V G wrote: > On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 11:29 AM, Michael Watterson w= rote: >> Then again outside USA many people are sceptical that the disorder is >> any more than a label for a personality trait. >> >> Look how many US vs anywhere else kids are put on Ritalin? >=20 > This is because ADD and related disorders are genetically continuous > traits. We don't have a means to measure them quantitatively, only > qualitatively. So there is no way to accurately diagnose someone with > it. It's not like a doctor saying "His vitamin D levels are low, give > him some more". It's more like "I've noticed him to lose attention > quite often, more so than others, perhaps he may have ADD, but > there's no way to tell for sure".=20 >=20 > Disorders /are/ personality traits. They're all genetically > continuous traits. If I understood Michael correctly, he was hinting that what is considered a treat-worthy disorder and what is considered "just a bit different" is probably a cultural question or at least contains a cultural component. And so is what treatments are considered adequate. Gerhard --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .