Hi, I was diagnosed with ADD when I entered 6th grade. I had al the symptoms through high school. I had imaginary fantasy lands, babbled, always wanted my way, and had a lot of difficulty at school, with temper tantrums all the way until 9th grade. My mother thought about a ADD medication but didn't give me one. In 8th grade you can say my ego and persona was in distress. I got into pot, obsessed with my girlfriend, cursed at my parents snuck out. I was becoming a disaster. My doctor wanted me to go on a ADD medication and I refused. This age lasted all the way until the end of 9th grade.

I remember how my mother remarked how I was not her son and how I fist flighted my dad.

Now many can call it the normal teenage nerves ( don't wanna scare you parents ) But in 10th grade I decided to take a medication called Adderall EX. I got suspended in 9th grade for smoking pot in school so things were going bad.

I took it the first day of school. I was in a program called AVID, which is a nation wide honors curriculum which teaches organization, and college prep class with a teacher structure. An ideal place for a so called "ADD" kid. I went through a transformation. Since a little boy I've been crazy about science, astromoty, aliens, evolution, but in 10th grade with the medication I suddenly became a man. Even though being a rough kid earlier on. I was never a bully, was often bullied until 8th grade, when my looks for the ladies took over. I never until this day publicly ridiculed a kid.

I suddenly became astounded with quantum physics, philosophy, read many books, learned the teachings of many religions, and decided my goal in life would be to stop ignorance through example.

The pills affects never made me sleep in class, like an upper, and kept me attentive. But my social life was lacking. Nerves really took over my body. And there was suddenly a separation between me on the pill and me not on the pill. A few months after I realized I wasn;t making new friends. Although gaining much wisdom and making my parents proud I realized I was somehow having withdrawals when not on the pill.

I tested for a day how it felt not to be on it. I suddenly realized I was talking to new people, being social, while at the same time being wise, and knowing when or when not to do something. But whenever I thought of the pill I thought myself as stupid and my short term memory was suffering. I also had a short sweating withdrawal because I get randomly forgetting stuff and thought I was stupid without the pill. I made myself know that I did not have ADD I was regular and that it was the way I grew up.

Using philosophy as an advantage I was even more transformed. I amazingly had no affects of ADD ( although a little hyper, and imaginative ) mixed with the wisdom needed to be considered normal.

Today I start the new semester of 10th grade. I believe Adderall was a good factor to snap me out of my ego. But I believe ADD is not a chemical or genetic imbalance in the brain. Parents, simply raise your kids good with a stern fist. A grave mistake I saw my parents do when I was a kid was telling me if I didn't do something I wouldn't get to play video games. But after pleading they would give in. Similar to a dog and giving it food. If you keep giving it food, its in the nature of any living being to take advantage of it.

Parent, future parents get a dog, see the dog whisperer, know your parenting skills. And don;t take them from the news or your therapists. Use your religion, philosophy, know the human nature. And to parents who have a child who is somewhat "ADDish" use your words as a boundary. A son will often never resort to physically hurting there mother. Father probably but not mother.

Never give up on your child never. My parents tried this technique with the " you will never change " saying and I really never changed. Give him the Adderall pill if necessary but know that ADD is not a disease its the aftermath of using wrong discipline.

And if you want to blame your child's behavior on ADD. You may not realize the fact that the way you parent is the biggest one of all.