ADHD

I think that ADHD is misdiagnosed quite often. I think that it happens a lot less now then it used to. My huband was diagnosed with it when he was in 3rd grade and put on Ritalin for many years. This actually led to experimentation of other drugs, which led to serious addiction, because he as taught that medication would make it all better. He didn't have ADHD. He was bored. Unfortunately it seems many parents like a quick fix for their children and if they are restless often they immediatley think somethings wrong and doctors don't take enough time to make an accurate diagnosis.
I agree that ADHD is very real for some children and there parents. I think that the steps for diagnosing it and treating it should be carefully evaluated.

 

Nyder, you're overlooking one of the answers darthmomm gave to your questions.

There have been many brain and familiar studies on ADHD. It has been around for many years. There are changes in brain function and brain chemistry. I am not going to get into the technology of it. It is boring. If you would really like to know all of the big swords and studies, then use google.

ADHD is not just a set of personality traits. It has a known biological cause (abnormal brain chemistry). That's why it's a disorder and not simply a set of undesirable behaviors.

 

ADHD is not just a set of personality traits. It has a known biological cause (abnormal brain chemistry). That's why it's a disorder and not simply a set of undesirable behaviors.

You mean this:

AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ] is a neurobiologically-based developmental disability estimated to affect between 3-5% of the school age population (Professional Group for Attention and Related Disorders,1991). No one knows exactly what causes AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ]. Scientific evidence suggests that the disorder is genetically transmitted in many cases and results from a chemical imbalance or deficiency in certain neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that help the brain regulate behavior. In addition, a landmark study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health showed that the rate at which the brain uses glucose, its main energy source, is lower in subjects with AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ] than in subjects without AD/HD [ A.D.D. OR ADHD ] (Zametkin et al., 1990).

Or go here for a more detailed explanation of the 'scientific origins' of this disorder and make up your own mind.

But after reading this 'evidence' I am still not convinced.

ADHD/ADD does not exist. Pure and simple.

For an alternative academic view on ADHD, read this article:

ADHD: Nothing but a Sham

A condition such as diabetes carries detectable physical evidence of disease - abnormal blood sugar levels, evidence of pancreatic malfunction - justifying medical treatment. Families confronted with the "wouldn't you give insulin" argument could begin by asking the neurologist to provide medical evidence that a disease requiring treatment exists. Between 1993 and 1997, neurologist Fred Baughman corresponded repeatedly with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis, manufacturers of Ritalin), and top ADHD researchers around the country - including the National Institute of Mental Health - asking them to show him any article(s) in the peer-reviewed scientific literature constituting proof of a physical or chemical abnormality in ADHD and thereby qualifying it as a disease or a medical syndrome. Through sheer determination and persistence, Dr. Baughman eventually got these entities to admit that no objective validation of the diagnosis of ADHD exists.4

Prescribing Ritalin for something that is not a "disease" does not, in my estimation, constitute a legitimate practice of medicine. If ADHD is not a disease, treating it medically constitutes a fraud. Yet many physicians are true believers in medically treating "mental illness," despite the consistent lack of scientific evidence of "mental illness" as a "disease."5 Herein lies the conflict for parents like Alice.

The Significance of Oppression Theory

Victims of oppression are not only blamed for their condition, and usually thought to be deserving of their inferior position, they are eventually conditioned to accept it as their reality. As the great American writer James Baldwin stated: "It's not the world that was my oppressor, because what the world does to you, if the world does it to you long enough and effectively enough, you begin to do it to yourself."6 In what may be the ultimate power play, a victim is, over time, conditioned to internalize, accept, and ultimately, forget about the very fact that they are oppressed.

There are two specific forms of oppression that are pertinent to the discussion of psychiatric drug use for children. The first is adultism - the systematic mistreatment of young people by adults simply because they are young. Like other forms of oppression, adultism is self-perpetuating: when we are treated poorly as children, we internalize the idea and feelings that life is unfair; that rank and power should be used for personal advantage; and that we are somehow unworthy of respect, incapable of clear thinking, and unable to become our own authority.

The second form o

 

Nyder -

As a student teacher I've read evidence that ADD exists, I've met kids who most definitely have it. It isn't because of their parents or lax discipline it is simpley because of something in their brain.

