- Today we're going to talk
a squirrel!
(throat clearing) Anyway, like I was saying,
there's a lot of misconceptions about this topic.
For example, not everyone is like that
and gets distracted by squirrels, although,
squirrels are cute and distracting.
So with this video,
I'm going to take the seven most commonly
believed myths that you likely still
believe about ADD and ADHD
and explain the truth behind them.
So I say we get right into it.
This is Seven Myths You Still Believe About ADHD.
(light electronic music)
ADD and ADHD are not actually medical disorders.
Let's start with one that people
have been talking about since ADD and ADHD
were originally discovered.
That, of course, being that ADD is not
a legitimate medical disorder.
This myth basically says that ADD
is a crutch for parents, teachers and doctors
who want to use it to explain why
a person would rather do fun things than work,
but that is simply not true.
In addition to being the most commonly
studied psychiatric disorder in children
and adolescents, Attention Deficit Disorder
is biologically based, and scientists
have shown an imbalance in chemicals
that lead to significant problems
with the executive functions in the brain.
The inability to focus and impulsiveness
are just two symptoms of this 100%
accurately categorized medical disorder.
So if you get distracted easily you may
have it or you just may really like squirrels.
I really like squirrels.
ADD and ADHD can be cured by simply
learning to focus.
Now that we've established that ADHD
is in fact a medical disorder, we turn
our attention to the ridiculous cures
that people who don't have the disorder
have come up with.
The first is the idea that simply
willing yourself to focus whenever
possible is the fastest way to rid yourself of it.
However, it's simply not true,
and there is no cure for ADHD.
All a person can really do is deal
with the symptoms of the disorder.
Thus, by trying your hardest to focus,
you might actually be able to do so,
but without some sort of treatment plan,
such as academic help and behavior
modification treatment, the inability
to focus will more likely than not return soon.
So all you're going to do if you see someone
with this condition and you're like
hey man, why can't you just focus,
you're just gonna upset them, so don't do it.
Kids can grow out of having ADHD.
Many people who haven't read into ADHD
and have obviously never been to medical
school believe that not only is ADHD
not a medical condition, but that it's
simply a phase that a person can grow out of.
The reality is that this condition can
stick with you well into adulthood.
In fact, despite there being an abundance
of treatments like better structured
environments and medications such as Ritalin,
70% of kids who have the disorder
continue to have it when they reach adolescence,
and 50% have it through adulthood.
Many of those adults have even made
their ADHD a merit instead of a flaw.
As in many careers, having a lot of energy
is actually an asset, just as long as it
doesn't require you to focus on too many
things at once, that's just no bueno.
Only hyperactive kids have ADHD.
Let's tackle this myth on two fronts.
Firstly, it's possible for someone to have ADHD
and not seem hyperactive all the time,
even though hyperactivity is the most
common symptom of this disorder.
They may have trouble staying focused
on a task and act impulsively without
it seeming like they've got limitless energy.
Secondly, as we've touched on before,
ADHD can affect adults as well.
In fact, over 6% of adults have Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,
and many don't even know it.
Students with ADHD get an unfair advantage.
Many parents who find out that their
children's classmate gets academic help
or extra time during tests and assignments,
actually claim it's unfairly biased against the kid.
However, when you have a condition that
limits your ability to focus on a task,
of course you're going to get the help
that you need to complete it.
Both teachers and professors are doing
their best to provide a balanced education
to all the students and sometimes it
takes a little more focus to get that education.
Consider it just leveling the playing field,
as before that extra time was given,
the non-ADD children actually had the advantage.
Taking ADHD medication leads to drug abuse.
Hello, left field, it's me a jump to conclusion.
Despite the fact that people with ADHD
tend to take more risks and be more impulsive,
studies show that the opposite
of this myth is actually true.
Research done over the last 50 years
suggests that those who take mediction
for their diagnosed ADHD are actually
at a reduced risk of abusing other drugs
then those who have not had their
condition diagnosed or treated properly.
See, ADHD medications are stimulants
that don't cure the disorder but treat
the symptoms, so sadly, because of that,
people without the condition have been
known to abuse the drugs for various reasons.
People with ADHD never amount to anything.
Anyone who says that someone with ADHD
isn't going to amount to anything is extremely
misinformed and is borderline bullying.
The truth is, many famous people from inventors
to politicians even to celebrities on the cover
of your favorite magazine have had ADHD.
Like who?
Well for beginners, Robin Williams,
Benjamin Franklin, Elvis Presley, Bill Gates,
JFK, and the Wright brothers, Abraham Lincoln,
Mozart, and the list pretty much goes on and on.
ADHD is a common condition, but even if
there was a cure tomorrow, a great number
of people would likely not take it
as they've made it a part of who they are,
and they're actually better for it.
So hopefully you guys learned a little
something from this video.
I wanted to let you know that Amazon Fire
has launched a brand new series called
This Week on Fire, and it's hosted
by none other than my friend PhillyD,
aka Philip DeFranco.
The purpose of the series is to highlight
new movies, new TV series and new games
coming to Fire TV every week,
but it gets even better because Phil
had me on the show.
We had a lot of fun.
You guys are gonna love it.
If you wanna check it out, click the little
eye or click the annotation or click
the link in the description.
There's three different places you
can check it out, but be sure to check it out
'cause you're going to love it.
And as always, if you got something
out of this video, subscribe to this channel
so that you can catch my next video.
I love you guys.
Thanks for watching.
See you next time.
Bay!