> Frankly, I have this theory that many supposed "mental illnesses" don't exist at all. Like clinical depression and ADD.
>

Trust me, ADD exists. I have it, and was diagnosed with it when I was 10 years old. I've been on Ritalin since then, and I can tell you for sure that even now there is a marked difference in my behavior and way of thinking when I'm properly medicated (as it were) and when I'm not.

What true ADD is is indeed a chemical imbalance. My brain does not generate enough of a particular neurochemical, so the communication between the synapses get messed up. The result of this is that, when not on Ritalin (which corrects the imbalance), I find it *extremely* hard to concentrate. My mind wanders very easily, and even when I desperately want to pay attention to something, I have a hard time. I also tend to do things without thinking about them (moreso than usual ;)). I supposed it's hard to judge without feeling it yourself, I can assure you there is a very real difference in how I feel.

I'll readily admit that sometimes ADD is blamed for what's really bad parenting. But there are people, like myself, for whom the diagnosis is accurate.

Sosiqui