Double Brain And Body Power

Delusive Spurious Manual Of Imagined Disorders: Above is a parody cover that is not intended to resemble any legitimate book. The article and ideas that follow are sincere and thought provoking.

Recently I was speaking with someone who asked about mental focus and attention deficit. When the term ADHD arose, we were entering the potential land-of-make-believe disorders. Here are observations that I hope may be helpful.

The words we use, what we eat, events, and surroundings mean a lot. If a business wants to introduce a new product and idea, they often promote a marketing package to sell it. We can see the fresh item and how it functions. This is often done in a glorified light with any downsides being omitted or minimalized. The spiel may be so fast that you do not have time to think or ask needed questions. A service based business sells concepts and not concrete items. For this to work, they must first convince people it is needed. If an outfit has a Wickerdoodle service, they may create a Problem-Reaction-Solution (PRS) approach. You, the consumer, have to be convinced of the usefulness of the service. "But what is a Wickerdoodle?" you ask. Let's find out.

The company has a large marketing campaign showing that serious issues in life are caused by a Wickerdoodle deficiency. Only an official Wickerdoodler can solve them. If you ever feel bad, lonely, heartbroken, tired, inattentive, you need a Wickerdoodler. If you are successful, really happy, and enjoy your career, there may be something wrong there, too. Along with the service comes new terms that go with the trade. Loneliness is renamed as alienation, social isolation, and any more unique jargon they can think of. Being tired is redefined as a type of depression or subconscious force that you are not even aware of. Gaining satisfaction from your work or being more successful than most means dedicated effort and time. You are not conforming to the Wickerdoodler ideal of normalization. Sincere hours in work or developing superior skills in sport is not normal. You see, it is not that you are giving your best to yourself and others. You are obviously achievement oriented and therefore must be obsessive-compulsive. You need a Wickerdoodler to help you overcome this.

All of these are listed in the official Wickerdoodler manual, the DSMI or Delusive Spurious Manual of Imagined Disorders. It does not matter that you just ran a marathon race and require rest, you need a Wickerdoodler! Only their services can help. Ladies and gentlemen, this way to the Freud Factory...

"Thus, whereas in modern medicine new diseases were discovered, in modern psychiatry they were invented." - Thomas Szasz, MD

As you may have guessed, we are talking about invented rather than concrete science or evidence based concepts. I am not against all psychology, which is one of the areas I have graduate studies in. Biopsychology and understanding common social games can be useful. It would be hard to argue against Abraham Maslow's humanistic psychology and basic needs. Is there anyone out there who does not require food, clothing, shelter, safety, or caring others to be physically and mentally healthy? A few hermits might get by without seeing anyone, yet the basic needs remain for most.

Techniques in sports and health including auto-suggestion, visualization, biofeedback, and hypnosis can work well and sometimes wonders. A physical and performance change may be measured. Hormonal shifts, brain wave states, and brain and muscle abilities can be altered. These always work within the context of measurable affectors in a given environment. Performance techniques are just that. They are not made-up disorders used in massive campaigns to gain control in professional, educational, social, or legal arenas. To understand what is affecting someone, we need to see the total person in the total environment.

"They're making stuff up. Anyone can make a theory of psychology." - Harold M. He worked in the field, had seen a lot, and just wanted to retire.

Often when one asks about ADHD, they may actually mean they have noticed lessor mental focus or quality of memory. The acronym stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, formerly ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder. The term disorder is significant as it can mean that someone is not conforming to another's expectations. It takes on the form of a medical term but may not be. There is a difference between this, behavior that has been considered typically acceptable of childhood, adulthood, or that is historically reasonable, and a provable physiological disorder.

Scientific evidence based medicine rests in anatomy, physiology, chemistry, physics, and hence biology. A person may have an alteration in their bodily structure and functioning such as a broken bone, blood or liver disorders, etc. With adequate resources and testing, we can often see the results of chemistry in our lab work.

There may be high cortisol levels in stressed persons, toxic substances, and electrolyte and nutritional imbalances. Even simple blood pressure and heart rate checks give us clues if done properly (athletes with large arms may require large cuffs). The interpretation of the results rests in the ability of the interpreter. A person may have a college degree or some experience with the tests, but can be inexperienced in regards to what is affecting the testee.

An athlete might require another athlete in sports medicine who is both educated and has exercise experience. The doctor unfamiliar with exercise may not understand what is taking place. They can misdiagnose. An overtrained or physically exhausted sportsperson could be seen as falsely mentally depressed. This is especially true without knowledge of blood tests for the biomarkers of exercise. Even worse, they may prescribe a medicine for a nonexistent disorder. All drugs have a degree of toxicity and could place the physically exhausted athlete in peril. Is this not malpractice?

I knew a family for many years. The wife and mother was a medical receptionist. Her concern was that some children who are "just being kids" are improperly treated by emerging systems. She observed that for generations it was accepted that children have energy, play, might make noise, and can squirm in their seat. They are not little adults, and are in stages of growth and development. Things that were formerly accepted are now being labeled by some Wickerdoodlers as disorders. This is often without medical evidence but they frequently use medical drugs. Why is it that so many kids are being drugged up and dumbed down? This never happened before. Is it possible that environments and profits are involved?

Suppose we take someone who does well in areas of life such as tennis, dancing, music, or is constantly creating science projects. This individual seemingly cannot sit still. They are similar to a performance car and have a need to be doing and not idling. When this person is in the right environment things can go well. Accomplishment is rewarded either with personal satisfaction or from their work. That same person might not do so well in an environment that demands being stationary most of the day. They could be penalized for not conforming to a limited environment. In the wrong school or work place that same person might be sent to see someone who has biased goals and not the best interest of the individual at heart. They may be diagnosed with ADHD and possibly medicated.

Educator Sir Ken Robinson mentioned a similar situation except the professional was smarter than most. He could see a person for who they really are and was honest. A young lady and her mother arrived. A school considered the possibility of a learning disorder in the girl due to her need for movement. The professional did not quickly pronounce any form of disorder as many do. With a radio and music, the youngster was happily in motion. He told the mother that her daughter learns through moving her body. A dance school would be appropriate for a dancer. The little girl who could not sit still became a famous ballerina and theater director. Her name is Dame Gillian Lynne. She choreographed dance in the theater production Cats. It ran for 21 years. The New London Theater in London, England, was renamed to the Gillian Lynne Theater in her honor. She helped many upcoming dancers and provided artistic value and happiness to the world. Is it not better that creative persons like her dance their way through life, providing joy to themselves and others, rather than being repressed?

It is possible to have a real physiological disorder that is affecting a person's health. There may be someone with behaviors that we do not understand or approve of. There can be persons entities would like to control or conform to their standard. To label a person as disordered should require validation. What we often have instead of proof is opinion. It can be biased or ignorant. The viewpoints vary widely depending upon which professional states them. This is not good professionalism, medicine, or science. In a free society people choose their beliefs, with labeling and alleged disorders the belief is often chosen for them. It all depends upon which clinician says what. We need evidence based professionals and not witch doctors.