Jerome Kagan is the most influential psychologists of the 20th century, who has the expertise and moral authority to compare psychology to a rotten piece of furniture.
A group of US. Academics ranked the 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century in 2002 and they put Kagan in 22nd place, even above Carl Jung (the founder of analytical psychology-23rd)and above Ivan Pavlov (who discovered the Pavlovian reflex-24).
It may be very surprising to learn that he believes that the most modern diagnosis of ADHD is a mere invention rather than a serious condition.
So it may be surprising for you to learn that Kagan believes the diagnosis of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is an invention which mainly benefits the pharmaceutical industry and psychiatrists.
Kagan is well-known for his pioneering work in developmental psychology at Harvard University where he has spent decades observing and documenting how babies and small children grow, measuring them, testing their reactions and once they’ve learned to speak, questioning them over and over again. He is an exceptional and highly-regarded researcher.
Mislabeling Mental Illness
In an interview with Spiegel, Kagan addressed the skyrocketing rates of ADHD in America. He attributes to “fuzzy diagnostic practices” and illustrated his point with the following example:
“Let’s go back 50 years. We have a 7-year-old child who is bored in school and disrupts classes. Back then, he was called lazy. Today, he is said to suffer from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). That’s why the numbers have soared,” says Kegan in the interview.
When asked about his opinion on the disorder, Kegan told the Spiegel that he believes ADHD is an invention. He thinks that if a child is not doing well in school, the pediatrician gives that child Ritalin, since the cure is available to the doctors and they give the diagnosis.
According to Kagan, the fact that millions of American children who are inaccurately diagnosed as mentally ill because they think there is something fundamentally wrong with them is devastating.
Besides being a psychologist is determined to raise the alarm about this trend, Kagan and others feel they’re up against “an enormously powerful alliance: pharmaceutical companies that are making billions, and a profession that is self-interested.”
Kagan himself suffered from inner restlessness and stuttering as a child, but his mother told him that there was nothing wrong with him, only that his mind was working faster than his tongue.
He thought at the time: “Gee, that’s great, I’m only stuttering because I’m so smart.” If he had been born in the present era, he most likely would have been classified as mentally ill.
However, ADHD isn’t the only mental illness epidemic among children that worries Kagan. Depression is another mental illness that almost started in 1987, when about one in 400 American teenagers was using an antidepressant and the numbers leaped to one in 40 by 2002.
Kegan believes that depression is also another overused diagnosis, simply because the pills are available. Instead of immediately resorting to pharmaceutical drugs, he thinks doctors should take more time with the child to find out why they aren’t as cheerful.
Since studies have shown that people who have heightened activity in the right frontal lobe respond poorly to antidepressants a few tests should be carried out (an EEG for certain).
It’s very important for distinction to be made: when a life event overwhelms us, it’s common to fall into a depression for a while, but there are those who have a genetic vulnerability and experience chronic depression.
It’s crucial to look not only at the symptoms, but the causes :the former are experiencing a certain depression caused by an event and the latter are mentally ill.
Psychiatry it’s the only medical profession that establishes illness on symptoms alone and such a blind spot opens the door for new maladies — like bipolar disorder, which we never used to see in children. Acording to statistics,nearly a million Americans under the age of 19 are diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
“A group of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital just started calling kids who had temper tantrums bipolar. They shouldn’t have done that. But the drug companies loved it because drugs against bipolar disorders are expensive.
That’s how the trend was started. It’s a little like in the 15th century, when people started thinking someone could be possessed by the devil or hexed by a witch,” said Kagan.
About the alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs for behavioral abnormalities Kagan said that we could look at tutoring, as an example. It’s a good start since children who are diagnosed with ADHD are mainly the children who are struggling at school.
Written by Simon Segal
A professional writer with years of continual practice. His experience in writing varies from science to psychology and spirituality. He also teaches academic and creative writing.
Source: Curious Mind Magazine via The Mind's Journal
I have a feeling this guy is a little behind on the times. It says the 20th. century, hmmm, add a one to that please.
ReplyDeleteLOL. The article only said 20th when talked about how Kagan had been found to be "the 22nd most eminent...". It was the 20th century before 2000, you know that right? :DD
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I think the point is valid, though. I'm not a grammar nazi, and in my English degree, in applied Linguistics for teaching ESL, we looked at language in a descriptive rather that prescriptive way, looking at the ways English evolves, & how people communicate in real life--not harping on the use of "whom" in the objective case.
DeleteBut like a fake email I got from "Apple" yesterday asking me to click here to fix my passwords and attempted log-on from unknown devices--one of the reasons I instantly know it was fake is the language. Words left out, and used improperly are a tell in the cyber world. As people sit in Internet cafes around the world 24 hours a day sending a million emails, they mostly cut and paste, and many do not speak English in Nigeria, Ghana, parts of Russia, and every country who partake in cybercrime.