There are lots of conditions that are regarded as hoaxes by some elements of the community, but are regarded as true by the majority of the medical and pyschology groups.

In other words, just because you don't believe there is absolute proof, doesn't mean it does not exist.

Kithera

 

I agree with Kit, your mistaken Nyder.

I was diagnosed with ADD when I was 9 or 10, before that I was considered a problem child, I got into trouble constantly. I was called a slacker, and spent alot of time being grounded, and I had more than my fair share of whippings. Then I was diagnosed with ADD, my parents educated themselves on what it was and how to help me, suddenly I was no longer a problem child, my grades went up in school, I wasn't disciplined so much, and the quality of my life got better. Not because I lacked discipline, Good Lord knows I had too much of that. My folks decided not to put me on drugs, they didn't want me to be a walking zombie, instead they patiently nurtured my "difference".

ADD isn't some made up disease, not everybody believes it, perhaps because it is misdiagnosed, or lack of evidence (if you must have evidence to believe everything in life, then thats a sad, sad life indeed). Even the United States military recognizes ADD as a real disease, technically a person with ADD is not supposed to join the Armed Forces, usually the recruiter tells them not too tell anybody that they have ADD (as is my case) and that makes life hard for a person suffering from ADD in the military. My supervisor suspected it in me and had me tested, it came back positive and I was shipped home a year early (She made sure I got all my benefits, and the GI Bill and everything before she put the paperwork in).

ADD is there, and it is over diagnosed, and used as a crutch too much, but that doesnt mean there aren't people who suffer. (You don't question people who are depressed as not being sick do you? You don't believe they can just snap out of it do you?) Most people who REALLY have ADD don't want anything special, were already treated differently as is.

 

ADHD does exist...its not a label and its not a way to control kids with drugs...Ritilin is a stimulant...give it to a kid without ADHD and it will work the way it is suppose to...

You have never lived with ADHD....have never spent thousands of dollars on a diognose...never spent months reearching it online...spending hundreds of dollars on any book you can find.

Yes all children have some of the syptomes...but when diagnosing ADHD In order for a child to be diagnosed with ADHD, at least 6 symptoms in one of the above categories must have been present for the last 6 months in a greater degree than other children of the same age.

Its not a con and if you would spend anytime with actual children with ADHD you would learn that....

 

Ok...now, before we get all over Nyders case..let's look at this.

Nyder, I do understand what you are saying, and to a point, I agree. To a point. But, I want you to realize that the research you cited is outdated, and has been disproven numerous times. Cat scans and MRI's have documented time after time that there is a difference on how the brain functions with kids and adults with ADHD.

BUT, I do not agree with changing a kids personality with medication. Which is something that the medical profesion does with the prescribing medication as much as they do.

5. "Ritalin helps children conform."
Not always. Sometimes it makes them "psychotic," sometimes it makes them aggressive. Other times Ritalin makes children anxious or nauseous. It can make some children feel suicidal. And for some children, Ritalin has been a deadly prescription. 8 When it "works" well, the child is observed to produce better in the classroom. This, the research shows us, is the only positive short-term outcome. There are no positive long-term effects in any aspect of child functioning - social, behavioral, or academic - associated with the use of Ritalin.

Yes, you are correct, this medication is a SCEHDULE 2 NARCOTIC. Same class of meds that heroin is in. It is addicting, when crushed, it DOES act much the same way as cocaine. Thay is why there are new medications out that are not narcotics..such as Wellbutrin.

But, many kids with ADHD have depressive symptoms because they are teased, they have terrible realtionships with their families and siblings. NOT because of the medication.

Incidently, I do not medicate my child. He suffered terribly from the "rebound effect". I did not like the idea of medicating him at all anyways......

are no positive long-term effects in any aspect of child functioning - social, behavioral, or academic - associated with the use of Ritalin.

There are many, a GREAT many studies that prove the long term effects of the use of meds and ADHD. I can post them if you like, but unless you are in the profession, you are not going to understand the terminology.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ADD!!!!!!

There are subtypes of ADHD. It is ALL ADHD. The subtypes are

ADHD-predominatly hyperactive.

