Study finds that ADHD prevalent among prisoners and is cause for risky, criminal behavior
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.comADHD adults may turn to crime
Seeded on Mon Dec 13, 2010 4:24 PM EST (msnbc.com)
- msnbc.com sites & shows:
- TODAY
- Rock Center
- Nightly News
- Meet the Press
- Dateline
- Morning Joe
- Hardball
- Ed
- Maddow
- Last Word
- msnbc tv
Leave a Comment:
Oh for heavens sake like 13 percent boys have ADHD and 5 percent of ladies and now that small percentage make up most the criminals.. Lets not point the finger soley at ADHD we didnt before..Why suddently now!!! Wev e bred a society of sociopaths and narcissits and Oppositional defient disorder cause many employers didnt and dont offer family friendly environements ..The kids raise themselves..Sit in fron of the violent TV and video games and theres likley you criminals ....Dont portion out the small section with true ADHD and throw out generalizations they may commit more crime...It is much much more likely to be the co- morbidity or Axis 2 diagnosis such as borderline behavior also that it greater reason...Cause if ya got strict ADHD you likely cant even focus enough to successfully plan out a crime, remember where the loot is , youll leave easy evidence cause your forgetful and likely your first crime may even be your last crime...This is just a reason now to medicate the masses , big pharma makes dough, schools easier to manage and blame some distorted crime statistic and overgeneralization not doing studies on co morbid personality disordered folks....This is a travesty borders on slander and appears the complete research has NOT be thoroughlt done to rule out other co- morbidities like also say depression....This article Offends me !!!
True depression would greatly decrease likeliness of action. You'd also have to ignore the extreme prevalence of obvious clues left by average criminal activity. Attention is obviously deficient in the majority of cases period... without even touching on cases that had a perpetrator with ADHD. Impulsivity is the key, which isn't caused by ADHD, but is certainly correlated. Just a reason to medicate the masses? That's odd, you must have skipped the portion where it was said (emphasis mine) BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND PARENTS were mentioned alongside medication. By the way... the research supports all of the above. All is a combination of heredity/upbringing/cognition... the only difference is what disorder is more determined by what combination. In the case of ADHD, the research indicates that the prevalence is perhaps fairly along the lines of trait divisions... such as impulsiveness.
This article is actually more among the realm of educational than offensive... or perhaps you were too impulsive to read it?
TOUCHE!!!!!
Perhaps, but then again we are normal, not in this stupid world but in the stone age. Ever heard of ADOS... Attention Deficit; Oh, shinny!
Um...psst...please DON'T pass this on! I have ADHD and I have never committed a violent crime, unless you count the occasional speeding ticket. I am also not some kind of crazy moron who is likely to be overwhelmed by my own mind! I am a straight A student and I have a hard major: biology.
These folks are just jealous because they think slowly and can't process more than one thing at a time. Don't hate me and make up all kinds of "research" against me because I have a more efficient brain than you do! ADHD is a blessing in disguise and all of us who have, just like anyone else, must learn to use the brain that we have been given. We don't need medicine. We need to learn how to use our own minds!
Also, maybe they should make school more interesting if they want kids with ADHD to stop goofing off. The human body is not designed to sit for a whole day of school and it's even harder for children. All children would do better with a hands-on experience and less boring lectures in the classroom. If schools have difficulties with their kids with ADHD, maybe they should make class more interesting before they consider getting all their kids with ADHD high on speed!!!
Awesome awesome points....the only disagreement is the last line...The psychostimulants typically used Concerta, Ritalin , focalin, adderall ( 4 type of dexadrine salts in one pill ) and straight dexadrine( rarely used any longer ) well all when in the correct doses dont typically get one high ...Regretfully Strattera has somewhat been a bit of a disappointment for effectiveness and this is non stimulant.. Wellbutrin used for more mild cases and is atypical anti depressant......The best approach is that ADHD folks learn the fine art of accomadating to their gift and shining with its blesssing, and early on a coach to help is good in adjunct if needed with meds..CHADD is a good resource and Driven to Distraction by Hollowell...
