For the record:
1. Tourette Syndrome (not possessive, i.e. "Tourette's")
2. ADD and ADHD are conditions treated with stimulants that increase
activity in the cerebral cortex, providing the patient with an improved
capacity to "filter" stimuli and focus on a given task.
(Editorially: The majority of nightmare stories from early days of Ritalin
scripting stem from inappropriate dosages and dosage experimentation. The
medical community on the whole has significantly improved it's diagnosis and
treatment accuracy (stimulants being only one of several tricks in the bag
to deal with this affliction). Unfortunately our culture's addiction to
solutions that are taken orally puts too many people on medication that may
not need it. Someone else's comment about parent's putting pressure on
physicians is right on track in my opinion. Finally, the last thing a
teenager needs to hear is that there is a medical reason why their school
performance is poor. While they certainly need the intervention, they don't
need an attitude that causes them to stop working on their own behalf. The
single biggest factor in an ADD or ADHD person being successful is the
application of a positive attitude once the knowledge of how to deal with
the problem.
Ken "yeah-small-things-bug-me-way-more-than-they-should" Whitcomb
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