ADHD-predominatly innatentive
ADHD-true pure form.....both.

So get that ADD out of your mind, it does not exist.

 

I'd like to add a little to what darthmomm said about Ritalin:

5. "Ritalin helps children conform."
Not always. Sometimes it makes them "psychotic," sometimes it makes them aggressive. Other times Ritalin makes children anxious or nauseous. It can make some children feel suicidal. And for some children, Ritalin has been a deadly prescription. 8 When it "works" well, the child is observed to produce better in the classroom. This, the research shows us, is the only positive short-term outcome. There are no positive long-term effects in any aspect of child functioning - social, behavioral, or academic - associated with the use of Ritalin.9

Ritalin is really a drug called methylphenidate, a neuro-stimulant. As she stated, it is in the same narcotic category as heroine. In mild quantities it acts like caffeine. For those whose bodies are in a normal chemical balance, it can produce the symptoms that you describe here. It was often used by the KGB to help interrogate prisoners (by keeping them awake and on edge). It is a close relative to "crystal meth" and, in its crushed form, is one of the drugs often sold on the streets as "speed".

If it were as you say, methylphenidate must be a strange substance. If ADHD is all in my head (well, actually it is since the imbalance is in my brain ), why does it cause effects opposite in me (and other ADHD patients) to what it does in "normal" people? The answer must lie somewhere in my physiology.

I need to go now, but I will write more later.

Kimball Kinnison

 

Let's go over some of the comments in this thread:

My son was first diagnosed with ADHD, but now he know for sure he has Asperber's. It very commonn for children with Asperger's to be diagnosed with ADHD first.

And what led to this diagnosis?

My son is on 18 mg of concerta, a time released form of ritilin. He needs the medication in school. He would not be able to learn if he ws not on medication. With medication, we work on behavior modifications.

[face_shocked]

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have smaller brains overall and smaller key brain structures than children without the condition, researchers reported Tuesday in the largest brain imaging study ever conducted on these patients.

I've just done a course on statistics, and for the sake of statistical argument, I would need to know all the details of this survey (such as sample size, characteristics of sample, etc).

You need to know all other possible explanations for this data (and we don't even know the data)

I could set up a statistical test easily to disprove their hypothesis, so don't take these results (?) as cannon.

The reduced brain components could play a role in causing the over-activity, distractibility and impulsiveness that are hallmarks of ADHD, Judith Rapoport, chief of the child psychiatry branch at the National Institute of Mental Health and an author of the study, told United Press International. The findings of smaller brains "provide support in conjunction with other data like genetics that there is a clear biological factor in ADHD," Rapoport said.

The evidence still sounds inconclusive.

She noted the smaller brains also were found in ADHD patients who never had taken Ritalin or other drugs used to treat the condition, so the size decrease is not caused by medications.

Fair enough. But I want figures (no, I won't take their word for it)

Symptoms of Inattention:
* often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities

That's me


* often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities

Me too.

* often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly

Has happened.

* often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (not
* due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand instructions)

Could be applied to almost anyone.

* often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities

(?)

* often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort (such as schoolwork or
* homework)

They probably just described 95% of the world's population! Maybe we should all be on Ritalin

* often loses things necessary for tasks or activities (e.g., toys, school assignments, pencils, books, or tools)

If this is based on a yes/no interview verdict, how variable is this sort of data? EXTREMELY.

* is often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli

As what? A function of 12 distractions by stimuli per minute? Of course an 8 year old is distracted by stimuli; it's called natural human behaviour!

* is often forgetful in daily activities

I know I am. Does that mean I have ADHD? Quick, get the Ritalin!

* often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat
* often leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected
* often runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate (in adolescents or adults, may be
* limited to subjective feelings of restlessness)
* often has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly
* is often "on the go" or often acts as if "driven by a motor"
* often talks excessively

Have you observed little kids? They all do this. That's why we have discipline. If you increase the cost of doing a certain behaviour, you decrease the benefi

 

THERE ARE NO DIAGNOSTIC TESTS FOR ADHD/ADD

Here's what the National Institute of Health has to say on this:

1. What Is the Scientific Evidence To Support ADHD as a Disorder?

The diagnosis of ADHD can be made reliably using well-tested diagnostic interview methods. However, as of yet, there is no independent valid test for ADHD. Although research has suggested a central nervous system basis for ADHD, further research is necessary to firmly establish ADHD as a brain disorder. This is not unique to ADHD, but applies as well to most psychiatric disorders, including disabling diseases such as schizophrenia. Evidence supporting the validity of ADHD includes the long-term developmental course of ADHD over time, cross-national studies revealing similar risk factors, familial aggregation of ADHD (which may be genetic or environmental), and heritability.

