Why Don’t French Kids Have ADHD? This is a great question that as a parent I don’t have an answer to. Here’s an excerpt from the article above:
In the United States, at least 9% of school-aged children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and are taking pharmaceutical medications. In France, the percentage of kids diagnosed and medicated for ADHD is less than .5%. How come the epidemic of ADHD—which has become firmly established in the United States—has almost completely passed over children in France?
I was appalled to see that 9% – 9 PERCENT – of children in the U.S. are diagnosed with ADHD as opposed to 0.5% in France. Say it ain’t so! I don’t get it! What’s wrong with our society that we could allow something like this to be allowed. Is it because as parents we are too lazy? We look for the easy way out and we treat the symptoms instead of the root cause of the problem.
I daresay that it’s easy to see this phenomenon in our medical profession as a whole. I remember when I went to the Doctor and my cholesterol was extremely high, my doctor’s immediate response was to out me on Lipitor! Instead of trying to figure out what caused my high count, I was given a pill. I had another doctor try to give me an inhaler for asthma, but I was determined to not be dependent on medications, so I did something about it. (See my blog post on being Healthy).
I think one of the reasons for this kids ADHD epidemic is that kids are not active enough. A lot of kids are sedentary from the time they get home from school till the next day. What are they doing? They’re watching TV or playing video games.
Another reason is that a lot of kids feast on junk food as part of their regular diet. Foods filled with processed sugars, High Fructose Corn Syrup and Fats alter personalities. Soda with caffeine, as well as other fast food all contribute to the epidemic as outlined in the article.
So how do we fix this? Get outside with our kids and eat healthy and we will be much better off.
Smile and remember that today is another opportunity to Play It By Ear!
P.I.B.E.
It’s my suspicion that a lot of kids get labeled ADHD because it’s easier and more convenient than admitting that not all people learn in the same ways or at the same speed.
Thanks Theresa. You’re absolutely right
I have read how high the numbers are for kids being diagnosed with ADD and ADHD! Very scary as the medication that is prescribed is horrible for our young people to be taking. I have heard that gluten is playing a big part in ADD? Yet I do agree that kids need to be more active, playing outside for great health. Thanks for sharing this important topic. Best Regards, Wendy http://wendybottrell.com
You’re welcome Wendy. I need to check in the gluten aspect some more…
Best regards,
Dave
Thank you for the very informative post and highlighting the importance of children’s health.
You’re welcome Ana. We can’t just sit back and do nothing. We have to spread the word.
Best Regards,
Dave
If ADHD was a real disease when I went to school (it wasn’t included in the manual at that time), I would have been said to have it–because the school district was desperate to figure out a way to explain my falling grades (I went from being an A and B student to being a D and F student after we moved to the district) without assuming any of the blame and/or involving social services (we moved to a small town). It would have been a bandage which did not address the real problems (I went from living in a small city with friends to a small town without friends and a mother who was on the verge of divorcing my dad because he lost everything in a bad business deal).
To this day, people say that I must have ADHD…typically when they do not like how energetic I can be when I am excited about something. And to this day, people want me to take a pill because I am too active and bouncy for them to handle.
Because of this, I firmly suspect that we are over-medicating children because the parents and/or school districts are too lazy to deal with the actual problems.
Thanks Morgan. I couldn’t agree more. There are people in society that jump to medicate all these conditions. There has to be another way. There’s gotta be a better way to deal with “ADHD” kids than with medications. That’s my $0.02c.
Best Regards,
Dave
Hi David,
First of, great blog here 😉 First time visitor.
Being a world traveling guy I see many cultures and people. Without question, the biggest prob we have in The West is living outside in. Take a pill to try to get better.
I spend 2 years in SE Asia. These folks live from the inside out. Find the cause of dis-ease. Root it out through wholistic treatment.
Western Medicine does have a place but going within and finding the energy cause-root of our sickness would go a long way in treating stuff like ADHD, or any mental or physical illness for that matter.
Thanks David!
Ryan
Thanks Ryan. I love natural remedies for ailments. It’s been a few years now that I used a lime/fruit remedy for allergies. I haven’t had to use a Claritin or Alavert for allergies in years. Thanks for stopping by.
Best Regards,
Dave
From what I read on parenting books and stuffs here & there, ADHD is the easiest diagnose a doc or psychiatrist would dish out. Pills & med are given out so stop that undesired behavior. There are many underlying issues and causes that is making a child behave such a way. And most of the time it is not due to ADHD.
My son was a slightly brighter then the average kids of his age. He has been disrupting class sessions with his non stop talking, moving around and disturbing his fella classmates. His then kindergarten teacher “suggested nicely” that perhaps he has ADHD which I refuse to believe. Turned out that my son was bored in class as he knows the school work & is able to finish it fairly quickly.
So, parents should seek 2nd, 3rd or even more opinions regarding their child’s persistent undesired behavior.
You’re so right. I know of one parent who worked it out with the teacher that when her son got fidgety in class, he was able to stand in the back of the room and burn off his excess energy. And his behavior improved. He stopped being disruptive and distracting other students. All it took was a little more time…
Best Regards,
Dave
I have a child with ADD. I do agree that it is diagnosed whimsically in the school systems and some children are mislabeled. However, if you put those children on medication it will work in reverse, making them even more hyperactive and they will have a harder time paying attention. That sends up a red flag that they were misdiagnosed.
ADD cannot be “cured” or “treated” with exercise. It is good for all children, and I highly recommend it as well. My son was very active outdoors spending most of his free time skateboarding when he wasn’t taking 4 hours to get his homework done in elementary school.
There are homeopathic remedies as opposed to pharmaceutical. My son takes neither now but did for a few years.
Some of the causes of ADD, as far as the medical field can determine, range from: genetics that control certain chemicals in the brain, smoking and drinking during pregnancy, low birth weight, frontal lobe head injuries and lead exposure.
There are some other things I have learned that increased his inability to concentrate and you nailed it on the head when you mentioned processed foods. Also, food dyes played a big role for him.
Someone mentioned this as a disease. It’s not a disease, it’s a disorder, a little different.
These kids are not bad kids. They could benefit greatly from much smaller class sizes, more in class work and less homework, more attention, special help and tutoring and lots of love. Perhaps France is better at providing some of these things than America is, especially in the school departments, I can’t say. But one thing for sure, it is something they have to learn to live with, there is no cure or root cause that can be prevented.
I say all this with respect, but to perhaps lend more understanding, having dealt daily for 20+ years with a child who is 2 years behind his maturity and learning but is the love of my life.
Thank you for hearing me out. I appreciate it.
Missy Bell
http://www.PeaceAndHappinessProject.com
http://www.WhereTheGhostsLive.WordPress.com
Dear Missy Bell,
I totally hear what you are saying. I would say that education, knowledge and understanding is the key make this a non issue. The answer is NOT more medication, but as you say smaller class sizes and more interaction with the children.
Thanks for Stopping by
Dave