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Many people do not know if Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a myth. Some feel it is the creation of the modern day mind. After all everybody sees attention, so how could there possibly an attention deficit disorder? Nearly everybody wants more attention!

ADD is a case of hyperactivity. Kids with ADD are said to behave hyperactively. But kids are by nature hyperactive. So what’s the problem? Does it mean that all hyperactive kids have ADD? Doesn’t it suggest that now parents will actually start viewing hyperactivity not as a sign of smartness, but as a sign of ADD?

Hyperactivity in kids may be due to various reasons. Bored kids want excitement. When they see what they like, the get hyperactive. With television sets doubling up into video game monitors for console and Internet based games, kids are often influenced by characters in the video games.

Many critics of ADD feel that tests for diagnosing ADD has plenty of chinks in it. In other words, the detection of ADD in people itself if imperfect. And then, there is no clear answer to how ADD came about. Is it inherited? Is it stimulated by social circumstances?

There is no way a doctor can detect ADD other than study the behavior of the person suspected to have ADD. Because blood samples do not indicate the presence or absence of ADD. The only thing left would be the doctor’s judgment of the patient’s behavior. This would again raise doubts. Is ADD diagnosed based on perceptions?