Additional efforts to validate the disorder are needed: careful description of the cases, use of specific diagnostic criteria, repeated followup studies, family studies (including twin and adoption studies), epidemiologic studies, and long-term treatment studies. To the maximum extent possible, such studies should include various controls, including normal subjects and those with other clinical disorders. Such studies may provide suggestions about subgrouping of patients that will turn out to be associated with different outcomes, responses to different treatment, and varying patterns of familial characteristics and illnesses.

Certain issues about the diagnosis of ADHD have been raised that indicate the need for further research to validate diagnostic methods.

1. Clinicians who diagnose this disorder have been criticized for merely taking a percentage of the normal population who have the most evidence of inattention and continuous activity and labeling them as having a disease. In fact, it is unclear whether the signs of ADHD represent a bimodal distribution in the population or one end of a continuum of characteristics. This is not unique to ADHD as other medical diagnoses, such as essential hypertension and hyperlipidemia, are continuous in the general population, yet the utility of diagnosis and treatment have been proven. Nevertheless, related problems of diagnosis include differentiating this entity from other behavioral problems and determining the appropriate boundary between the normal population and those with ADHD.
2. ADHD often does not present as an isolated disorder, and comorbidities (coexisting conditions) may complicate research studies, which may account for some of the inconsistencies in research findings.
3. Although the prevalence of ADHD in the United States has been estimated at about 3 to 5 percent, a wider range of prevalence has been reported across studies. The reported rate in some other countries is much lower. This indicates a need for a more thorough study of ADHD in different populations and better definition of the disorder.
4. All formal diagnostic criteria for ADHD were designed for diagnosing young children and have not been adjusted for older children and adults. Therefore, appropriate revision of these criteria to aid in the diagnosis of these individuals is encouraged.
5. In summary, there is validity in the diagnosis of ADHD as a disorder with broadly accepted symptoms and behavioral characteristics that define the disorder.

I added bold to emphasize some parts. Try reading the whole document. As the conclusion states:

Although an independent diagnostic test for ADHD does not exist, evidence supporting the validity of the disorder can be found. Further research will need to be conducted with respect to the dimensional aspects of ADHD, as well as the comorbid (coexisting) conditions present in both childhood and adult ADHD. Therefore, an important research need is the investigation of standardized age- and gender-specific diagnostic criteria. (Emphasis added.

 

We came to the diagnose of Asberger's with ADHD in steps, spending thousands of dollars and observation from a team helping my son. It's not s rush diagnose, its all to help my son.

The last two weeks he was unmedicated. He was unable to complete his schoolwork at school, was distracted constantly, disruted the other children, did things without knowing why, was sent to the principle's office everyday the last two weeks and he was extremely emotional because he knew he was not doing what he was suppose to, but he could not help himself. He can not concentrate on anything when he is not taking his medicine. And he is miserable at school.

Exactly how we came to it:
Observation from the school social worker and psycholgist and his teachers, video tapes of him at home and observation from me, an all day clinical dignose where a team reviewed the observations from school and home, tested his IQ and gave him other tests while observing him.

Yes all kids show similar traits...but with a child with ADHD or any other disorder, the traits are extreme, does not change with rewarding positive behavior or punishing negative behavior.

Medicine helps him cope. I'm on a antidepressent from seasonal depression, its not a cure, it helps me cope so I can work behavior modifications, light therapy, exercise and just getting on with life. Its a tool and thats what concerta is for my son. It does not make him a zombie, he's lively and engaging, a great kid with great ideas about the world, even on medicine...all it does is help him concentrate so he can focus and learn.

