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ADD

 

But where such behavior used to be simply considered immature, today we would probably chalk up much of their behavior, or misbehavior, to biological and psychological causes rather than to a plain lack of character. Indeed, it is likely that most of those surveyed would go so far as to suggest that those troublesome students, and probably Will, suffer from what is known as Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD. .
             The emergence of, or rather, the widespread diagnosis and treatment of, ADD was and is fairly recent. Only in the last thirty years has it become an accepted condition in individuals, and even now there is much skepticism toward the moral implications and legitimacy of ADD. Though there have been many comprehensive studies, no biological or pathological factor has been identified consistently as the cause for the disorder. The best explanation thus far, physiologically, is that individuals with ADD have a lower production of certain inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain "namely dopamine "that calm a person's nerves when the body is at rest. This would explain the fidgety-ness that is so synonymous with Attention Deficit Disorder. .
             To treat ADD, medicines have been designed that effectively increase the levels of these neurotransmitters present in the body, thus calming the individual enough that they are able to stay on task longer and do work more efficiently. These drugs have been clinically proven to alter the patient's behavior and mental capacity, but there is an ever-growing faction of parents and physicians objected to the medication of ADD. Though the drugs can sometimes be addictive or unhealthy, most of the opposition is directed toward the moral dilemma of giving youth drugs to calibrate them to the academic and social schemas of our community. As psychologist David Stein writes in his book, Ritalin is Not the Answer:.
             Pills mask our problems. When the pills are stopped, the problems are still there, and so is our inability to tackle and cope with the problems.


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