mrs-roboto's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Vacation Update...... Umm, because I don't feel like focusing on it today (even though it would be great to finish recording these travels sometime before my next vacation). But that leads me to something more interesting and funny anyway. The other night I was sitting on the couch watching yet another riveting episode of the Real World San Diego when on came one of those commercials for some drug I should ask my doctor about. You know the commercials I am talking about, the ones for Ambien or Alegra or Celebrex or Vioxx. Commercials that say nothing about what these things pills cure but provide endless images of women dancing through fields of grain or a man smiling, head held high as he struts past his coworkers and they ponder what's so different about Bob (his wang is what's different, you silly monkeys). This commercial was different though. This commercial was for Strattera, "the only FDA-approved Attention Deficit Disorder medication clinically proven effective for adults." They repeated this at least six or seven times within the first few seconds of the commercial just in case you weren't listening. I guess they figured when you're trying to appeal to the A.D.D. audience, repetition is a good idea. I'm about to say something kind of controversial here, so if you sort of on the fence about whether you like me or not, this will probably not win me your favor. I don't believe in A.D.D. I think it's a complete and total sham and that the medical community should be ashamed of itself for creating such a diagnosis and then heavily medicating millions of children across this country who do not need to be on drugs. My biggest issue with A.D.D., and it's relative rise from obscurity to become one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases in children under the age of 13, is the criteria by which it is determined. A.D.D. is defined by a very broad set of behaviors (impulsiveness, distractibility, hyperactivity) and these behaviors can rarely be measured with any accuracy or without bias. What one doctor may see as evidence of A.D.D. , another might diagnose as simply a child reacting to boredom and so on. I could discuss this at great length (and I welcome you to email me if you disagree) but I grew up in the 70's when there was no such thing as A.D.D. Some teachers perceived me as hyperactive but the truth is I was often listless with what was being taught. The fact that I was unable to focus on Level 1 Comprehension resulted from my ability to already read at a third grade level. If I seemed distracted it was caused by the fact that the lessons were ones I had already learned. And though it took time, my teachers figured that out and they also figured out how to keep myself and other children like me focused by doling out more challenging assignments, etc. My family did their part by filling my free time with thought provoking activities such as art projects, advanced reading assignments, puzzles and so on. Everything turned out fine. I am a well rounded human being who is socially adjusted and able to hold a job. I am neither a prodigy nor am I a derelict. I am somewhere in between and completely average. If I were born six years ago though, I think things would have been a whole lot different and I'd be up to my eyeballs in Ritalin. But enough from my soapbox. On with the funny making. So the commercial shows this woman at work. She's in what appears to be a staff meeting staring off into space when the big boss calls on her for information. She looks embarrassed and horrified to have been caught in the act of daydreaming. Ladies and gentlemen, this happens to me every Tuesday at work. During our weekly staff meeting (which are scheduled first thing in the morning before I can have a second cup of coffee) each person speaks about what he or she is doing for roughly ten minutes. Often what my coworkers are doing has not a damn thing to do with me. So while the V.P. is telling us where she will be on Wednesday, I am probably trying to think up a creative recipe for that evenings dinner. I imagine the V.P. is thinking about something similar when I discuss the newsletter I am putting together for distribution. Does this mean the two of us have Adult A.D.D.? In the next scene of the commercial, the same woman is caught not listening to what her spouse has been saying to her. I can't tell you how many times this happens to me. Like when Pete starts to talk about data analysis and coding I totally stop listening. Just the other week Pete was telling me about a book he was reading on quantum physics. What did he say about it? I have no fucking idea because as soon as I realized I wasn't interested, I stopped paying attention. I don't think this means I have Adult A.D.D. I'm just rude, plain and simple. Hey, I know it sounds awful but as of tomorrow we'll be married four years so it can't be that bad. Besides, do you think Pete really listens to me when I go on and on about the LUSH store in Vancouver? The commercial wrapped up by saying that if I felt disorganized, lost things, or had difficulty wrapping up projects I might have Adult A.D.D. and I should talk to my doctor. I wonder if even one person reading this would be able to say no to all of those things. Each morning Pete and I struggle to find our house keys as we depart for our respective offices. You know why? Because we are in a rush. It has taken us over a month to install a woodstove in our home because the only time we have to do it is evenings and weekends. I pile my bills in a corner and thumb through them periodically to get to the ones that must be paid to avoid late fees. I'd like to have a better system but I have no time to develop one. So I guess the long and short of it is that unless Strattera is going to cut back the number of hours we all work or add an addition six hours to each and every day, I can live without it. 2:53 p.m. - 2004-03-17 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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