[quote]'Fad mental illnesses' ?[/quote] There's more truth to it than you think. I'm not going to say autism doesn't exist, or that we shouldn't be treating people with it to the best of our ability. But not as many people have it as the healthcare industry would have you believe. And it IS an industry. No question. The prescription drug business is a HUGE business, and the best way to sell you these products are to scare you by saying your kids will be messed up for life without said products.

Adhd

ADHD, I would agree is probably grossly misdagnosed, but autism and dyslexia ? These are not mental illness fads.

Autism is kinda, my son and my nephew dont talk and are anti social 3 and 4 year olds. I was the same way as a kid and they called it shy back then in the 90s. Now they're autistic. My mother had 3 kids who were "quiet and shy" but now says my son is autistic. It is a fad these things come and go. While a.d.d. (something i supposedly had as a kid, because i would rather draw than pay attention to school work. -blam!-ing kids amirite?) i think was certainly more of a way for pharmacy companies to cash in. I think autism has more of a serious ground to it. But most autistic kids could probably make it though life undiagnosed and be happy and healthy. And as far as dyslexia the dr tried to convince me several times that i was dyslexic cause i didnt do my school work. He said he cant read thats why he wont. I told him i could just didnt want to and he just kept trying to push it on me like i was in denial. Point is doctors do make money from prescribing certain meds over others and to push those meds they must push the medical issues they are prescribed for I.e. riddelin/adderall for add/adhd.