"Research (that I documented in Commonsense Rebellion)
shows that those labeled with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD) do worst in environments that are boring, repetitive, and
externally controlled; and that ADHD-labeled children are
indistinguishable from “normals” when they have chosen their learning
activities and are interested in them. Thus, the standard classroom
could not be more imperfectly designed to meet the learning needs of young people who are labeled with ADHD.
Those with extended schooling have lived for many years in a world
where all pay attention to much that is unstimulating. In this world,
one routinely complies with the demands of authorities. Thus for many
M.D.s and Ph.D.s, people who rebel against this attentional and
behavioral compliance appear to be from another world—a diagnosable one.
The reality is that with enough helplessness, hopelessness,
passivity, boredom, fear, isolation, and dehumanization, we rebel and
refuse to comply. Some of us rebel by becoming inattentive. Others
become aggressive. In large numbers we eat, drink, and gamble too much.
Still others become addicted to drugs—illicit and prescription. Millions
work slavishly at dissatisfying jobs, become depressed and passive
aggressive, while no small number of us can’t cut it and become homeless
and appear crazy. Feeling misunderstood and uncared about, millions of
us ultimately rebel against societal demands, however, given our
wherewithal, our rebellions are often passive and disorganized, and
routinely futile and self-destructive."
Quoted from Why the Dramatic Rise of Mental Illness? Diseasing Normal Behaviors, Drug Adverse Effects, and a Peculiar Rebellion