All I am trying to do is the best for my son...you do not live in my house, you do not walk in my sons shoes, you are not his teacher, so saying it doesn't exist is unfair to parents and children who deal with this on a daily basis. Spend some time with actual children with adhd before you jump to conclusions.

National Institute of Mental Health

ADD.org
What's It Like To Have Add?

by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D.
Copyright (C) 1992


What is it like to have ADD? What is the feel of the syndrome? I have a short talk that I often give to groups as an introduction to the subjective experience of ADD and what it is like to live with it:

Attention Deficit Disorder. First of all I resent the term. As far as I'm concerned most people have Attention Surplus Disorder. I mean, life being what it is, who can pay attention to anything for very long? Is it really a sign of mental health to be able to balance your checkbook, sit still in your chair, and never speak out of turn? As far as I can see, many people who don't have ADD are charter members of the Congenitally Boring.

But anyway, be that as it may, there is this syndrome called ADD or ADHD, depending on what book you read. So what's it like to have ADD? Some people say the so-called syndrome doesn't even exist, but believe me, it does. Many metaphors come to mind to describe it. It's like driving in the rain with bad windshield wipers. Everything is smudged and blurred and you're speeding along, and it's reeeeally frustrating not being able to see very well. Or it's like listening to a radio station with a lot of static and you have to strain to hear what's going on. Or, it's like trying to build a house of cards in a dust storm. You have to build a structure to protect yourself from the wind before you can even start on the cards.

In other ways it's like being super-charged all the time. You get one idea and you have to act on it, and then, what do you know, but you've got another idea before you've finished up with the first one, and so you go for that one, but of course a third idea intercepts the second, and you just have to follow that one, and pretty soon people are calling you disorganized and impulsive and all sorts of impolite words that miss the point completely. Because you're trying really hard. It's just that you have all these invisible vectors pulling you this way

 

ADHD certainly exists....while I understand where Nyder is coming from, as I was pretty much in the same philosophical place as he is now several years ago, I have become convinced that it is a real illness.

Why? Because...

Personal observation. I am a middle school teacher, and as such can get to know 65-150 students a year. While I can understand that some ADHD cases are overdiagnosed, I don't think that's true in my school. Parents often resist the notion that their child might be ADHD....they think it is a negative label and that someone will point their fingers at a child and say "special" with an insulting insinuation. Of course, there are those parents (a very few parents IMO) who do not want to discipline their children and switch doctors over and over and over and over again until they are able to strong arm one into an incorrect diagnosis. Once again, I see this as very, very, very few parents.

Medical Studies.
The medical evidence out there is growing and becoming more and more reliable. Large long-term studies now exist. Examining the brain functioning of children with ADD or ADHD show that their brains do NOT function in the same ways as those without attention deficit. These studies, btw, are being done oftentimes independent of the drug companies or other industries that might be seen as potential beneficiaries of such a discovery. The studies are getting better because enough time has now passed that the long term time frame needed after we found out thta ADHD exists has finally passed. Before, no one really knew what to look for or focus on.


OK....what about the fact that so many people can look at the symptoms and say "hey, I've had those and I'm not ADHD....what're they talking about????"
1. Many diseases are like this. What about diabetes? How many of us have felt faint when our blood sugar is low? Have felt weak? Have fainted in stressful conditions when the proper foods/nutrition/rest isn't available to us? In fact, many people's blood sugar levels have probably been abnormal for short periods of time in their lives. That doesn't mean we brush off the existence of diabetes. What about heart disease? Anyone ever have times of high blood pressure? Shortness of breath? Chest pains? Because these are common, should we discount heart disease? If, in fact, a person were to read the symptoms of many diseases or conditions, we would find that most of us have suffered at least some of the symptoms at some time or another.

No one here (so far as I can tell) is trying to claim that a child who is immature and who won't/hasn't learned to control himself is always ADHD. What makes a difference is the child who CANNOT control certain behaviors because he is unable to do so no matter how willing. His brain is not working correctly, so no amount of discipline is going to "cure" him. Behavioral therapy can help a child with a milder form of ADHD to cope with his own behavior, but it alone has been shown to not be nearly as effective as therapy combined with other medical intervention. Once again, I turn to diabetes: while controling diet and activity levels can help someone with diabetes, most diabetics also need other medical care (insuline, etc.)

