Was Lindsay Lohan Misdiagnosed With Adhd?

Three addiction specialists, Dr. Joe Haraszti, Dr. Marc Kern and Ken Seeley, none of whom have treated Lohan, have come forward noting it is quite possible that Lindsay Lohan's very public downfall could be linked to prescription drug addiction. It appears that she has been misdiagnosed as having ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and given Adderall, a very potent drug, which, when not properly prescribed, is basically identical, in it's physical and mental effects, to methamphetamine, an illegal drug. Adderall is legal to acquire and take when prescribed by a doctor. Studies have been done linking ADHD drugs when taken as a child to illegal drug abuse as an adult, mainly to the abuse of cocaine and methamphetamine.

According to Dr. Haraszti, when someone takes Adderall, and they don't have ADHD, they "can experience severe side effects", as Lohan has. He goes on to say that they can exhibit manic symptoms and become impulsive, exhibiting behavior such as "driving around all night... smoking heavily... tweeting... texting all night long." Unfortunately Haraszti says that this can lead to more medicating of the patient in order to deal with effects of the Adderall, such as, "insomnia and then take Ambien or other sleep aids to help fall asleep... this is a vicious cycle."

Additionally, expert Dr. Marc Kern noted that alcoholism often goes hand in hand with Adderall due to the "sedative effects of alcohol being counteracted" by the Adderall, making patients who imbibe "drink more than someone who does not take the drug" because they're just not feeling relaxed enough to notice they're actually drunk.

Also, Ken Seeley, an addiction specialist also agreed that there may be a situation of misdiagnosis of Lohan, but still believes she's suffering from addiction. "Once you cross the line from abuse to addiction, you're an addict. I would say she needs some kind of accountability for a minimum of a year... because the disease is going to kill her, and I'm afraid we're going to be here one day talking about her funeral."

It has become painfully clear that as bad as a misdiagnosis of not having ADHD can be, perhaps the other way around is just as devastating, putting Lindsay Lohan, once one of the most promising actresses in Hollywood, on a date with addiction. Here's to hoping that the UCLA rehab team will be able to help her kick these problems and get on the road to recovery and expose ADHD misdiagnosis and the real effects of the drugs used to treat such disorders on people who don't have the need to take them.

By: Rene Robinson

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The author has worked in the healthcare industry for the past 7 years and is very interested in the effects of ADHD medication and other treatment options.