I've become sensitized to mistakes because of all the phishing scams I get each day saying "give us all your information so that we can send you $7 million dollars" for no reason; things like that. PS I forwarded yesterday's email to reportphishing@apple.com
The first sentence in this article makes it sound like it was written by a hacker; that's why I believe Rob's mention of the date is a valid concern. Although I agree that Big Pharma is a problem, and I am against prescribing pills/or taking pills, without consistent, regular talk therapy about the cause of the symptoms being treated (so I agree with most ideas in this article), they need to edit and rewrite if they want us to take this article seriously. Here's the first sentence:
Jerome Kagan is the most influential psychologists of the 20th century, who has the expertise and moral authority to compare psychology to a rotten piece of furniture.
By using the plural instead of "psychologist" with "the most" it sounds like bullshit. And it's just odd that the first sentence talks about rotten furniture, just as a non-sequitur. The rest of the article says nothing about furniture, nor does it end in summary by reminding us back to the kicker, so that's why a pharmaceutical company is like a sofa, or something. This writing has detracted from the article, to the point where it's lost any power to convince. I feel like they're going to ask for my Apple password at the end, so they can send help.
Shawn: Maybe I should apply your concept to your own post. Who, in this day and age, still uses the term "Internet Cafe". That is quite an old and outdated concept in the age of "free wireless" at every coffee shop, restaurant, hotel, grocery store and big box store, let alone, the use of cellular. At the least, this is true in the United States.
DeleteYour wording also could easily lead one to believe that you would, in fact, fall for a $7m giveaway if only it is grammatically correct. Personally, I would like to believe common sense would lead you to that conclusion either way.
Should I assume you are actually a Nigerian hacker trolling us due to your outdated syntax? Of course not. Sorry to troll, I just found your critique to lack credibility due to your failures being equivalent to that which you are criticizing. It is YOUR position this makes one unbelievable...not mine. lol
I agree with Shawn, and disagree with "Unknown" who hasn't enough courage to use his own name while insulting someone.
DeleteUnknown, when considering how short a time we have been using the internet, Shawn's used of the term "Internet cafe" is completely acceptable and reasonable. We all recognize that term...a term that may be outdated, but not so far in our rear view mirror.
DeleteAlso, his wording in no way leads anyone to believe he would fall for a grammatically correctly written giveaway. He was pointing out valid, red flags to look for in an unreliable document...and that was only one point.
You are correct about one thing...you are a troll. Shawn took the time to thoughtfully analyze the article, give his humble opinion, and enlightened some of us. You were simply rude.
Absolutely true, another label to control anxious children. Children need structure and discipline to feel safe and its too easy to say they have some chemical imbalance its a behavioural problem and was never heard of a 100 years ago also putting children on drugs to make them more manageable is for the adults sake and also you can get extra money from the state to care for a child who has it. This is why so many are been diagnosed and turned into zombies and chemically controlled.
ReplyDeleteI would disagree. As a child, I had structure, discipline and a safe and loving home environment. As an adult, I've been diagnosed with ADHD (primarily inattentive, I was never hyperactive). I was also told, as a child, I was a daydreamer, and lacked ambition. That I needed to get my head out of the clouds and work harder, have some drive. 100 years ago, these were the names of the "behavioural problems" now known as ADHD.
DeleteYes, there are absolutely millions of misdiagnoses due to the push from Big Pharma to get their pills out there, and by teachers who do not want to deal with children who are acting out or not paying attention. But there are some in that statistic who legitimately have something wired just a little bit differently in their brains and have varying degrees of difficulty focusing.
What I'd like to know, as one who has been diagnosed ADHD-PI, what Kagan thinks about the tendency of the ADHD mind to also hyper-focus on a stimulus or stimuli?
Thank you dreamkeeperarts! I had ADD as kid and I was told the same thing. When you are a kid and in the 1st to 3rd grade and you daydream, you are not doing it on purpose like a high school kid would. I really did want to focus but my attention span was low. Pharmaceuticals are a problem but its the people who like me that needed help when they were/are a kid are getting screwed!
DeleteI agree that there are cases of over-diagnosis. However, as a parent of a child diagnosed with ADHD, he clearly struggles. The issue is there are other options for support. Drugs are NOT always the answer. We work with a Naturopathic doctor and engage in behavioral therapy and my son is thriving as a result. Never once have we given him Ritalin or the like. The CDC recently issued an article indicating behavioral therapy can be just as successful as drugs. So, I think the issue really is the method of treatment. There is no doubt that ADHD exists, but the question is why and how to do deal with root causes versus shoving a drug down the kiddos throat.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said. How do you go about finding a "Naturopahic" doctor...then maybe it's too late. My child is already 18 and a product of huge amounts of medication that don't seem to have had any affect on his behavior. Instead he has been labeled by classmates since the 3rd grade and struggles today with very low self-esteem and has been disregarded when he should have been included in sports and other activities at school.
