What
is ADHD? by: Jeannine Virtue
It seems that the "What is ADHD"
question is not very easy to answer, despite the plethora of studies, research
and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity testing over the past decades.
In asking the question, "What is
ADHD," it is easier to answer by describing what ADHD is not. Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder testing and research has not proven that
ADHD is a medical condition. There is no concrete research that supports
that Attention Deficit and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is
a genuine disorder or a disease.
What we do know is that Attention
Deficit Disorder and ADHD is becoming a modern day American plague. It
is the fastest growing diagnosis given to children and teens, often based
on subjective Attention Deficit Disorder Hyperactivity testing of parent
ratings and doctor observations.
Doctors use a standard checklist
of characteristics when Attention Deficit Hyperactivity testing to make
a diagnosis and prescribe a standard course of stimulant drug therapy in
the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity.
ADHD symptoms commonly include aggressive
behavior, constant activity, easy distractibility, impulsiveness and/or
the inability to concentrate. These ADHD symptoms may include fidgeting
or constant movement, excessive talking and difficulty participating in
"quiet"
activities like reading.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
children always seem to be in motion. They dash around, wiggle, squirm,
fidget and talk nonstop. They are whirlwinds that leave messes, throw tantrums,
start fights and act obstinate.
It's hard to miss ADHD in children
but if the parent happens to miss the signs, the child's teacher certainly
will make a point of clearly pointing it out to the parent.
The most prevalent, and most controversial,
treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is drug therapy.
The top drugs of choice being Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine and Concerta.
Now here's the scary part; These
commonly prescribed drugs in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder fall in the same drug category
(Schedule II) as cocaine, methadone and opium.
Only a decade ago, Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder testing and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder was virtually unheard of.
The 1987 edition of the Webster's
Dictionary, touting 50,000 entries and modern definitions, does not even
include the word "Hyperactive" or "Hyperactivity." The American Psychiatric
Association did not name Attention Deficit as a disorder until 1990.
Young boys, by nature have higher
levels of energy than their female counterparts. Boys are diagnoses at
a rate three times higher than girls.
When did active, high-spirited, strong-willed
and oft times uncooperative kids move from kids being kids to children
having a mental disorder? If using ADHD medication sales as a marker, this
shift began right about the time the American Psychiatric Association named
this set of characteristics as a disorder.
Since 1990, prescriptions for ADHD
medications quintupled.
As Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
testing and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder reach
all-time highs and continue to climb in this country, other countries around
the world seem relatively unaffected by this "disorder." This is America's
plague.
This country uses 500% more Ritalin
than all the rest of the world combined.
It is rare to find an Asian child
undergoing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder testing, much less
receiving treatment. European children are diagnosed at a rate of about
10 percent of their American counterparts.
Either the United States has some
pretty hyped up kids or American doctors are over-diagnosing Attention
Deficit and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Some people argue that Attention
Deficit and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are not disorders
at all, but simply personality types. Some people can sit still, pay attention,
concentrate on specific tasks and exhibit proficient social skills. Others
get fidgety, jump from project to project or just do not fit in the societal
"norm."
The argument is that ADHD people
are not "sick" and in need of dangerous drug therapy but simply have a
different way of dealing with the conventional world.
Sure these high-energy and on-the-go
kids can be incredibly irritating to teachers, energy draining to parents
and general all-around hassles in the grocery store but they are also unique,
creative, expressive and full of life. And boy, are they full of life!
Maybe we, as a society, should encourage
some of these freethinking traits instead of expecting these children to
sit quietly.
After all, had Albert Einstein, Lugwig
Van Beethoven, Frank Lloyd Wright, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas
Edison and Henry David Thoreau grown up in today's society, they likely
would have been slapped with the Attention Deficit label and placed on
medications to make them conform to societal standards.
Should we stifle the natural enthusiasm
and fervor of hyperactive people with drug medications? Would we have the
genius of these incredibly unique minds if stifled by altering drugs?
You have to wonder...
In the conventional treatment of
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the goal is short-term, as are
the effects. The goal is to make the child more compliant (usually so they
can sit quietly in school) and ADHD medications do work effectively for
the majority of children.
However, the price paid for compliant
children can be detrimental to the child's mental and physical well being
is high.
You want your child to be able to
focus, sustain attention and behave calmly and appropriately on his own
instead of relying on a pharmaceutical drug to do that for him. We do not
want a generation of children to grow up automatically thinking that drugs
are the answer.
Treatment should address the root
of the problem instead of temporarily masking the symptoms and it should
produce lasting changes instead of "fixing" the problem for a couple hours.
A large body of research indicates
that environmental factors - nutritionally deficient diets, lead poisoning,
food allergies and such - cause ADHD symptoms.
By ruling out environmental toxins,
food allergies and other possibly causes and by increasing the body's strength
and wellness through sound diet and nutritional supplementation, Attention
Deficit problems can be gently and effectively addressed without the use
of dangerous medications.
We also believe that ADHD should
stand for "Absolutely Delightful, Hardy and Daring" young children that
will one day grow into fine adults if raised in an accepting, loving and
stable environment.
So what is ADHD? Nothing to be feared,
nothing to dreaded, nothing other than a label placed on the societal wild
children that need a little extra love and a whole lot of patience.
About The Author
Jeannine Virtue is a freelance journalist
and mother of an Attention Deficit Disorder son. To learn about effective
alternatives to Ritalin and other ADHD medications, visit http://www.add-adhd-help-center.com
jvirtue@add-adhd-help-center.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/