Any one with half a whit has ADHD! The point is; there is nothing wrong with us, it's the unsustainable environmentthat we created. I'm left handed; do you ever consider what we left handed people have provided against the odds of discrimination? My cell phone isn't even designed for me.
I was actually just contemplating as to the hypothesis of whether there has been an increase in breast cancer since the advent of cell phones and as perhaps the poison emitted from the phone travels downward also and not just into the brain...I would like to see empirical data showing if their is also an increase in right sided breast cancer as the majority of folks right handed and it would it could perhaps prove it may be a contributing component to increased breast cancer...Also examination of whether there has been an increase in male breast cancer since cell phones from 1 % of cases...This again could suggest further analysis as that 1% stat has been much a constant variable for many years... Well Blayde see what your excellent comment made me think about ? You might be glad your a lefty and your cell phone not made for you....Also I was a lefty as a kid and parent forced me to be a righty...It was brutal getting forced to change hands and thats a whole nother ball of wax as far as cognitive function and which side of brain dominates and perhaps ambidexterity needs to be taught through many avenues from kindergarten and why hasnt it ? Folks get disabled and perhaps if ambidextrous can still work and able to function if perhaps dominant arm severed off etc...thats one example...Gee research indicates that ADHD folks make good inventors and researchers .,..And little known fact a correlation between laxity in joints and ADHD clear..And Ive personally had dislocated arm and knee in my life.....So Ive rambled so what its me and my ADHD my gift ...Am I a criminal ?
We aren't criminals, we simply advance humanity in ways, no one but us have thought of, we are exceptional people, period.
Agreed . Thank you Blayde.
The apparent research supported reason is that rapidly shifting attention was adaptive... from an evolutionary psychological standpoint. The more shifty you were, the more you probably noticed "something" on the horizon. Whether it was threatening or not, you probably noticed first. This is a VERY basic summation.
However, you shouldn't overlook another important research supported aspect of evolutionary psychology. This is that certain mental systems that evolved to do certain things later ended up being adaptively used for totally different reasons. Reorganization of cognitions to be less impulsive is currently more adaptive. Impulsivity is quite likely to be maldaptive.
Again,TOUCHE!!!!!
I worked with some women in prison who had ADHD so bad that they intentionally took meth so that they could SIT STILL AND FOCUS!!! It also helped them sleep! Go figure! Before prison, they had no access to psychiatric care, therefore, no meds for ADHD. They did the best they could with what they had...meth! Of course, the prison doesn't treat ADHD...that would be giving them DRUGS! It sets them up to fail again.
who ever said our prison system was set up to succeed?????
There's an error in this article. ODD = Oppositional Defiant Disorder, not Opposition Deviant Disorder, per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition, Text Revised (DSM-IV-TR).
Perhaps this author got their information from a older version of the DSM. However, it could be an interesting parapraxis (Freudian slip) illuminating the prevailing stigma in western culture toward people who 1) have a mental illness or 2) have committed a crime.
Food for thought.
We havent progressed any in reducing stereotypes and that is sad...Very sad...Folks with HIV are now folks living with HIV and not always considered a gay drug abuser ...Nurses can get it who stick self with needle, also children can get it from an infected mom innocently..Perhaps a male spouse didnt know that his wife cheated and got HIV and she doesnt know yet and he gets it....Africa is being helped cause of problem wit so much money and help...Now since 1983 the stereotype and education and campaign to the general public has really reduced stigma..I became an RN the year HTLV was renamed HIV and the hatred , the stigmas , the perception so awful ...Now look at the change in mindsets of folks...Tell me we couldnt have done effective campaigns , education, reducing stereotypes by better explanation via commercials, public service announcement etc...Here a simple one a commercial showing how devastating it is to a person with mental illness to hear ther words your crazy aand a psycho...Examples of folks with mental illness who shine...Showing how occasional inpatient hospitlizations have art therapy and groups and it is a good thing to occasionally go in for a tune up instead of folks thinking OMG the person needs to be locked up with strait jacket..Shame on America ..And shame on the person who obviously did not research their DSM IV and if they cant even explain ODD in the correct words Defient not devient do you even trust their researching !!!!!!!
