I've had experience talking with people about stimulant
medication. I've had experience reading what people have written about
stimulant medication. I've had experience reading Facebook posts about
stimulant medication.
I have five years of experience supporting, managing, teaching
and observing someone who takes stimulant medication.
Previous to and overlapping with that, I had several more years of experience supporting, managing, teaching and observing someone engaged in occupational, speech and language therapy and social skills group.
There are people I would like to talk to about stimulant
medication. There are people I would not like to talk to about stimulant
medication.
Now I have some rules for myself around talking about and
reading about stimulant medication. They are the same rules I have for talking
about and reading about ADHD.
This is not a 10 Things Not To Say list. Those lists bother
me. They assume everyone is the same. This post is about my vantage point. That
said, you might relate it to your particular situation or learn a few things.
Any comments you make might teach me something too.
If you are a psychiatrist, psychologist, pediatrician,
neurologist, neuropsychologist, family practitioner, nurse practitioner,
developmental pediatrician or internist with experience working with those who
take stimulant medication, then I would like to talk with you about ADHD and
stimulant medication.
If you currently take stimulant medication I would like to
talk with you. If a close family member takes stimulant medication then I would
like to talk with you. I would like to hear what you have to say whether the
experience has been good, bad or indifferent.
If your name is Dr. Ned Hallowell
and have written a book called Driven to
Distraction then I would like to talk with you. I also like to read what
you write about ADHD and stimulant medication. You are welcome to contact me
for conversation at any time.
If your children are exceptionally well behaved and you are
wondering why all these kids are getting
drugged up I have a feeling that a conversation about ADHD and stimulant
medication would not go very well. It would be like me having an opinion about
team sports. I don't play team sports. My kids don't play them. It didn't take.
So I don't go around giving opinions on neighborhood baseball teams.
If you don't know anything about ADHD or stimulant
medication and would like to ask me about it, I would welcome that. If you are asking in the spirit of greater
understanding then I would be more than willing to participate.
But if you have a lot of preconceived notions that you are
very invested in, it might not be a satisfying conversation for either one of
us.
If you like comparing carefully prescribed stimulant
medication to crack, illegal amphetamines, speed, espresso, cold brewed coffee,
tranquilizers or dark chocolate then it is unwise for me to engage with you on
that subject.
If you have accidentally or purposely tried a tiny bit of
someone else's stimulant medication and you yourself do not have ADD or ADHD, then
I would love to have a conversation with you and compare notes.
If you are currently contemplating treatment for yourself
because you've been struggling and these struggles are pointing you and your
doctor to ADD, then you are welcome to talk with me. There are many people who
learn more about themselves as adults. Adults who are self aware, change course
and seek help are brave adults. I'll talk carefully with you and mostly listen.
If you are wrapping your mind around helping a child, then I
know that in spite of what other people say and write that this is almost
always a difficult decision and a multi-tiered one. I will walk on eggshells
and you'll do most of the talking.
If you are a physical therapist, occupational therapist,
speech and language pathologist or special education teacher with experience in
this arena you are people I admire. I always want to hear what you have to say.
If you are a classroom teacher I like talking to you. You
see a high volume of kids every day. That alone is worth the price of
admission.
If you are Judith Warner and you have written a book called We've Got Issues: Children and Parents in the Age of Medication then I would like to personally
thank you for writing it. You would be a person I would enjoy talking to about
stimulant medication and ADHD.
If you are writing a book and want to say something about
ADHD or stimulant medication, then do deep research and talk to real people
walking the walk and the people who work with them. Otherwise, people like me
see right through your book or article.
If the words Adderall
Nation have crossed your lips or peppered your writing then you will find a
lot of like-minded company, just not with me.
If you have no experience with this, whether you are a
grandparent, a journalist, a friend, or a public figure, be humble. Own your
inexperience. It's important to know when you are out of your depth. Know that you don't know.
If you are wondering if this person or that really needs
stimulant medication consider that they may look like they don't need stimulant
medication because they are in fact on stimulant medication. When they are not
on stimulant medication is when they look like they need stimulant medication.
Think about it. There is beauty in this logic.
If you are thinking that your generation was better because
nobody needed stimulant medication when you were coming up or when you were
raising kids I find a conversation with you will be like talking to a brick
wall. There are gaping holes in what you
are saying but its better to agree to disagree and change the subject.
If you feel the need to point out that there is no ADHD in
France, and that French mothers are doing a categorically better job of
parenting than American ones, then I don't want to talk with you about
stimulant medication or ADHD. I will no longer read what you have to say.
If you are not a parent at all but have opinions about the
use of stimulant medication in children then maybe you'd like my opinion on
stuff I know nothing about—how about those Yankees?
In addition to all things already mentioned, I am skipping
any conversation, article, podcast or reference to the Marshmallow Test. For personal reasons I have adopted a no Marshmallow Test policy.
The elevator speech version of the long-winded stuff I just
wrote is this. If you are in the trenches, I'll talk to you. I'll read your
book. If you are not in the trenches but know
you are not in the trenches them I'll talk to you. All others, no. I'll
talk to you about other stuff. Just not stimulant medication and ADHD.
You might also enjoy:
No comments:
Post a Comment