Facts About Mental Health:
Attention
Deficit Disorder
Did you know: Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit
Disorder with Hyperactivity
(ADHD) affects approximately
5% of children in the U.S.
before the age of 7.
Like
many psychiatric diagnoses,
attention deficit disorder
usually refers not to one,
but to a cluster of
symptoms – even though one
of those symptoms often
stands out above the rest.
When too much
activity is the main
feature, the term
“Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder”
(ADHD) may be more
appropriate.
The disorder is
estimated to occur in 5% of
American children, though
some think it is higher, and
some think it is lower.
When present, signs
of the disturbance are
almost always apparent in
the first five years of
life, and certainly before
the age of seven.
It is often difficult
to diagnose because there
seem to be different degrees
of the disorder, and it can
show itself in different
ways.
In children, it is
usually described as having
these core symptoms:
Impulsivity,
impatience, short attention
span, and too much activity
(being fidgety, talking
excessively).
Temper control, mood
swings, excessive
risk-taking, and demanding
one’s own way can also be
features; and some would add
“easily bored” to the
list.
Children with this
disorder often have
abnormally high injury
rates, due to falling,
inattention in dangerous
situations, and “getting
into everything.”
As one might expect,
sleeping patterns are
disturbed, and the child’s
sleep needs are often very
short compared with those of
the parents, resulting in
high stress levels for the
latter.
Partly because of the
stress and frustration
experienced by parents, they
have difficulty accepting
the fact that punishment
almost never helps, since
A.D.D. is a medical
condition to be taken
seriously, not the result of
deliberate disobedience on
the part of the child.
Children
who have this disorder
usually have difficulty
sitting still, completing
tasks, accepting setbacks,
being team players, and
organizing school work; so
it is understandable that
teachers are often the first
to refer a child for medical
examination.
When the child’s condition is serious enough, a
physician may prescribe
medicine.
Ritalin is the best
known prescription, but
there are several others,
including Cylert, Adderall,
Dexedrine, and even
caffeine.
Most of these agents
seem to have a
“paradoxical” effect:
they are stimulants,
but when given for A.D.D.
cause the body to respond in
opposite ways, thus slowing
it down.
A fairly new
medicine, “Attend”, is
supposed to work
differently, by stimulating
the growth of new pathways
in the brain for handling
information.
Each of these has its
supporters, and a given
medicine may not work in all
cases.
There are many types
of treatment available, and
some marketers may not be
very scientific in their
claims.
For this reason,
parents should be careful to
seek advice only from
licensed physicians or
psychiatrists who have had
experience in treating A.D.D.
Most children who have been diagnosed with the
disorder will be nearly
symptom-free by the age of
20, but A.D.D. occurs in
adults, too.
Some would put the
incidence in adults at 3%.
The percentage would
probably be higher, if it
were not for the fact that
A.D.D. (especially A.D.H.D.)
tends to improve with
increasing age.
Adults who have
learned to cope with the
disorder, but who still have
lingering symptoms, often
become successful
entertainers, politicians,
business or military
leaders, doing well in
fields that require high
energy levels, frequent
changes, and attention to
detail.
Medical treatment for
such persons in the earlier
years may still be
justified, however, in order
to increase the capacity for
learning and aid normal
physical and social growth.
There is still some controversy about ADD/ADHD:
In spite of many
years of research (Ritalin
for treatment of ADD is at
least 50 years old) and huge
sums of money invested in
treatment, universal
agreement about its causes
is lacking.
Much of the
disagreement, however, comes
from bad or incomplete
information.
Too much sugar intake
as well as harmful food
additives have been blamed
(and, indeed, some, but not
all, children seem sensitive
to sugar), as well as poor
parenting, and other
environmental issues.
A few have even
doubted the existence of the
disorder, claiming it is the
result of society’s
failure to help normal
children with certain
special characteristics (in
other words, such critics
would attack the medical
treatment model).
But we now know with
certainty that information
is handled differently in
the brains of truly
hyperactive children, and
their suffering is very
real.
These persons deserve
competent medical treatment.
If you suspect you
have a child with ADD, you
should not hesitate to
consult your family doctor
and perhaps a specialist as
well (psychiatrist or
pediatrician).
With careful planning
and professional guidance,
the disorder can almost
always be effectively
treated.
For
more information about
attention deficit disorder,
go to the following website:
http://www.adda-sr.org/Spanish/gettingadiagnosis.htm
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