DeleteTrish, Sorry to hear that your child has been on huge amounts of medication. I am off all my meds following the protocol of renowned holistic psychiatrist Dr Kelly Brogan, author of A Mind of Your Own - for a drug free life - even after lots of medication: http://kellybroganmd.com
DeleteAs a woman with a successful career over 20 years, being diagnosed by psychiatrist at age 50, I am grateful for the diagnoses. I know have medication that will help me focus and not spend time trying so hard to concentrate and focus. I wish I had this drug while in my school years. Most days were hell. I no longer blame or beat myself up, well most days. I am not zoned out, but able to do what needs to be done without the fight in my brain. Articles as such do more damage and cause stigma for those who truly have this condition. I agree there must be professionals who make these diagnoses. I am sure many are given the meds when it is not appropriate and in the best interest of the child. There may be other issues at play that is causing the child to not understand, or be hyper, inappropriate. Also the condition presents itself differently in girls than boys.
DeleteSame story here. I was lazy and a slacker, but really smart. I was a C student because i did no work but made As on all the tests. I was quiet and was not a behavior problem so i never got any help. In high school i was an A student, but i was able to do the minimal amount. College was a nightmare because it required the attention focus and drive that i didn't need to get by in high school. After failing and changing majors a few times, i becamE a mental health practitioner. Still i struggled to remain at the same job. As a licensed clinical therapist i was pretty successful, still it was time to make official what i already knew and was diagnosed at 32. Being on medication, has made a huge difference. I wonder what would have been had i been diagnosed in high school or college, but i don't regret how things turned out because i would have an engineering degree instead of a social work degree
Delete“Let’s go back 50 years" Right. 50 years ago GMOs, massive vaccination of children, plastics and other toxins were not being dumped into our environment.
ReplyDeleteI believe Kagan is wrong, I dont think he's taking into account the advancement of technology and the rate at which we receive information and its effect on our brains neural network especially in todays children. try watching an action film from 50 years ago compared to one now, the action film from 50 years ago is going to feel like a soap oprea because were accustomed to a higher rate of stimulus (sorry about grammar and spelling)
ReplyDeleteWell the first thing wrong with this article is it says "renowned Harvard PSYCHOLOGIST" Not psychiatrist!! He is not a trained medical doctor and doesn't have the knowledge of how the brain works. So this guy is full of crap. Yes pharmaceuticals are preying on people to take medicine, some people really do have an issue with being able to focus. Doctors and scientists have been studying the brain for years and with all of the technology they still cant figure how the brain works!
ReplyDeletePlus the guy is almost 90 years old so apparently the guy is senile in his old age and not keeping up with the times and the fact that you have more synthetic hormones in food now which causes all these problems you didn't have years ago and especially when he was a kid!!
DeleteInteresting comments, y'all. My belief is simply that we need less electronic stimuli from our cell phones, TV's, computers, video games. 50 years ago I behaved in a manner that would have gotten me labeled ADHD today. Today, I don't have those issues. My wife is taking a prescription for ADHD right now, but I don't see any benefits to the drug. She spends hours attached to her cell phone, trolling facebook, texting our kids about every anything. When I take her on vacation and we go on a week long cruise, she is better by the third day and does well the rest of the trip. When she gets home and can get her cell phone again, things go sour. Psychologists need to look very hard at the impact video games and electronic gadgets have on the behavior of our children.
ReplyDeleteNow that is a very badly written or edited article. ADHD is never classed as a mental illness. If you are looking into certain behavioural issues, the right support will help you to work with your child (if they have issues at school), not as one that has a "mental ilness", but one that is "wired differently". Information is absorbed and understood in a different way by some kids for varied reasons. If you have a totally "regular" kid, then lucky you! This article does not help, as this is what some teachers, coaches love to trot out or think the minute you try to explain that certain approaches work better for your child than others... God forbid if you try to explain why you might think your child has a difficulty. It is assumed you are indulging in excuses. I have a child for which old-fashioned drill and rote learning works best due to some difficulties and teachers/coaches hate being asked to consider extra time or more explanation... they assume you are a label lover because of articles like this.
ReplyDeleteLies of omission is where something is left out that could be damaging to the candidate. Both these sorts of lies are used during the interview process liedetectors.co.uk
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