tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post1630750622152758893..comments2024-03-22T11:32:57.801-07:00Comments on The Alien Next Door: Hitting a Moving Target—What is Normal?Nina Munteanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-69786374750023527372010-05-16T09:14:56.278-07:002010-05-16T09:14:56.278-07:00Muzuzuzus, thanks for your thoughtful comments and...Muzuzuzus, thanks for your thoughtful comments and links for my readers...<br /><br />I can't agree with you on ADHD being a "phony" condition in humans. I am a scientist (the evidence is overwhelming), I have discussed this condition with my colleagues in the psychology field, and I personally know people diagnosed with this condition. <br /><br />I do, however, agree with you that mis-diagnoses of all kinds have been used in some circles to avoid responsibilities, like giving their time to high-energy children and respecting them for what they are--just take a pill and all will be fine. But for who?<br /><br />In a previous post of mine, entitled, "Cosmetic Neurology--the cost of Cognition Enhancement" I discuss how students and business people without this physiological condition are using its drugs, like Ritalin, as study aids and cognition enhancers, with hidden costs because they do not have the ADHD physiology...Here's the link: http://sfgirl-thealiennextdoor.blogspot.com/2009/09/cosmetic-neurologythe-cost-of-cognition.html<br /> <br /><br />Humanity will continue to find excuses for abrogating personal responsibility... not unlike the post of yours that I commented on, where I referred to the sad case of no one helping a man bleeding to death in a crowd, because they thought someone else would do it. And, yes, he bled to death.<br /><br />That's sad.Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-42166646921948966122010-05-15T10:59:36.487-07:002010-05-15T10:59:36.487-07:00And here's my views on many of the violent vid...And here's my views on many of the violent video games etc http://intothefaerywoods.blogspot.com/2009/10/brainstorming-state-were-in.htmlmuzuzuzushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03662316983453845369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-44611243933736423152010-05-15T10:55:15.335-07:002010-05-15T10:55:15.335-07:00I do not believe in the phony diagnosis of 'AD...I do not believe in the phony diagnosis of 'ADHD' and see it rather as the wake up call to all adults that the Big Drug corporation is now targeting our very children.<br /><br />I am NOT saying that some children aren't 'difficult'--I am saying that calling it a disease/disorder is like some kind of 'magic wand' that allows people to carry on the toxic cultural doings as per usual without having to examine those.<br /><br />I highly recommend this book by Neurologist, Dr Fred Baughman<br />I am sorry about the long webaddress, but you can actually read most of it online if you want:<br />The ADHD Fraud: How Psychiatry Makes Patients "Of Normal Children"<br /> http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3R4XCP1Dwi8C&dq=dr+fred+baughman+the+ADHD+fraud&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=GVE2SunMMIXLjAehsaChCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#v=onepage&q=dr%20fred%20baughman%20the%20ADHD%20fraud&f=falsemuzuzuzushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03662316983453845369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-24270348926516269962009-04-14T16:40:00.000-07:002009-04-14T16:40:00.000-07:00LOL! I just reread what I'd written about being no...LOL! I just reread what I'd written about being normal... and it made me laugh... Well, why be normal?... <br /><br />The bottom line is that to gain perspective and make discovery in anything you cannot look at it directly, you need to look at it askance, at an angle. This is the same with what generally constitutes "normal" to us<br /><br />By its very nature "normal" within a culture and zeitgeist is the "status quo", the familiar, the common and comfortable, the accepted and often-implied the "static" (and often prosaic), the EXPECTED...Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-68533099073439608942009-04-11T00:46:00.000-07:002009-04-11T00:46:00.000-07:00You raise an interesting point, Heather... What do...You raise an interesting point, Heather... What do multi-taskers do when they aren't required to multi-task?... languish? ... turn into country & western singers?<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the info, Baby Brie! Yes, I think the rise is partially a definition/perception phenomenon... Not unlike in my field of the environmental sciences, where now what we can detect very low levels of some chemicals... suddenly they are EVERYWHERE!!!<BR/><BR/>...as for normal... I still think it's very overrated... :D <BR/><BR/>To seek "normality" is in some ways to be a conformist and be "similar" to the rest... where's the fun in that? Where's the creativity? Originality? Absurdity? Wonder? Excitement? <BR/><BR/>For me, as an artist, to be "normal" is to negate some of what is inside me that wants to express itself.<BR/><BR/>Even in science, we must watch what we mean by "normal". This word requires judgment with many caveats attached to it. What are we really doing when we "normalize" data, as we often do in science... What does the data mean then?Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-85251567161597297772009-04-10T19:20:00.000-07:002009-04-10T19:20:00.000-07:00Just so you know...psychological testing is only a...Just so you know...psychological testing is only a part of diagnostic evaluation for ADHD. A summary of diagnostic evaluation for ADHD might look as follows:<BR/>•Physical Exam - Office Visit <BR/>•Clinical Interview - Parents (45-60 minutes) <BR/>•Clinical Interview - Child (45-60 minutes) <BR/>•TOVA test <BR/>•Parent and Teacher Rating Scales <BR/>•Office visit to review information and develop a treatment plan <BR/>•Other testing if there were still questions to be answered <BR/><BR/>Some clinicians find the TOVA test or Test of Variables of Attention to be the most helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD but always in combination with the interviews, rating scales, physical exam and perhaps other testing. <BR/>The TOVA is actually (surprise, surprise) a computer test (supposedly extremely boring) that requires the kids to respond to a target stimulus by pressing a button, or to not respond when there's a non-target stimulus. The fact that it is so boring helps to differentiate between kids who have trouble with "boring," and kids who do all right with "boring."