Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Essay Sample)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Student Name Institution Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders that occurs in childhood and at times last unto adults. It is characterized by symptoms such as talking nonstop, fidgeting, inability to do quiet activity and being in constant motion among others. In my view however, ADHD is not a real disorder. In the clinical setting, the diagnosis of ADHD is usually done based on the DSM Criteria upon which only the symptoms are checked (Nigg, 2006). For example, to establish the presence of a disorder in a child, observations are made for a period of six months. It is important to note that there is difficulty in drawing a line to establish if ADHD is merely a behavior embraced by a child to retreat from present circumstances or a neurological problem. Moreover no scientifically based test has been established to verify ADHD as a real disorder like other medical conditions such as diabetes or cancer (Godber & Anderson, 2003). According to Newmark (2010), most children diagnosed with ADHD are school-going students who show disinterest when learning becomes monotonous. According to me, ADHD is willful act of the mind and should therefore not be considered a disorder. Newmark (2010) further notes that the psychiatric pioneer of ADHD acknowledged on his deathbed that ADHD was essentially a fictitious disease and probably an over diagnosis (Newmark, 2010). The fact that ADHD can also be managed by psychotherapy points out that it could just be a stressful occurrence or a willful act of the mind. When a child presumed to be suf...