Don't Clip Their Wings

In the news article “The Art of Distraction,” writer Hanif Kureishi asserts that medicating many conditions such as ADD and Dyslexia and treating them as diseases may stifle a child’s creativity. First, he asks what qualifies as a condition, as his inability to neither speak Russian nor dance the tango are not medicated or treated as a failure of development. Second, sometimes distractions are a good thing, because it is good to pause and let good, creative ideas come to the mind. Third, Kureishi suggests that perhaps the child’s creativity is being suppressed by such drugs as Ritalin only to benefit the parents, because they see that there is a problem where a child may see an opportunity to break free from their regular routine and try something else that stimulates them and will most likely benefit them in the future.

Kureishi, Hanif. "The Art of Distraction." New York Times. 18 Feb. 2012. Web. 24 

           Feb. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/opinion/sunday/the-art-of-

           distraction.html>.

I loved that this article was written by a writer who struggles with learning disorders. No facts or numbers, but pure, raw emotion. This shows that there are many people who don't want to be medicated, and feel stifled by it. Kureishi found the beauty-- the gift-- in his curse. He poses the question: Are these really conditions? Or are they wings that allow children to fly? He found that, although he had a rough childhood coping with such "disorders," he feels as though they have helped him in the long run. This testimony shows that medication is not necessarily necessary, and in fact may even be harmful. 

Overdiagnosis is a MYTH

In “The Overmedicated Myth,” journalist Hannah Seligson asserts that people with mental disorders are appropriately diagnosed and medicated, maybe even too little. First, the overdiagnosis issue is exacerbated by media concentration and, surprisingly, the fact that nowadays it is more common for people to marry and reproduce with others who are more similar to them, maximizing mental disorders in the gene pool. Second, the amount of children with mental disorders are not as high as expected with only about 5 percent being medicated, 5 to 20 percent having a disorder, and 3 to 5 percent of children have ADD. Next, a large reason for increased diagnosis lies not in the capriciousness of today’s doctors, but its better diagnostics and treatments that did not exist thirty years ago. Finally, it is not overdiagnosis, but underdiagnosis that is an issue, as the people who most need the medication cannot afford the tests to attain the proper diagnosis.

Seligson, Hannah. "The Overmedicated Myth." Editorial. The Daily Beast. GaleNet. 

       Greenhaven Press. Web. 08 Feb. 2012. <http://find.galegroup.com/>.

 

This is the first opinion I have ever heard which argued that overdiagnosis was not a problem. Seligson did very well in quoting experts and showing the facts with little bias. The statistics and evidence she gave were very convincing and she did a good job of swaying me, where before I was adamant that overdiagnosis was an issue. This article was persuasive and concrete. Though there was no real creativity or hook that would have drawn me in if I had not been required to read an opposing viewpoint, Seligson somehow managed to keep my attention once she had it. I thought the supported opinion presented in this article was very interesting and made me want to read more about the positive side to increased diagnosis.