OT: A.D.D.

Slynky · #1 July 20th, 2003, 07:11 AM

Well, ADD or ADHD (or pick your term) is a mystery to me. I can't understand it. But, I can tell you pills ARE a solution.

Our daughter has it. Yes, it seemed she was full of energy. And it seemed she suffered from what a lot of children suffer from, disinterest in doing things they don't want to do (and therefore do not hear it) and too much interest in doing what they want to do.

Sugar, we thought, was the problem. Not. Certainly, there is something wrong with a girl in the first grade who continually, during class, gets up and walks over to a window and looks out. Or gets up and walks over to another child and begins talking. Repeatedly throughout the day. Who brought home red and yellow lights (a conduct code rating for behavior) every day.

We started punishing her for her behavior marks. Loss of TV. Restriction. You name it. For a while, she had no TV privilages for 3 or 4 months. We were at our wits end. Her grades ranged from C to D. So, we decided to talk to a doctor. Tested her. Filled out a huge questionaire.

Now, she takes a pill every day. Adderall. Her behavior "lights" changed immediately. Her grades improved very noticeably. In the 2nd grade, she almost made the A honor role for the year (only making a few B's).

Sometimes, we forget her pill. And the teacher knows within the first hour of class.

Does the pill turn her into a zombie? No. She is still energetic. Full of life and still can't sit still while we play Uno. But, she is learning what she needs to be learning, staying out of trouble, and is NOT being punished for something she cannot help any longer.

I hope she grows out of it. I don't like pills either. But, I don't see how she could be learning what she needs to in school without it.

So, I have to disagree with some of the remarks in here about popping pills at the drop of a hat.

Will · #2 July 20th, 2003, 07:57 AM

I'm not saying that there aren't some situations where medication is not needed (father is on medication for diabetes + insulin; mother has to take imuno-suppresants, steroids, and a few other things, just to function; sister on albuterol; I have no idea what my grandparents are on; I am pretty much the only one in the family not dependant on medication at all). However, it goes too far. The ad I saw claimed that twenty million people in the US have "adult ADD". I would say that maybe twenty thousand adults have symptoms of it that truly require medication, and that's a high estimate. The rest would usually be due to another mental condition, unhealthy lifestyle (ranging from always running around and overloading of tasks to drug abuse), or plain old hypochondria. This is for the adults, mind you...

Now, for children... a case like your daughter's looks like one where drugs help. That is not the normal situation. There are schools in this country that will recommend a psychologist for the parents of children who "misbehave" only a few times, and it is not uncommon to walk into classrooms with a large fraction the students on Ritalin (or some other "behaviour modification" drug). It's very much a "let's let the drugs deal with them, so we don't have to" situation.

And to make things worse, doctors don't even know HOW these drugs work, just that they seem to work. It seems a bit unwise to be tinkering with the brain chemistries of millions of kids who really could do just fine without a pill.

Slynky · #3 July 20th, 2003, 03:09 PM

I "hear" ya, Will. And I think I understand. Beleive me, I hope our daughter can "grow out of her hyperactivity" somehow. We are not a family that believes a pill is the answer to everything. Even now, when she stubs (stumps?) her toe, she wants a "pain" pill. And we explain to her she doesn't need one. She still thinks bandaids stop pain (even though we tell her bandaids are for protecting a cut).

But, as you said, and I think I agree if I understand you correctly, the US has become, to some degree, a nation that thinks the answer to any problem is a pill. Part of that is marketing efforts by the people who stand to make a profit from selling them. The other part, perhaps, is the average US citizen's response to a problem by denying any of it is their own fault and that they can fix it themselves...i.e., whatever bad happens to someone is not THEIR fault, but something else...either a medical excuse or something that someone else is to be blamed for.

[edit] As a side note, I researched Adderall as best I could on the I'Net. Weirdly enough, one of the main ingredients is basically an "upper". Go figure! An "upper" to cure hyperactivity? Strange!

[ July 20, 2003, 14:10: Message edited by: Slynky ]

macjimmy · #4 July 20th, 2003, 08:10 PM

I don't know much about ADD and such, but it seems like this condition was more or less unheard of before the widespread use of computers, TV, cell phones, and other hi tech distractions. I could be wrong, but maybe ADD has more to do with being exposed to attention-grabbing TV ads, thru computers, etc from a young age. Of course schoolwork would seem boring in comparison to these colorful and noisy toys. Not to say that there aren't any legit cases though, just that most of it is probably enviromental in its ultimate cause.

Slynky · #5 July 20th, 2003, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by macjimmy:
I don't know much about ADD and such, but it seems like this condition was more or less unheard of before the widespread use of computers, TV, cell phones, and other hi tech distractions. I could be wrong, but maybe ADD has more to do with being exposed to attention-grabbing TV ads, thru computers, etc from a young age. Of course schoolwork would seem boring in comparison to these colorful and noisy toys. Not to say that there aren't any legit cases though, just that most of it is probably enviromental in its ultimate cause.

Possibly true. BUT, there is a possibility that it has always existed and children like this were just thought to be discipline problems. I felt that way at first. I just thought she was obstinate and spoiled.

All I know is that she is still energetic (not a "zombie"), eats VERY well, and makes good grades. She reads well (above average) and people remark on her vocabulary and speech all the time...which isn't bad considering she's growing up in the south (ugh!). Before the "pill", she lagged in all those areas.

So, with a bit of tear in my eye, I'm glad she has that pill so that she can be all that she and we want her to be.

OK...I'm done. (sorry)

macjimmy · #6 July 20th, 2003, 08:27 PM

It is good to hear that these meds to good in some situations. I have a rather cynical view of the whole medical "industry" in general, including pharmecutical (sp?) and insurance companies, but if it works for even a small number of people, then overall it is a better thing to have than not.

Mephisto · #7 July 20th, 2003, 08:53 PM

ADD is quite common but often not diagnosed. I have a family member that surely had an ADD syndrome if you read his school grades (from the 1950s).
People with ADD cannot focus themselves to a thing for more then a short amount of time. Every little distortion will break their concentration. A "normal" person can ignore a mutter in a bar when he is talking to another person and won't notice it any longer. Not so an ADD person. It hears all the mutters and the person he is talking to the same (and loud!) and cannot concentrate for long.