The Modern Day Myth About ADHD
The Modern Day Myth About ADHD
Hi everyone. My name is Stuart Passmore and I am a psychologist who specialises in ADHD and Oppositional Defiance Disorder and parenting children with these disorders. I operate a private practice in Melbourne and have written books on ADHD and parenting. Jolene has kindly invited me to be a part of this community and write some articles on ADHD
Recently I saw an article on a FB page I belong to commenting ADHD was nothing more than a child being naughty and the solution (as the photo displayed) was for dad to undo his trouser belt and spank the child.
This is a typical modern day myth about ADHD. The fact is that ADHD was first formally recorded back in 1892. That’s right – ADHD symptoms were formally recorded by a physician and recorded in a medical journal over 100 years ago!!!
We know by recorded history it is not a ‘modern day’ disorder as some would have us believe. We also know that diet and parenting DO NOT cause ADHD. In fact, today we know through MRI, FMRI and SPECT that ADHD is in fact a neurological disorder. In psychology, we refer to it as a neurodevelopmental disorder. Medical imaging has shown us that there are five parts of the ADHD brain that are undersized, underactive and receiving less oxygenated blood. These areas of the brain are responsible for impulse control, concentration, attention, memory, organisation and so on. These are the very behaviours we see in ADHD.
So next time someone tells you your child just needs a good spanking and that will fix the problem, kindly inform them of the medical research demonstrating without doubt that ADHD is a neurological disorder that has been known about for over 100 years.
If you would like more information about the causes of ADHD, information on medication, and parenting strategies read my book ‘The ADHD Handbook: what every parent needs to know to get the best for their child.’ or join the Facebook page here.
Have you encountered comments like this? How do you respond?
The next time you see something like the above image pop up in your newsfeed, you’ll be able to respond by reposting this. ADHD is a neurological disorder that has been about for over 100 years!
