Kevin comments on Do you have High-Functioning Asperger's Syndrome? - Less Wrong

19 [deleted] 10 May 2010 11:55PM

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Comment author: Kevin 11 May 2010 06:48:00AM * 2 points [-]

That's the reason. It's more debatable if ADHD even exists, and especially controversial given the high rate of medicating children diagnosed with ADHD.

Comment author: fraa comment score below threshold [+] (41 children)

Comment author: AspiringRationalist 23 March 2012 01:24:04AM 4 points [-]

Does the belief that ADHD does or does not exist pay rent? Psychiatric diagnoses are the map; patterns of thought are territory. Society has certain rules that can make it expedient or inexpedient to call a particular similarity cluster a "disease" or "medical condition", but what really matters is whether a given intervention (medication, psychotherapy, etc.) is or isn't beneficial.

Comment author: wedrifid 23 March 2012 01:44:54AM 0 points [-]

Does the belief that ADHD does or does not exist pay rent?

A little bit, in as much people who say "ADHD does not exist" are reliably more ignorant on the subject than people who say "ADHD does exist". It's far from the ideal way to carve reality but it isn't completely useless.

Comment author: RichardKennaway 17 June 2010 08:13:41AM 0 points [-]

He said why: the reasons that mattnewport linked to.

But you have given no reason for your opposite view. (Calling people "anti-rationalists" is not an argument.)

Comment author: fraa 17 June 2010 09:09:41AM * 0 points [-]

What on Earth made you think this is some argument? I was making an observation, that I don't see why he is fearful of quacks/homeopaths/nutritionists here, this seems like the last place you could find them. People who assume everything on the Internet is an argument, well it says a lot about them.

Comment author: RichardKennaway 17 June 2010 09:29:47AM * 1 point [-]

I suspect we may attach different meanings to the word "argument". I meant only "a contribution to a useful discussion".

mattnewport linked to a section of a Wikipedia article discussing controversies about ADHD, which itself links to a longer Wikipedia article devoted to those controversies. The references there (some hundreds) make it clear that there are in fact controversies about ADHD, even among professionals within the field of psychiatry. Your response is merely to claim that:

ADHD is controversial only among anti-rationalists

I can't even tell from that whether you think there is such a condition or there isn't.

Comment author: fraa 17 June 2010 09:47:17AM 0 points [-]

If after my reply you still can't tell, then I'd better not post here. It's better for both me and this community.

Comment author: RichardKennaway 17 June 2010 09:58:42AM * 5 points [-]

Someone other than me should say this, but: please don't let one person drive you away.

It's just that the comments you've made so far on LW are all at least a step removed from actually telling what you think and why.

Comment author: fraa 17 June 2010 10:03:25AM 5 points [-]

Yes, I'm sorry, I had a mini-panic episode. It's absurd for me to react in these ways, all my posting so far was automatic talk which I didn't actually think. I'm still recovering from years of untreated anxiety and ADHD. I will post something coherent when I'm better.

Comment author: Blueberry 17 June 2010 06:17:38PM 1 point [-]

I upvoted all your comments, and I understand completely: you're saying that ADHD is an accepted clinical diagnosis and that you don't think people here would agree with the bizarre, lunatic-fringe conspiracy theory that it's just a way of drugging kids who misbehave. Unfortunately, there are even people here who believe in 9/11 conspiracies, so don't get your hopes too high.

Comment author: JoshuaZ 17 June 2010 06:28:10PM 2 points [-]

you're saying that ADHD is an accepted clinical diagnosis and that you don't think people here would agree with the bizarre, lunatic-fringe conspiracy theory that it's just a way of drugging kids who misbehave.

Unfortunately, it is both. There are people who have a real clinical disorder who need drugs. But there are also people who are getting diagnosed with ADD or ADHD with minimal justification.

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Kevin comments on Do you have High-Functioning Asperger's Syndrome? - Less Wrong

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