Using the mnemonic device Fast Minds as the title of his book, Craig Surman defines some of the symptoms of ADHD as being, "Forgetful, Achieving below potential, Stuck in a rut, Time Challenged, Motivationally challenged, Impulsive, Novelty seeking, Distractible and Scattered  (1). Beginning his book with this statement puts ADHD in an extremely negative light, provoking sympathy or pity in the reader. Using these emotions to his advantage, his book continues with his goal to get people more informed about ADHD so they can use this knowledge to their benefit. Although people who take ADHD medication are satisfied in that it provides immediate and effective results, it alters their brain taking away their inherent "fast minded  abilities. The US Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 4.6 million American children ages 6 “17 years have at some point been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and of these children, 59% are treated with prescription medication (Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health 3.1 (2009):1). The question is how effective are these stimulant and non stimulant medications in bringing success to children with ADHD in the long run? And do the side effects of the medication and the labeling of being medicated bring them even more weaknesses that aren't even from the disorder itself? In my research so far, I have come to the conclusion that while medication does offer immediate and noticeable results in the form of better grades and behavior, it doesn't necessarily make them more successful in the future. Coming to this realization caused me to take a step back and redirect my point of inquiry. Perhaps the issue of how to treat ADHD isn't a question of treatment, rather its the changing of how we think of ADHD altogether. While society aims to "treat  ADHD for the purpose of fitting in with the rest of society, the goal of this paper is to reframe the negative stigma placed on ADHD by analyzing the issue of medicalization and how it applies; and focus on understanding this disorder rather then treating it in pursuit of achieving optimal, productive success for people with ADHD. Medication is often seen as the favorable solution to treating ADHD because of its immediate results and proof of effectiveness. However, after much research on the subject it is evident that there is tremendous neglect on researching the long term outcomes of using ADHD medication. Acknowledging the dire need for long term studies, Psychologist Mats Frederikson conducts several showing "high rates of non-adherence to ADHD medication . In one study only 50% of the participants continued with treatment after two years. While 15% dropped it because of lack of efficacy, the rest dropped it because of side effects such as nervousness, irritability, sleep disturbances, and loss of appetite. Psychologist Yu Shu Huang covers several studies that investigate the long term effects of taking ADHD medication over the duration of five years. In one study of 140 young girls they were noted to have been at high risk for anti social, addictive, mood, anxiety, and eating disorders by the time time they were young adults (Table 3). The fact that there is minuscule research on the long term effects of the most common way of treating ADHD is deeply concerning. JM Langberg, a professor at Miami University acknowledges this issue and the urgent need to "understand the extent to which medication use improves long-term functioning  (215). Conducting several studies, he concluded with less then compelling results. While there was minor improvements in academic achievements, there was no evidence of long term grade retention for the students during the three year period (219). Langerg, with the other psychologists noted indicate the need for further research on the long term effectiveness of the medication, as well as research on the potential adverse side effects. How did medication (with its limited evidence) become the most common way to treat ADHD? The answer stems from the recent labeling of ADHD as a medical disorder, a direct product of the the issue that has become increasingly problematic in the past 30 years called medicalization. Peter Conrad, a professor at Brandeis University, defines medicalization as "the extension of medical jurisdiction or the expansion of medical boundaries  (559). In other words several non medical problems are being defined as medical. Aside from ADHD in the past forty years a series of new medical categories have emerged such as anorexia, chronic fatigue syn