So, what?
2. One thing that we can look to in ADHD diagnosis is the same thing we'd look for in the diagnosis of other diseases: lasting, consistent symptoms over a period of time. The questionaires that teachers, families, doctors, and often the students themselves (if old enough) are asked to fill out are not the type of list that say, "Has the child *ever*....?" but rather, "How often does the child....." and we are asked to rate the child. In addition to that, the doctor is asked to look at the child's developmental history, his diet, etc., and to consider these factors in diagnosis. While there is good solid evidence out there that shows that true ADHD is linked to the functioning of the brain, the cost and lack of availability of this kind of equipment make it impossible for most children to be dia

 

I think it is unfair to compare mental disorders to afflictions like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, asthma, etc..

In these cases the symptoms are real, and can be incapacitating or life-threatening.

According to the above posts, ADHD may give people 'special abilities' (such as multi-tasking, increased intelligence or stamina).

Why is it then considered a disease?

 

Nyder - go work with kids, and then come back and say whether it is real or not.

What about Bi-polar? Is that real? The symptoms aren't things that can be poked a proded like a tumor on your arm, but they are there are they are very, very real.

Kithera

 

Fair enough.

I still say that it is a function of behaviour.

Disorders of the brain do effect behaviour, such as Down Syndrome, Alseimus, etc.

But Mental Disorders are like categories of normal behaviours, perhaps taken as extreme types of normal behaviours, with the explanation that they have a biological basis, to do with 'chemical imbalances' and another anomalies.

I'm not a neurosurgeon, so I can't explain this type of phenomena.

If there is such a disorder as ADHD (or any mental disorder), I just want to know why there is no proper diagnostic test for it. I would also like to know why medication is prescribed based on a lack of diagnostic test, and a mere 'interview' that evaluates what are, essentially, normal behavioural patterns (read the list of symptoms again if you don't beleive me.)

Given that the Psychiatrist should have experience with the behaviour associated with ADHD, should we trust his/her judgement?

In order to test my theory, I want each of you ADHD sufferers to go to 10 different psych doctors and 10 other GPs and compare the diagnoses of each..........

 

In order to test my theory, I want each of you ADHD sufferers to go to 10 different psych doctors and 10 other GPs and compare the diagnoses of each..........

If you shell out the money. That's unrealistic at best.

There is a test. People have mentioned it several times in the course of this thread. There are physical evidence of differences in brain structure and size in ADHD kids.

Oh and I doubt you'll find ten psychartrists who agree about anything.

Kithera

 

I've been reading this thread and i like to contribute with my own experiences, and i hope that i can help poeple (parents, patients, children or anyone related to it) with my experiences. (mind i'm dutch the grammar may s*ck)

I'm 19 years old now, and have been experiencing the effects of ADHD since i was aproximatly 2 years old, Altough i don't recall to remember much of that age, i can tell you that my parents and close familly did.

As a kid i was always very active, i couldn't sit still, wasn't the best in nurture school. (for lack of better terms it's the school before junior school) I was always very active, now many poeple say that kids are ussually very active and stuff, but children that don't have ADHD stop when they get tired of everything, Children who have it don't. It's a common fact that children with ADHD don't stop when their body's tell them to do so, simply because their brain or conscience doesn't registers it, or puts it away as irrelevant. These are signs of children having ADHD altough that's not always the fact but in 90% of the cases it is.

When i was 4 years old, sadly enough i got Cancer in my bones and muscle's, i got all sorts of Chemo therapy and other treatments. But the negative sideeffects of that were that the growing of children stops, the resistence against other deseases are broken down, and alot of other things. With me that wasn't the case, everyone of those things i mentioned, actually improved, i kept growing and kept making anti-cells against the cancer. Now the docter's say it was because of the ADHD, (altough at the time i wasn't diagnosed with it, that was untill i was 8) me myself, i tought that the man upstairs had a hand in it.

Well i survived all of it, but when i was 8 and got diagnosed with ADHD, they refused to give me ritilin or any drugs. Here in Holland they are pretty carefull with ADHD, because treated patients with Ritilin and other drugs most of the time, become more ill or start showing other effects, IE. depressive, more problematic then they already are. But instead try to use mental stimulations, and they work best.

