Has technology given me ADD?

Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder were both known when I was a child.  In fact it was first recognized in 1798 and described as “mental restlessness.”  The first deliberate diagnosis is credited to a British physician Dr. Still (no irony there) who made his discovery in 1903 as a “defect of moral control.”  During the 1980’s the official terms ADD/ADHD were put into use.  This was when I was growing up and I would hear parents whisper in hushed tones while talking about another student with “you know he has ADD.”  In 1996 Adderall was released for treatment and things seemed to change.

There was a sudden increase in the number of children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD in the 90’s.  There are many possible reasons for that increase.  The belief is that doctors were better able to diagnose it.  As well parents were more aware of the symptoms and sought help.  There is also the belief that more children were actually developing it.  While a strong genetic link exists it is also unclear what role environment plays in its development.  That is what I want to address.

I believe this is a serious disorder that affects far too many people.  I also believe that parents, teachers, and doctors have sometimes too quickly jumped to this diagnosis and treatment simply to make discipline and parenting easier.

My daughter told our physician’s assistant when she was in high school that sometimes she just “zoned out in class.” Immediately ADD was brought into the picture.  I said I felt she was a normal teenage girl and just let her mind wander when she wasn’t interested and she needed to learn to focus not to take a pill.  She was scheduled with the doctor who claimed to have a special focus in ADD/ADHD and was put in front of a computer to take a test that would answer this question.  When we finally met with the doctor to get her results no exam or real interview was done.  The doctor proudly announced that her test came back borderline and she should start medication.  I refused to allow any medicine for something borderline and queried the doctor heavily as to what made her believe that my child had ADD because I didn’t see it and none of her teachers had ever expressed concern.   “The computer test is very accurate,” I was told.  Today my daughter is 22 and recently talked to me about that time.  She said she was happy I didn’t let them start her on medication.  She said she doesn’t know what caused her to think she had a problem, she thought it was just a phase she went through.  She is a psychology major and says she worries what damage may have been done to her while her brain was still growing and forming if she had been put on something then.

I think that is what led me to start this post.  I frequently feel like I am developing ADD.  All my life I have been an avid reader.  The last few years I can barely make it through a page without having to go back and reread it because my mind is in so many other places.  When I have to sit through a lecture for continuing education I find myself fidgeting and unable to focus for an hour.  What has happened to me?

This is what leads me to believe that more of our society is affected than ever before and there is no end in sight.  And there must be an environmental component.  Technology is great.  It has enhanced our lives in many ways but it has also taken so much from us.

I drive my husband crazy when we sit down at night to watch something on TV.  He insists I can’t possibly know what is occurring in the show.  I am watching.  I am also looking at Facebook on my IPad, checking emails on my phone, texting, and probably watching Snap Chats as well.  Why can’t I just focus on one thing anymore?  Now I’ve added an Echo Dot to our house and have made friends with Alexa.  In the morning I ask her for my flash news briefing.  I usually miss part of it but can’t seem to rewind her.  If I was just putting on my makeup it would be fine but here comes social media and texting again.

We used to be able to sit and have a conversation with someone over a meal.  Now it is often a competition to get that person’s attention and to know they are really listening and engaged.  We used to be taught how to sit still at a meal and participate in polite conversation.  Now parents hand kids their cell phones to watch a movie or play games.  No wonder they don’t know how to focus.  That is one of the basic things that we all used to learn at a young age.  And no matter how we felt about those drawn out meals it served us well so when we were introduced to the classroom and our teacher needed our attention we knew to stop fidgeting and to focus.

We should be taking walks and soaking in the environment around us.  We should be able to walk away from our mobile devices and devote our attention to those around us.  I don’t want to be like the cartoon of the man who made it to the pearly gates and was told, “You had a great life.  You just never put your phone down to see it!”   I want to be able to focus again.  We call it multitasking but we’re not really.  We are just overloading our brains with mostly useless signals that causes it to say enough!

I’m not sure the shows that revolve around the end of technology would be detrimental to the human race.  I would have a hard time adjusting.  I no longer really remember life without the internet or the ability to call someone at any time because my phone is in my pocket.  But maybe we really were able to focus our attention back then.  Maybe I need to experiment and put my devices away in the evening.  I hope it isn’t too late to regain my ability to focus my attention.