punchline is delivered. The medical opinions of our society
have changed, as well as its pace. In the 1950’s, overactive
children running wild were just considered to be high energy.
(Meyers) Today they are considered to be afflicted with a
disorder. Multiple sources place today’s rate of incidence
between 3% and 13% of school age children, with 50% of those
carrying the disorder into adulthood.
Hyperactivity was first clinically diagnosed in 1902 and
information has been gathered on the subject since then.
The condition was formally called ADHD in 1994. The
prevalence of ADHD in the US increased from 7% in
1998–2000 to 9% in 2007-09 (The Hutchinson Unabridged
Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide)
Ask any white-haired layperson outside of the medical
community what experiences or observations about
ADD/ADHD they had growing up, and the differences in the
world they lived in and the one we live in become very
clear. Where were those 3- 13% ADD/ADHD back then? If it is
genetic in origin, should we pursue eugenics to purge our
society of these mutants? What has changed is not necessarily
the human gene pool, but more likely our culture and the
desire to relieve ourselves of the blame of being anything less