So my advice is, Don't get your children on drugs and medicine's they don't do much good, instead, talk with them and also ask if anything else bothers them, be supportive because once diagnosed with ADHD, docters tend to prescribe drugs pretty fast and children react negativly on that.

(i'l type more in another post, gotta do physical therapy, cause of the cancer and all, my thighs have grwon a bit wrong due to the chemo. I hope i've already been able to tell some good things. i'l give tips and other things soon.)

 

If there is such a disorder as ADHD (or any mental disorder), I just want to know why there is no proper diagnostic test for it. I would also like to know why medication is prescribed based on a lack of diagnostic test, and a mere 'interview' that evaluates what are, essentially, normal behavioural patterns (read the list of symptoms again if you don't beleive me.)

First of all, there are diagnostic tests. For example, the psychiatrist that I see has (for the last 20 years) helped develop a lot of the criteria for diagnosis. One of the best tools he has developed is a computer "game" that helps provide a clear, statistical analysis of a person's attention span. You can see a definite difference in my scores on that test if I have taken my medication.

MRIs can show marked differences in the activity of the brain. Again, those differences are minimized when a person is taking medication properly.

Finally, the interview is quite important in the process. An interview for the basis of diagnosis is a standard procedure for most neurological disorders. Do you believe that schizophrenia is real? There are more diagnostic tests for ADHD than there are for schizophrenia, despite the shorter time the disorder has been recognized.

Kimball Kinnison

 

My son has reacted positively with mediction, when we is not on medicine, he gets depressed and angry he cannot concentrate, he is much happier on medication.

The first two people who tried to help my son were the school social worker and school psycologist, they bth felt ADHD were something to look into, then we went to my son's doctor, he sent us to the behavior health dpartment, were my son had a team of doctor's diognose him...I think I was pretty thourogh.

We have a Doctor friend in the family who was a mentor for me when I was a teenager...he was very upset I have my son on medicine. He feels that ADHD is over diagnosed, which I agreed with him. I had him come over a couple times, once when my son is not on medicine and once when he was. I also gave him the video tape I gave him to the doctor's and the questionaire and observation from his teacher and the school social worker. He stopped hounding me about it, because he spent time with my son...got to know him.

I have no problem with medicine. I suffered from depression most of my life and refused to get help and take anti depresents because of the stigma associated with having to take medicine for a mental illness. When I finally asked for help and relized it was not my fault, not something I could just get over and it was a chemical imbalance, I agreed to mediine. I'm much happier on medicine and its the same with my son.

Our family is much happier with my son on medicine, he is not in trouble every ten minutes, he is not punished constantly, I am not stressed out and my other children are happier, get more attention because I am not having to constantly try and control my oldest. He gets more positive attention then negative attention now. How would you like to be punished all the time?

Do you know how stressful it is for parent? Its not lack of disipline. You are constantly disiplining your child...none stop. You start to wonder what is wrong with you. You read every parenting book out there and wonder why your child is not "normal". What did you do wrong? You feel you are the worse parent in the world, because nothing you are doing is working.

It was a relief when he was diagnosed. The medicine works, along with behavior modifications. I am not constanly stressed out with him and can enjoy the terrific kid he is. I joined a support group and relized I wasn't the only one out there dealing with this, and I found people I talk to and they understood.

Its not something that just affects the child, it affects the whole family.

 

You read every parenting book out there and wonder why your child is not "normal". What did you do wrong? You feel you are the worse parent in the world, because nothing you are doing is working.

This feeling can be complicated by the fact that ADHD seems to run in families, so sometimes a parent has ADHD without realizing it. One book that can help a person deal with it is You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Crazy or Stupid. It is primarily a book designed for adults with ADHD, but it also can provide much-needed advice for an adult who is dealing with ADHD children.

Kimball Kinnison

 

BTW, I think it should be pointed out that, at least where I live, ADHD must be diganosed by a certified physician. I believe that someone above said something about "not trusting psychiatrists" and thought it should be addressed.

 

Secondly, you people horrify me.

