ADHD is not a Symptom: Why Managed Medication is Proper Treatment
On his website, www.ddcdrsaul.com , Dr. Richard Saul proudly displays a paragraph that begins, “ADHD is not a disease but a symptom.” The suggestion that Attention Deficit-Hyperactive Disorder is simply a symptom of another disease or disorder, and not a true disorder in itself, downplays the impairment millions of people face in their daily lives. The argument against ADHD as a disease, on Saul’s part, seems to come from his apparent dislike of rising stimulant use numbers for the treatment of ADHD symptoms in the United States (Saul, 2014). Saul claims, in an opinion piece he wrote for TIME, that ADHD is not a real disease since he finds that lifestyle changes he suggests to patients in his clinic resolve some cases of ADHD (Saul, 2014). Saul asserts that the lifestyle suggestions he makes to patients, such as exercise, sleep, and having “passionate” activities to do, will treat all cases of ADHD, and tha...