[jjbiotech]

Wow, just read an article on ADHD in France, and I think that their system is incredible. It really aligned with what I've thought all along: depression, ADHD, and a few other "neurological disorders" are symptoms of a person not operating in an optimal environment (for themselves specifically).

Take ADHD for example: A child won't sit still in class, is constantly distracted, and performs poorly at school work. Let's use occam's razor to figure out what's going on here. Was this child born with a rare neurological disorder causing an imbalance in monoamine neurotransmitters? Possibly... Or maybe was the real cause is this: a lack of exercise, a poor diet that includes lots of sugars and unnecessary carbohydrates, lack of socialization outside of the school context. The list goes on and on. I really believe that if you do your due diligence in ensuring your diet, health, social life, and other important factors are all in a good state, these conditions magically disappear. Sure, the kid might have low levels of dopamine because of their suboptimal lifestyle. But there are ways to fix the problem without shoving NDRIs/amphetamines down their throat: change their routine, their diet, their life.

I'm not saying that ADHD doesn't exist, I'm just saying the true percentage of ADHD cases is probably a much lower (see France) than what's purported in the US.

But in the end, it's easier to pop a pill than change you or your child's lifestyle. Plus the pharmaceutical companies make a buck, and tell you what you need to hear to believe that stimulants are the only option for treatment. Sometimes they might be a good option to jumpstart the process of digging yourself out of depression (SSRIs in this case) but I don't think that the chronic administration of drugs is healthy and optimal in the long run. There are better solutions out there.

(P.S. Obviously I'm not stating any of this as fact. It's just what makes sense to me after dealing with, and evaluating my own anxiety and depression.)