You class yourselves and your children as having a disorder just because they exhibit certain types of behaviour that not only seems completely normal, but could be due to a host of other factors.[/i[

I'm sorry that I'm one of the people who has to live with ADD. Well others have AdHD.

Scarier still, is that you put yourselves on potentially harmful drugs (or your children) in light of this modern and obscure 'disorder'.

No not ever one needs it. Only in some cases is it needed. If it is really bad then they are put on a durg.

And then you either label yourself, or others as 'ADHD sufferers', instead of just normal people which is what you are.

Again I'm sorry I and ever one else wirh ADAD and ADD do this. But we do have those things.

Sorry, but I'm just sickened to find that people could fall for such a nasty con as this.

If you say so.


So my advice is, Don't get your children on drugs and medicine's they don't do much good, instead, talk with them and also ask if anything else bothers them, be supportive because once diagnosed with ADHD, docters tend to prescribe drugs pretty fast and children react negativly on that.

No parents don't just put kids on the durgs they get them tested by the docters then go form there.

 

I just found this thread, and I thought I'd contribute with my story...

I'm 20 years old. I'm not currently in college. I was suspended after my first year because I failed so many courses. Just a few months ago, I was tested by a psychiatrist (I believe the name was something like Triangle Psychoeducational Something-or-other) for the possibility of ADHD. The test lasted two days. During the testing, I was interviewed by a psychiatrist, asked about my childhood, my experiences in school, a lot of personal stuff, just about everything there is to ask about.

I also took a lot of tests. Speed, comprehension, reasoning skills, memory, coordination, you name it, I took a test for it. Looking at a drawing for a minute, then going on with the interview questions. Two minutes later, being asked to reproduce the drawing from memory. Two minutes after that, same thing. Again, two minutes later. Listening to a list of about 20 different things, then being asked to recite the list in order, or to only recite the objects in a certain category. Listening to another list and being asked to pick out which objects weren't on the first list. Having to do as many simple math problems as I could in a minute. Having to correct the spelling on as many words as I could in a minute.

There were other tests, but I remember two the most clearly. One of them was done on a computer. The screen was black. Every now and then, a letter would flash on and off. If it was any letter but 'X,' I had to hit the spacebar. If it was 'X,' I shouldn't do anything. It was impossible for me not to hit the bar every time something flashed on the screen, no matter what. I think I managed to stop from hitting the bar maybe four or five times. The 'X' flashed on the screen several dozen times in all.

The other test was, I guess, about my ability to define concepts. "Justice," "Friendship," and other concepts. Answering questions, too. "Why do people need a license to get married?" This part was also difficult for me. I could define the concepts and answer the questions, but it took me a long time to figure out how to say what I wanted to say. Sometimes, I knew the answer I gave was a gross oversimplification, but I couldn't think of another way to say what I felt.

Before any of this, the psychiatrist interview my parents about me. They had a folder that contained all my school records. Report cards, midterm reports, letters from the teachers regarding my educational progress, or ack thereof in some cases. After I was finished with my testing on the second day, the psychiatrist handed me this folder. I looked through it when I got home. I started to realize, even though I didn't know it at the time, that I'd always had a problem with completing tasks on time. I was always turning things in late, or I was behind the rest of the class in developing certain skills. I was ahead of the class in other areas, though. Reading, for example. In kindergarten, when I was living in Belgium, I was already reading 2nd-grade books.

Anyway, the results of the tests came back a month after I took them. They had diagnosed me with ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Type. The results indicated that I had an IQ of 142. They also showed a clear difficulty with completing tasks quickly. The test results where time was a factor were considerably lower than when I was in no hurry.

My behavior during the testing was also analyzed. Apparently, I'd moved around, fidgeted, a lot. Constantly moving my fingers, drumming out complex beats on the sides of the chair I was sitting in. Moving a foot around on the toes a lot. Shifting about in the seat.

Someone said they'd never met a person with ADHD who was also an introvert. Well, now you have, if you can consider this a "meeting." I'm an extreme introvert. Can't stand large crowds, or public speaking. I'd much rather be with a small group of friends, or just family. Even writing this post is hell. It's also taken me... about twenty minutes so far.

 

Next time, it's a ban.

 

Please don't post if you're not going to contribute.