Why do people fear that which they don't understand?

I've responded to several discussions relating to people thinking ADD/ADHD is an invented illness. I've made my points and thats all I can do. My son is ADHD and discipline has NEVER been a problem! He's VERY well-behaved. Let them come walk a mile in my shoes when my son isn't on medicine. Let them try to calm his tears from not being able to keep up, the tears that fall when he comes home from school because the other children make fun of him. Then let them see the complete transformation when he's on the medicine. Grades going up within a couple weeks, friends calling him on the phone. Teachers so impressed that they recommend him now to go into accelerated reading classes. I think people should do some more research on the subject before calling children ill-behaved and lacking discipline.

I think the fact that they don't understand is the cause of the fear. People don't like to think that there might actually be a reason for something. Now, using your example, there are a lot of children who are badly behaved because they have had bad parenting, or complete lack thereof, and use ADD/ADHD as an excuse. However, although I haven't had a lot of direct experience, I have a friend whose son reallt does have ADHD. He behaves badly because of that. His mum has always done her best for him. He also has an older brother who is perfectly well behaved so that goes to prove that ADHD is not just an excuse in this case. People do deny it exists because they want something or someone to blame and if they can't see a physical reason for something, they don't believe it. I mean, if a child was in a wheelchair, you could SEE he was disabled and accept it but if you say something like, my child is dyslexic, people won't understand because they can't see any physical indication. I think the worst thing, which doesn't help genuine cases, is that people do use things as an excuse. AS I say, there are people who say their children have ADHD when really they just haven't been brought up properly, or that their child is dyslexic when the truth is that the child just isn't very clever. If people didn't do that, there might be more chance of people beginning to accept genuine cases.

yes, some people say ghastly things without realising the true cause.

I don't understand why people fear the unknown, or try to make comments about things they don't understand. I think sometimes they try to make it seem like they know something or put blame on something that's more visual than chemical imbalance in the brain.

the answer is the world dark past.

Parent be contacted if their child gets a detention

I hesitate to even post on this topic, but let's just say that I agree with you and not just on the ADD/ADHD topic, but posting hateful theads on topics one doesn't understand to start with.

We fear things we don't understand because we are creatures of habit. I'm not sure it's fair of you to judge others by their response to a discussion because you don't agree with what they said. People have the right to feel the way they do and maybe for reasons you would never even be aware of. Are you aware that you just handled something you found offensive by retaliating with something offensive.

As individuals we crave uniformity and normality, it is a basic suvival instinct. If we see someone doing something differently to ourselves we automatically go on the defensive, if they are doing something differently then we ourselves may be wrong and that is something people find hard to tollerate. As far as ADHD goes, i also saw that discussion and avoided it like the plague. The behaivour of a child with this terrible condition may mimic the behaivour of a child that has not been adequatly parented. To some (generally older)people this is all they can see because thats how it was labeled when they were young. These people find attitudanal change extremely difficult to handle and should be pittied rather than condemned. I am convinced their minds were closed to protect a vulnerable and delicate intelect and it is the ones that label behaviour in negative terms that have the real problems, many of them have simply outlived their capacity for innivative thought, one of the many problems of an aging society im afraid. By the way i think you can be old at any age

um,i am caution if i do not familiar with a new place. could not be fear i think. most people are just caution..

Ppl are cruel and arrogant...there's no ifs, ands or butts about it...I actually know a couple that believes depression is made up and unfortunately the kids are suffering because of that attitude....I havent read the ADD/ADHD thread (though I will have to I think) but I dont think the negative comments are about fearing what they dont understand, I think its pure uneducated babble mixed with narrowminded high and mightiness...As for it being made up...well my niece and her sister were both diagnosed some yrs back - one with Tourettes and ADD and the other with ADHD and though I have always disagreed with the way their mom did/does things I dont think parenting has anything to do with it at all....

I agree with you.

People fear what they dont understand is because they don't know what they fear about. The things people fear about are usually things that the people cant comprehend themselves. Giving excuses or blaming others for what you have done means you do not have any self-responsibility. We should admit to all our mistakes and so on. Ignorance is a bad part of a person's character so we should all change this when we can. When we find out more about what we fear, we will fear it lesser becuase we understand what is happening and more details about a particular fear.

hi dear frnds...its a human tendency to hate things or fear with those things to which they r not satisfied...we just hav to motivate them for this...

I agree with you wholeheartedly. The people that claim certain diseases don't exist should have to try to deal with them; then they might change their mind. My nephew is ADHD and medications allowed him to be able to concentrate and do his school work. He just graduated high school this year. I try to ignore ignorant people as much as I can.

I have ADD i dont take meds i behave yes i stare off once and awihle but hey who dosnt. I think everyone has ADD if you ask me who dosnt stare off and pays attention to everything.

Don't no.

I wonder how many people who believe this condition is made up have formally studied medicine, worked within the medical profession, or parented a child with ADHD etc? It is a very strong statement, and I do believe there should be some expertise involved when stating something does/or does not exist. Sometimes I think people are just mean, for the sake of being mean. I'm not certain if it is fear that drives them or more of an annonymous outlet for which to vent about popular issues educated within in them or not?

It dates back to our primal instincts, we fear that which we do not understand as this lack of understanding manifiest uncertity

Stigma's and close mindedness is a symptom of society as a whole. Unfortunately it affects one to many people. Growing up prior to Add/Ahdd/bipolar discovery, it was rough on not only myself but my parents. My parents knew there was something wrong, but the doctor always told her "she is as healthy as a horse". So many a year went by without treatment. Then the treatments started for manic depression. It helped but not to the point of making me feel normal. It was not until I was 21, and so many tests that I thought my head would swim that we finally found out that my problem was bipolar. My parents were relieved as was I, because we finally had an answer. BUT, there came a whole slew of other issues. Not medications or doctors who would properly treat me, but from "friends" and family members who decided I was some sort of evil being or some such. Makes no sense to me, but they let fear lead their hearts and minds and refused to accept knowledge freely given. I feel it is easier for folks to use fear as a weapon to ostricize (sp) instead of doing a tad bit of homework. Fear makes humans stay away, they feel it is safer. And in such they don't have to admit a problem nor do they have to deal with it. In the end it hurts more people than it helps. But as with many things with some, the easy way is what it is, and there is no other.