Howie Mandel’s “Adult ADHD Is Real” Website

Posted by Jeff on October 21, 2008 · View Comments

Howie Mandel’s website, Adult ADHD Is Real, is the perfect antidote to the ADHD naysayers.¹ Though the information provided is not “path breaking” to those who are well aware of Adult ADHD, nonetheless it provides a well-needed antidote to ADHD deniers. The public service announcements, viewable on the website, put a human face to the problem of Adult ADHD.² The site itself does not provide a lot of in-depth information but, instead, provides a nice overview of the issues. Where more information is required it points you to the relevant websites. In addition, it will point you to its sister website, which does provide a lot of in-depth information: ADHD Support.

The site is sponsored by ACO (ADHD Coaches Organization), Attention Deficit Disorder Association, CHADD, and Shire, the drug company. Now before you start ranting about the role of the drug companies,³ we should not immediately assume a sinister undertone to this ADHD awareness campaign. Drugs have played a pivotal role for many adults, making it possible for them to control their ADHD. Therefore it is not suprising that a drug company would be a sponsor of this campaign and their sponsorship should not detract from the valuable role played by this website.

So, if you know someone who suspects that they have Adult ADHD or simply wants to know more about it, send them to this new website. It will certainly enlighten them about the seriousness of the problem. (See, for example, Potential Challenges of ADHD which is on the sister website.) Most importantly they will learn about the many ways in which it can be tempered so that it need not be a destructive force in one’s life.

See ADHD Fraud for my various postings on the naysayers.↩
There is a certain irony, for me, at least, in having Howie Mandel be the “face” of Adult ADHD. Those who know me have said that I look like Howie Mandel…shaved head, earring and all.↩
See this posting: The Logic of the A.D.D. Deniers where, according to the great Dr. Baughman, drug companies invent drugs and then find (concoct?) diseases that it, supposedly, “cures.” One wonders, by this logic, if penicillin was created and then we “invented” staph infections.↩

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ginapera

Hi Jeff, Thanks for bringing this to our, um, attention.

I must admit, I wasn’t wild about a pharma company sponsoring this awareness campaign. There’s such a “gotcha” mindset about “following the money” with pharma now, much of it deserved. But when it comes to ADHD meds, that is simply not the case. People don’t take these medications just because they read an advertisement. They take them because they make a profound difference in their ability to focus, sleep, take care of themselves with healthy routines, and all the rest.

There’s been a concerted effort of late by Senator Chuck Grassley to go after psychiatric researchers and their alleged underreporting of funds from pharma. Of course, if these researchers failed to show integrity, shame on them. But I think most of us know what this is really about: It’s about insurance companies who don’t want to concede that the brain is an organ and should enjoy the full range of medical options enjoyed by the heart, liver, GI tract, and everything else below the neck. (Is it a coincidence that Blue Cross/Blue Shield is Grassley’s second-biggest campaign donor? I don’t know, but it sure makes me wonder.)

Yes, these ADHD medications can be expensive, but long-term, I’m convinced they PREVENT the chronic killer diseases in this country — diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and more. Trouble is, insurance companies aren’t thinking long-term. But we must.

I was worried that the pharma sponsorship would dilute the message. But where else would the money come from? These co-sponsoring organizations all do a great job, but they don’t have the funds for media buys.

The logic of the ADHD deniers…well, there IS no logic. There is only fear, and ignorance.

Can you imagine if there were such an outcry against the manufacturers of eyeglasses? “They are making up all this stuff about near- and far-sightedness just to sell expensive glasses!” Ridiculous. But it’s the same line of thinking.

But of course, I’d guess that about half the “denier” population are those who have in-denial ADHD themselves. Methinks they doth protest too much.

Blogs like yours are one of best way to reach through these people’s fearful defenses. You write, as an adult with ADHD, with candor, humor, and intelligence. Kudos! (Love your photos, too.)

Gina Pera, author
Is It You, Me, or Adult A.D.D.? Stopping the Roller Coaster When Someone You Love Has Attention Deficit Disorder (2008, 1201 Alarm Press)
http://www.ADHDRollerCoaster.com
Robin

You rock, Gina!
http://www.thebrainhealth.com/symptoms-of-adhd-in-adults.html ADHD in adults

People with ADHD have normal human characteristics to an extreme degree, with a poor ability to easily control them.
http://jeffsaddmind.com Jeffs ADD Mind

I disagree. An inability to stay on task; an inability to handle adult responsibilities (when one is, chronologically, an adult); an inability to plan; an inability to understand time management….and the list goes on…none of these things are “normal” human characteristics in the sense that they are common AND desirable. To lump them into the category of “normal human characteristics” is to downplay the severity and impact of ADHD characteristics on the life of the ADHDer. It’s like telling someone who is morbidly obese that they just have a bit of an eating problem.
Steve

To be clear, as of today the “Adult ADHD Is Real” domain is owned by Shire and it redirects to a website owned by Shire.
http://jeffsaddmind.com Jeffs ADD Mind

As I recall, the site was always sponsored/owned by Shire. But, obviously, the Howie Mandel stuff is no longer on the home page.