In defense of the parent commenter, your solution isn't the right choice for everyone either. I suffered so many of the symptoms of ADHD throughout my upbringing, while always being active and considerably healthy.

My tendency to deviate from tasks, due to a sometimes unconscious but sometimes entirely forceful and unrelenting pull from them, eventually led me to divorce. Then depression and frustration. I began to hate myself. I called myself lazy, worthless, weak, you name it. The downward spiral eventually led to me losong my 2 jobs and living out of my car.

I had heard about ADHD and stimulants but never really looked into it or even considered that this could be something I was suffering from. I come from a culture that doesn't quite understand the prevalence or acknowledge the legitimacy of many mental illnesses.

I was finally so down on myself that I sought out psychological help. My psycologist eventually suggested I consider psychiatric medication for depression. After a good year and a half of trial and error, we finally got down to the fact that my state of depression was a result of a reality of consequences created by my ADHD. We began an Adderall regimen. I was reluctant to take it at first, but looking back at everything I'd been through, as I had several different types of medication and had no real success, I gave it a shot.

Adderall, 2 very dedicated doctors, and the non-profit medical clinic they work for saved my life. Here I am, 2 years later and it's a night and day difference. I work for a small, family owned manufacturing company as an account manager, where I'm paid well and valued for the qualities I posses. I have full custody of my 5yo daughter. I live in my own apartment in one of the most popular areas in San Diego. I've still got a lot of work to do, but now I know I can get there because I found out that it's okay to need help.

I don't know that something wouldn't have eventually made it possible for me to achieve these things without Adderall but, judging by my life upto that first week of the regimine, I don't believe any of this would have been possible without it.

Sure, the parent comment is excessive; not everyone needs stimulants. But I'm bothered when the illness is reduced to something that can and should be treated with things like exercise, otherwise one is taking the easy way out. I feel that if I had this when I was growing up, I could have done much better. Maybe I would have arrived at this treatment had it not been discredited, along with other mental conditions. Maybe I would have been able to be there for my family when they needed me, had I been told that I could find help. I'll never know.

I know all about the negatives of stimulants, all about the abuse, the facilitation of abuse, and the potential risk for future health problems (I worry about parkinsons, tbh). I think that when weighed against the realities that patients face, which lead them to the medication, it's worth dealing with. I personally pray that one day, I'll be able to leave these behind. I live for the days that I find I'm able to perform without them.

Sorry for the rant.

TL;DR: Yeah, parent poster is probably not a physician, Adderall is not a cure-all. BUT it's okay to need help. Please make it a point to make sure you don't make people feel otherwise. Sometimes it's not as easy as eating right and working out. It's not your fault.