<BR/>The reason that there might be a rise in the number of children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD might be because in the past children were often misdiagnosed with a learning disability or a depressed IQ, when in fact, they had ADD/ADHD. I would suggest that the rise in the number of children diagnosed with ADD/ADHD may be a result of our ability to differentiate/discern ‘disabilities’ that in the past may have been all lumped together. And now that we are able to discern the differences, we are now able to treat the conditions accordingly. <BR/>Computers have helped make the statistical analysis of the reliability and validity of psychological tests easier, and as a result we may be a little more comfortable in accepting the predictive ability of such tests. The TOVA appears to have been first developed in the 1990’s. However, subsequent versions have been developed in response to changing times and further critical analysis. <BR/>For ‘abnormal’, check the DSM Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorder. If you don’t have the required number of identifiable symptoms for a given disorder, consider yourself normal. :-)Baby Briehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18080990018725761730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-13083280114839899472009-04-10T06:11:00.000-07:002009-04-10T06:11:00.000-07:00"Normal" IS the moving, ever evolving target. Peo..."Normal" IS the moving, ever evolving target. People either aim for it or flatly target a contrary direction. <BR/><BR/>On the multi-tasking... Motherhood makes it a necessary skill for many of us. The difficulty lies in finding the elusive "off" switch. It becomes exhausting and less effective over time. I wonder how many others have trouble NOT multi-tasking when the situation doesn't merit multiple focuses.Heather Dugan ("Footsteps")http://www.heatherdugan.com/blog/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-88081608665665402832009-04-09T13:05:00.000-07:002009-04-09T13:05:00.000-07:00LOL! I love that, Limberger! Coming from an expert...LOL! I love that, Limberger! Coming from an expert such as yourself, I take that as... well... as ... :D<BR/><BR/>"Let there be weird!"--Nina Munteanu<BR/>**************<BR/>:DNina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-10934598926896696942009-04-09T13:00:00.000-07:002009-04-09T13:00:00.000-07:00Why be Normal....When the going gets weird, the we...Why be Normal....<BR/><BR/>When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!<BR/><BR/>- LimbergerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-34033204229663481282009-04-08T17:20:00.000-07:002009-04-08T17:20:00.000-07:00Hey, Tricia! Great to see you here! Thanks for the...Hey, Tricia! Great to see you here! Thanks for the support. I figure that "normal" is so cliche... and overrated... :)Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-6188317285337265062009-04-08T15:38:00.000-07:002009-04-08T15:38:00.000-07:00Ooops my original comment has vanished into cybers...Ooops my original comment has vanished into cyberspace. Well, anyway, I just wanted to say hi! and tell you that I appreciate your talent. Thanks for sharing your perspective which makes me feel a little less abnormal.Modern Matriarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07464482204862662390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-43453247841757674712009-04-08T12:58:00.000-07:002009-04-08T12:58:00.000-07:00YES! Excellent point, Jean-Luc. Well, then... why ...YES! Excellent point, Jean-Luc. Well, then... why be normal?...Nina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-39140036014994554502009-04-08T12:09:00.000-07:002009-04-08T12:09:00.000-07:00Normal? There is no such thing. What WE perceive a...Normal? There is no such thing. What WE perceive always seems normal...even a psychopath will think his behavior normal.Jean-Luc Picardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01689798190618944262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-44114094418571907402009-04-08T10:37:00.000-07:002009-04-08T10:37:00.000-07:00Good point, Aka. Context is the magic word here. A...Good point, Aka. Context is the magic word here. And attitude (borne of a secure place). If we approach change with insecurity or fear we tend to color its potential with negativity. If we approach it with confidence, we are more positive.<BR/>When we choose to define a new trope or idea by its negative properties, we doom it to failure at the outset. This is the hallmark of a closed mind and a fearful lmind, borne out from lack of self-esteem and insecurity. What results is a lack of faith in humanity's ability to do the right thing and a general disrespect for other's moral decisions. Though I confess to the odd bout of blind optimism, I am not advocating blind acceptance...Rabbits don't hang out with foxes...yet... A path midway -- the path of optimistic realismNina Munteanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00311070435293186699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8584840770244929.post-30760395578652590642009-04-08T10:06:00.000-07:002009-04-08T10:06:00.000-07:00What is normal? I think that in order to answer th...What is normal? I think that in order to answer that in any meaningful way you need to see human nature in the context it evolved. We adapt to a lot, but I think we need to understand where we come from to build society and technology that can help us make the most of our inborn strengths.Åkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09547046504097554789noreply@blogger.com