Could ADD/ADHD Be Caused by Too Much Instant Gratification?

It seems like nearly every kid I know these days has ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), or, as I like to call it, Attention Deficit in High Def. As per the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), 3% - 7% of kids suffer from ADHD. Some studies estimated higher rates in community samples. It seems like it would be a higher rate... I did not expect to learn that it was only 3%-7%. It is also approximately 3 times more common in boys than in girls. (Source).

Subjectively, I feel there is no coincidence that video games, regular television watching, and computer usage became the norm right around the same time ADD skyrocketed and became an "epidemic." I have never read or researched anything regarding or supporting this. It's only an observation.

Beginning at a very young age nowadays, many children are permitted to spend the majority of their precious hours in front of the television/computer. Some parents unconvincingly try to write it off as "educational", but we all know it's nothing more than a built-in babysitter for a lazy parent. It's not a "special treat" for the whole family, like it was 50 years ago. Get a load of some of these stats (Source):

• Number of hours the average child spends watching television per week: 28
• Percentage of 4-6 year-olds who, when asked to choose between watching TV and spending time with their fathers, preferred television: 54
• Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
• Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500

So, during the course of childhood, the child's mind is being entertained for them. Good ol' playing in the dirt is long gone. The use of imagination has become the vast minority. Instead, they're parked in front of the tube for hours on end, every single day, staring into this box like a zombie. And I mean that quite literally...

When measured by an EEG (electroencenograph), the brain appears to slow to a halt, registering low alpha wave readings on the EEG. This is caused by the radiant light produced by cathode ray technology within the television set. Once again, regardless of the content being presented, television essentially turns off your nervous system. (Source).

Then, all of a sudden one day (typically around 6 or 7 years old), the kid is thrown into a new environment where they are expected to act the polar opposite of how they've been permitted to behave for the past 4-5 years. You don't get to plaster your face to a television screen all day anymore. Translation: your brain is no longer being entertained for you. Deal with it, or you're in big trouble.

They're expected to sit still, not talk out of turn, and, the hardest part of all, pay attention. Problem is, they can't change the channel (teacher, subject, etc.) whenever they get bored. They're not accustomed to this, and they certainly haven't been prepared for it. It's like their brain short-circuits when instant gratification is no longer available.

I liken it to a horribly addictive drug, with school being the withdrawal. The brain and body become used to certain levels of activity and effort (all very minimal), and then WHAM! it's all taken away from them, and they are expected to deal. And everyone wonders why they can't. "Why is our child misbehaving so badly? We should be stricter. We should punish him more effectively. We should take her to a psychiatrist. He's acting out. Something's obviously terribly wrong, and we just can't imagine for the life of us what it could be!"

I just cannot imagine there being a coincidence that the rise in constant television watching, video games and computer usage came about around the same time as the ADD/ADHD "epidemic." I would bet money that an extremely high majority of kids who were raised with very little to no television, video games, etc. would not be diagnosed with ADD. Big money. And the same goes for the flip side. I'd bet that the kids who watch the most TV & spend the most time playing video games are far more susceptible to an ADD/ADHD diagnosis.

And then we have the doctor/mainstream-drug-profit aspect of it all. Now, I'm not slamming doctors here. Not all doctors are money grubbing troglodytes who prescribe pills like candy just to get their kickback. But plenty of them are. And, just like so many diagnoses, they cover up the problem or the symptoms with pills and drugs, rather than working to get to the root of the problem. "Here, take a pill and be happy" is way easier than "Let's work together to discover the root causes and see what lifestyle changes can be made to remedy it." And it's not only the doctors... patients prefer the easy way out, too. Whether they've been conditioned to feel that way, or whether we really have been this lazy since the beginning of time is beyond me. Either way, in many cases, as soon as an adult hears, "You have to change the way you live/eat/think," they're out the door and onto the next pill pusher.

So, we start our kids off at 8 years old teaching them that a pill fixes everything. Got a problem? Take a drug. Don't have a problem, but might in 30 years? Take a pill. Kids are being conditioned at such young ages to believe that it should be totally and completely normal to be on 12 different daily medications by the time they're 45 years old. Don't even get me started on that end of things, though... we'll touch on that one later. I've got plenty to say about that.

If you look at nature, nearly all creatures spend time playing when they're babies. It's vital to their survival. It teaches them logic, tactics, hunting and survival skills, etc. Human offspring used to do the same thing. They'd have an entire day's-worth of fun playing in the dirt, or blasting off into outer space in their giant, empty refrigerator box. The imagination is one of the most vital parts of our being. Without it, we are empty shells, just going through the motions of life. Who wants that? And more importantly, who would want that for their kids?

Whether I'm right or wrong in my philosophies here, I'd hope we could all agree that it's downright healthier to shut off the damn TV, and go play outside instead. In fact, I think I'll do just that. I have a puppy who's in serious need of some play time, and the last thing I need is my dog on Adderall. ;)

Peace

P.S. Another point I forgot to mention, that I will edit in later, is the issue of childrens' diets and how it factors into the ADD formula. Keep an eye out for updates!

******************** UPDATE ************************
February 23, 2009

I stumbled across this very interesting article on Digg today that seems to fully support my thoughts on ADD/ADHD. The article can be found here.

To paraphrase, a top neuroscientist warns that repeated exposure to social networking sites, instant messaging, computer games, and fast-paced TV shows could effectively "rewire" the brain, thereby shortening attention spans, encouraging instant gratification, and making young people more self centered.

This is bittersweet for me. On one hand, I am glad to see this concept being researched, and being made publicly known. On the other hand, though, this is a saddening reinforcement of what I was already thinking. The minds of our youths are being compromised by something totally within our control.

It is not easy to find responsible parents these days. America, in particular, has become a very lazy (yet simultaneously over-worked, over-stressed) population. What I mean by that is, over-worked Americans who operate under the illusion of never having enough time in the day, end up choosing their priorities. Therefore, certain areas of their lives are handled with less attentiveness than necessary. Raising children "properly" ends up further down the list than it ever should, in many cases. It's so much easier to plop your kid down in front of the T.V. or computer and let it babysit them while you make dinner, write out bills, make phone calls, relax, etc.

Those who make raising their children an absolute top priority have enough challenges as it is, so just imagine what the results become when the child is moved toward the bottom of the priority list. Unfortunately, those modern-day heroes are few and far between, and the frighteningly large majority of parents are those who hardly or never limit their kids' time in front of the computer or T.V. screen.

On that note, here's a thought... how about NO television? Or (and I know this sounds wildly insane), not burying your kid under a pile of store-bought toys? How about allowing children to rediscover what an imagination is, and how to use it? Imagine having a kid that doesn't require 24/7 entertainment, and one who is capable of entertaining themselves without the use of shiny, bright objects. Imagine having a kid that is on his best behavior all week in order to earn the privilege of watching a movie on T.V. on Saturday night with the whole family? Envision not having to deal with a child becoming desensitized to violence, or learning about sex at far too young an age (a direct result of too much exposure to the wrong kind of television and video games).

I'm not sure many parents could even comprehend the value or importance of such things. They'd rather take the "easy" way now, resulting in long-term psychological damage that the kid has to deal with for the rest of his life. And here we sit, watching this erosion take place... Perhaps this is one good thing that might come from this economic crisis - the possibility of some parents being forced to shut off TV's and computers, stop buying toys and video games, and allow their kids' imaginations to run wild!