ADHD is an illness
From Lady Astor of Hever
Sir: I am the mother of a daughter who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). For the past 23 years I have protected her and defended myself against the sort of opinionated, didactic comments made on this disorder by people such as your writer Leo McKinstry (‘Not ill — just naughty’, 26 February) and I am sick of being told that this condition is nothing more than an excuse for bad behaviour brought about exclusively by bad parenting. While Mr McKinstry fully acknowledges that this is a medically accepted condition that can be quite clearly seen on an MRI brain scan, he condemns the professionals by decrying the symptoms as nothing more than typically uncontrolled loutish behaviour. Is depression nothing more than a state of unhappiness that he would undoubtedly cure with a jolly musical and orders for a stiff upper lip?
Next, Leo McKinstry attacks Ritalin, which has been tested far more vigorously than aspirin. While I agree that in the early days the dosage was too great, that was corrected decades ago. If I had known more about ADHD 12 years ago, I would certainly have given Ritalin to my daughter, as I was advised to do, and she would have had a much greater chance of continuing her education, instead of leaving school at 14. Instead, my ignorance made me follow the mistaken belief that still exists that Ritalin turns children into zombies. All parents would prefer another medical solution, but at the moment Ritalin and its type are all we have.
Elizabeth Astor
Patron, Attention Deficit Disorder Information Services, London NW7
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