Not ADD? then it could be ODD!

[Isaviel]

From MediZine – Healthy Living magazine – 3rd quarter 2004
Taming ADHD
Understanding how to manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can help a child become more focused - By Sid Kirchheimer


Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects 2 million American children and is associated with lack of impulse control, inattention and other behavior problems. While it’s exact cause remains, unclear, more than 20 studies confirm that ADHD can be inherited. Researchers have also determined that it may trigger a chemical imbalance or changes in brain structure, function and even size.

Here, Edward Hallowell, M.D., an expert whose best selling book Driven to Distraction helped bring this condition to public attention, answers parents’ questions about ADHD.

MediZine Healthy Living: Is it a sign of ADHD that my child daydreams and gets really excited about certain activities?

Dr. Hallowell: No. ADHD is clearly distinct from these common behaviors. Most of all, it is characterized by underachievement. It gets in the way of school and has been going on for most of your child’s life. That isn’t to say that symptoms occur every day. Many children with ADHD get good grades, but have periods in which they don’t perform as well as they could. Some days a child does great, while on others he or she is spaced out. This shifting behavior confuses parents, who think their child isn’t trying as hard as he or she could. The day-to-day symptoms may be inconsistent, but there is a consistent pattern overall.

MHL: How is ADHD diagnosed?

Dr. H: Teachers are usually the first to call attention to symptoms, but those most qualified to make a diagnosis are a child psychiatric, pediatric neurologist or a child psychologist. The doctor should take an extended medical and psychiatric history of both parents and the child, perhaps talk to teachers, do psychological testing and perform a quantitative EEG (a test that records electrical patterns in the brain). Unfortunately, a primary care physician often makes a diagnosis without enough knowledge. You simply cannot get a proper diagnostic workup in 10 minutes at your family doctor’s office.

MHL: Must a child with ADHD take medication?

Dr. H: Most parents don’t want to put their children on medication – and it’s fine not to. However, medications decrease symptoms in about 70 percent of children who take them. Even so, they are only one part of the treatment.

MHL: What else can manage symptoms?

Dr. H: Psychotherapy and counseling to teach behavior management and social skills.

MHL: What can I do to help my child?

Dr. H: Regular exercise may be the most important of all nonmedication approaches. We don’t know exactly why but physical exercise has a positive effect on the brain. Organized sports, as along as they aren’t overscheduled, are good for those with ADHD. In addition,. They help produce a stabilizing emotional state, as do family dinners and similar activities. Managing your child’s diet is also important. Excess consumption of carbohydrates, sugars and additives doesn’t cause ADHD, but it tends to make children less focused.


Edward Hallowell, M.D., is a child psychiatrist in the Boston area.