Music legend will.i.am slams ‘pill-pushing’ parents claiming his ADHD helped make him a star
MUSIC legend will.i.am has hit out at the "pill-pushing" parents of kids with ADHD saying his own hyperactivity has helped propel him to stardom.
In a new interview he criticises those who choose to give children with the condition what he passionately believes are "potential destroying" drugs.
The Voice favourite and seven-time Grammy-winning Black Eyed Peas pop star suffered from the disorder as a child.
Speaking exclusively to he said he's now relieved his mother never made him take Ritalin - the drug commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
He said: "It's not the kids who are the problem, it's the lazy parents and lazy teachers who want kids to take Ritalin.
"You don't need medication, you need patience with kids who have ADHD. It's destroying so much potential and no one gives a damn."
The 43-year-old - born William James Adams - believes his ADHD gave him the creativity needed to make it in the world of showbiz.
"I was fine because I had a patient mother and some patient teachers," he reveals, "but it makes me furious that you get a kid who has this creative energy, who is powering off the walls and people can't be bothered to deal with energy.
"ADHD was never my problem. I thought of it as a gift because it gave me an ability to join dots.
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"What's wrong with our society is that we want to pull everything back, stop people thinking out of the box and make everyone the same. I've never wanted to be the same as anyone else."
He adds: "My mum couldn't have afforded Ritalin because we had no money, but she also wasn't afraid to say: 'No. Leave my kid be.'
"We need to deal with this issue because it is getting out of hand. It's destroying so much potential and no one gives a damn."