ADHD, Captain Underpants, and Rid-O-Kid 2000®.
The following post is more about ADHD than it is about Captain Underpants. Just saying XD (although I DO enjoy the Captain Underpants books very, VERY much, and the below information explains part of the reason why). =3
The new Captain Underpants book, Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot, dealt with a subject that is really close to my heart and the hearts of many other ADHD kids out there - the use of prescription medicine to try and keep ADHD “under control”.
While I have heard some sources say that Dav Pilkey had not actually intended to make a socio-politcal message about Ritalin and the affects it has on kids, the official website does say that this was his intention, and the book doesn’t exactly make the message “subtle”. I think that, if Dav Pilkey had just intended to write a story about mind control, some of his opinions about ADHD and Ritalin must have seeped in anyways, and I do really relate to Dav Pilkey on this level for so many reasons. I am a LOT like George and Harold (and their creator, Dav Pilkey - he’s one of my heroes) - I used to make comic books and write stories all the time as a kid, and I still do! The fact that George and Harold both have ADHD really connects to me, especially because they’re creative people (which I can consider myself to be ^^). Being hyperactive and inattentive, in all honesty, are really just part of the creative process for me. I guess you could say that ADHD “fuels” my creativity in this way - when I’m hyperactive, 90% of the time, it means that I’m simply creating, and having fun doing so! Although doctors say that ADHD medicine won’t “take away” the creativity, they do not realize that it can easily take away the fun in doing so, and therefore the motivation. I am VERY grateful that my friends have understood this, and even if my hyperactivity can bother them, they get it, and will defend me if ever I need help doing so. To any of them who may be reading this, I am super grateful for all of your support <3
Ritalin, and medicines like it, may seem wonderful to many adults (and probably NOT for the reasons Mr. Krupp and Mr. Meaner give above XD). To them, it seems like a way to keep ADHD children (and some adults!) “under control” - a way to prevent them from being hyperactive, inattentive, and generally disruptive in a setting where it is inappropriate. I understand this full-well - it IS disruptive and annoying to many people for ADHD kids to act the way they do, under many circumstances - however, I cannot say that it is an ethical or even worthwhile trade-off, especially given the BENEFITS of ADHD (Creativity, Innovation, Motivation, etc). Every person I know who has ever taken Ritalin was very, very unhappy, to the point at which two of them tried being physically violent with me. While I, luckily, escaped the dreaded real-life counterpart to “Rid-O-Kid 2000″ (being given Concerta instead, which I understand to be “Ritalin Lite” although I could be mistaken), I did not enjoy the effects even then, and I can’t advocate for these kind of medicines. I DO understand the perspective of the opposing side of the argument, however - but other options (such as placing a desk at the front of the classroom, or giving space in the back of the room to pace) have worked very well for many of my teachers in the past. In addition, many of my “outbursts” in class have actually inspired my peers to do much better in school (to the point where I often receive given thanks and praise outside of class for making the subject more interesting for my classmates, and motivating them to do even better [in addition to making the learning environment far more interesting and fun! XD]. These things would probably not have happened were I on any kind of ADHD-supressing medicine. ADHD is NOT a disease, or even a disorder. It is more of a personality trait. ADHD people tend to feel the need to be active, and feel the drive to do things far more than other people (often manifesting as creative works and deeper thinking). Giving medicine to keep that kind of thing under control is unethical and I hope that anyone who reads this understands that. I deeply enjoy the Captain Underpants books because I relate very deeply and personally to George and Harold, and the author of the Captain Underpants books.
Sorry for cluttering your dashes XD Someday, I promise to provide people with the fruits of my ADHD (hopefully on your dashes if they’re ever posted to tumblr XD). However, this is a subject very close to my heart that I feel needs to be adressed. =3
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