to believe.

Treating ADHD should start from childhood. It's estimated that only one student in a class of 25-30 students will actually have ADHD, and males are more likely to develop the disorder. Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Strattera and various antidepressants and mood stabilizers are often provided to those suffering from the overwhelming symptoms of ADHD.

Perhaps there isn't actually a problem with the nation's brains, but a problem with the rapid pace of American society. Before public schools shifted to a stricter curriculum, students were able to participate in hands-on activities that kept them more engaged in classroom material. Now teachers are forced to rush and cram lectures with information in order for students to pass standardized tests.

With the wider availability of and easy access to the Internet, the United States has become dependent on immediate access to information. Why attend hours of boring lectures, when with the click of a button you can have instant gratification -hundreds of Web sites providing the same information? Because this vast array of information is readily available, people become antsy when they have to do things the "old-fashioned" way.

The prevalence of ADHD and those claiming to have it send doctors into overdrive writing prescriptions and treating patients. If you don't actually have trouble paying attention and are not generally distracted easily, the side effects of the medications can cause sleeplessness, decreased appetite and nervousness.

College students have used these medications to stay awake studying, but the additional side effects should be considered -aside from the ethics of prescription drug abuse. Side effects like nausea, ticks, increased blood pressure, heart palpitations, mood swings, skin rash and dizziness could easily avoided by relying on a prioritized schedule, instead of a pill.

Because our lives are loaded with educational and work-related tasks and maintaining social and family relationships, we often find little time to relax and release stress. If we feel unsettled or anxious and are unable to find the time for physical activity, then of course it's ADHD!

People have it set in their minds that when they feel they can't handle things on their own, the root must be some psychological issue. And of course, it seems there is a pill for everything, so let's all just pick up a prescription to make everything better.

Give me a break! We're a drug hungry nation. It just seems that, right now, we are in the throes of an ADHD frenzy.

The ridiculous amount of people pointing their fingers at a possible disorder should probably point a finger at themselves instead. I'm sure stress and Internet pop-ups have a lot to do with the ADHD hype. Just because it can take hours to write a simple paper doesn't mean I have some kind of disorder, it just means that I don't limit my distractions. Facebook, MySpace, email, text messaging and cleaning are just a few on the list that could easily be taken care of with a little self-control. It's a lot harder to focus when those items are within reach.

This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.