Letters to the Editor
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Life: The Disorder
I don't doubt that many people (adults and children) are medicated - and overly so - for the sole reason that it's easier to pop a pill than it is to grit one's teeth and work through problems. We're a society that wants a quick fix. From weight loss to grieving, we don't want to suffer, and we want our results immediately. I suffer from ADD, severe anxiety and occasional depression. In my darkest moments, in the times when I feel like an alien in my own life, I want nothing more than to feel good again. The idea of waiting weeks or months for another treatment to work seems unspeakably painful when just getting out of bed is a monumental task to consider.
Regardless of the root cause of the problem, however, the symptoms of anxiety and depression and even ADD can make it impossible to move beyond the quivering mess stage to seek out other effective treatments. It's well-known, for example, that severe anxiety can be treated with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - but it can take long, painful months to work. A week of meds can eradicate the worst of the suffering. Which would you choose?
Similarly, ADD can sometimes be conquered by following a rigid diet and exercise plan along various learned behaviours to help with organization and attention - but how can one sit down and investigate those options when every action is preceeded by a distracted and chaotic brain spasm?
Does our environment shape us? Certainly. We have more distractions, a more chaotic lifestyle to keep up with, shifted priorities and changed values from previous generations. At the same time, we also have better diagnostic tools, better understandings of genetics and neurology and brain disorders, and better medications to treat those issues. Is there an increase in ADD or is it that we've finally started to understand why some kids are 'space cadets' in class, and why some adults can't keep their lives together no matter how desperately they may try?
Ideally, it's about balance - medication, perhaps, to alleviate the worst of the suffering to allow the person to resolve the other issues. Long-term plans for depression and anxiety. Doctors who are better versed in natural remedies and new medications. And more education for non-afflicted individuals who believe taking medications is "cheating".