And I shall Feast on your most insightful as well as educated opinion!
As an adult diagnosed with ADHD as a child, I feel I should weigh in on this argument. ADHD itself, purely in my experience, does not make one more or less prone to ODD or criminal behavior than any other 'mental illness'. Rather, learning to cope with slow people, and function in any structured environment breeds ODD, depression, drug use and frustration.
As an ADHD adult, I've learned to find other people like myself. I only have to go as far as the smokers bucket outside, find the people tapping their feet, smoking a cigarette, drinking a cup of coffee and having two conversations at once. Those are ADHD people who've learned to cope.
Also, above I used the term 'slow people', this is not be derisive or derogatory, but simply reflects the emotional reaction many ADHD people have to those who don't live with the stigma of at least one, but probably many, psychiatric diagnoses.
To wrap up, if you've ever told someone you had ADHD and they responded with, "I'm sorry, that must be a hard thing to live with" you probably understand how these statistics came to be, but if you're reading this than I applaud your restraint.
while it's true that one of A.D.H.D. more prevalant symptom is engaging in risky behavior,the facts as I believe them to be are 1 in 5 americian adults suffer from mental illness thats untreated. The penal system of our country houses numberous offenders that are involved in drug related crimes. they are habitual offenders alot of times due to the simple fact they are addicted to a drug/s.these so-called criminals that make up a vast majority of the penal systems population are usually of a lower income brackett"much,much lower" theirs is a life of living hand to mouth .Unable to afford the kind of help nessesary for an entire life change and alot of times simple coping with on a daily basis using their street taught poorest of POOR COPING SKILLS.DRUG USE/ABUSE! studies have concluded that drug abuse is merely a symptom of underlying abnormalities like the leader,Mental Illness. I believe that for example-if funds like a small percentage of California's lottery revenue went into the opening of low-cost/no cost psychiatric clinics where these disadvantaged individuals could go for evaluation and treatment our justice system wouldn't be overwrought with these mostly non-violent offenders.our police could focus their energy more on catching the real criminals out there not a person who is addicted to drugs because they are undiagnosed sufferer of Mental Illness. And as I understand it "self-medicating" to lessen or completely "temporarily" alliviate the feeling and behaviors that are uncomfortable and misunderstood by one who is not educated in this field. these "abnormal" feelings or socially against what society recognizes as "normal" go untreated and by the time anyone recognizes them the person is already enmeshed in the activity/s required to continue "self-medication" there are many prisoners that can be helped through therapy such as COG B which is a behavioral therapy if only someone had seen the signs and were able to offer intervention before this person could do damage to themselves or society at large.I firmly believe that like A.D.H.D. and other disabilities like P.T.S.D. ,O.C.D.,M.D.D.,G.A.D. or even Bi-Polar disorder, the individual is overcome with feelings,thoughts,behaviors that are unlike what society deems as "normal" and can be helped 80% of the time through medication and therapy IF ONLY the had the resources nessesary for proper treatment.These people would all but be freeded from the bonds of addicition if they were afforded the tools needed in order to make this kind of life changing process.REMEMBER- Drug Addiction is only a symptom of underlying problems, treat those problems and the addiction and it's sometimes nefarious criminal activities will eventually fall by the wayside,replaced by healthy coping skills learned in the proper setting of a clinical enviroment.thus our penal system and our police are freed from the unessesary burdeon of arresting drug addicts and the related offenses, costly prosecution and afford the ability to focus the needed time and resources to catch the "REAL" criminals running free in this city,county,state and country. it is not feasible that so many/much needed funds are spent to house and feed people who if given a fighting chance would probably not commit another crime related to drugs and be able to lead Healthy,productive lives while coping with life on life's terms drug free and mental illness in repose thus becoming once again a member of society and a human being productive and free!