Do you have ADHD? Take this quiz (courtesy of this morning’s Wall Street Journal) to find out. If you’re like me, you may discover that you do. Of course, you may want to ask yourself this question after taking the quiz: Who isn’t easily distracted; doesn’t allow their mind to wander during boring conversations; or doesn’t engage in endless multi-tasking while leaving many projects unfinished?
The accompanying article claims that 10 million Americans suffer from this “disease,” yet only a quarter are diagnosed. Is there a pill for this disorder? You bet there is. It’s called speed when sold on street corners. The pharmaceutical industry gives them other names, like Strattera, Ritalin, Concerta.
Just when economists from the left and right are joining together to encourage Americans to slow down and share the work to cope with unemployment (see this op-ed by Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Kevin Hassett of the American Enterprise Institute in the Los Angeles Times), Rupert Murdoch’s daily chronicle of the American dream suggests we buckle down, stay focused and work harder than ever.
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While the quiz cautions against self-analysis, I was left wondering: Who was the psychiatrist behind this medicalization of our collective social dysfunction? A quick Google search of Ivan K. Goldberg in New York City turns up a few flattering posts on Daniel Carlat’s blog (Goldberg turned down a Schering-Plough offer to become a shill), but also this curious link.
Goldberg, it claims, is the director of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Information Warfare, and that he has worked for both the U.S. government and Columbia University. The Journal story did not reveal which agency of the U.S. government employs or has employed Dr. Goldberg.
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Merrill Goozner is an award-winning journalist and author of "The $800 Million Pill: The Truth Behind the Cost of New Drugs" who writes regularly at Gooznews.com.
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