Does anyone have any advice about ADHD?

Question

My daughter is showing a lot of symptons of ADHD what do I do?

Answer 1

Yes. Make sure you get your daughter evaluated by a psychologist, ADHD can be frustrating, not only for you, but especially for her.. Don't put off getting medication, if she needs get it, the best medication in my opinion is Wellbutrin(Bupropion) is has very few side effects. I have ADHD and wasn't diagnosed until 39.

Answer 2

Who has ADHD?
Researchers are not sure why ADHD affects more boys than girls. Although girls and boys have the same symptoms, boys are more commonly referred and diagnosed.

Studies done in rural areas and foreign countries-such as New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Great Britain -show that fully four percent of all school-age children will meet the diagnostic criteria for this disorder. Hyperactivity is the most common reason for the children to be referred to mental health clinics across the United States.

Not Just a Childhood Disease
Some children outgrow ADHD while others do not. In the 1980s, researchers followed children through young adulthood and found that many of the symptoms persisted. Studies show that 60 percent of hyperactive children will have the problem as adults, and there is no way to predict which children will outgrow the symptoms.


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Signs and Symptoms
What are the signs and symptoms of the disorder? Earlier, we mentioned that excessive fidgeting is a sign. Other symptoms frequently include: Difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities, shifting from one uncompleted activity to another, difficulty playing quietly, talking excessively, interrupting or intruding on others, appearing not to listen to what is being said, losing things, difficulty in remaining seated, being easily distracted, difficulty waiting their turn or participating in group situations, blurting out answers to questions and interrupting, difficulty following instructions.

These are all common very common problems of young children. Most children will have two or three of these problems at some point. The key to a diagnosis of ADHD, however, is where a child has many symptoms, year after year, in many symptoms such as home, school, camp, or day care. Often the child's behavior is causing negative from people, and his or her self-esteem suffers. A child who has for several years had major difficulties in at least eight of these symptom areas many not be hyperactive. Other disorders - like depression and anxiety - have very similar symptoms and can easily be confused with ADHD.


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Diagnosis
To ensure proper diagnosis, medical professionals should:

Spend a significant amount of time obtaining a detailed history of the child from the parent(s) or guardian;
Look for learning disabilities;
Determine if there are environmental factors causing the problem.
School report cards are among the materials that should be carefully reviewed by medical professionals before a diagnosis is made. Often ADHD children's report cards contain comments such as, "Johnny is unattentive; he is not completing assignments; and he's out of his seat a lot." Additional information should also be obtained from babysitters, grandparents, and anyone else who spends time with the child. The doctor then synthesizes this information and makes diagnosis. It is equally important for doctors to spend time observing youngsters, preferably in an environment where the child feels comfortable - like a playroom. By spending time with youngsters, doctors can get a better feel for the true characteristics of their young patients. Direct observation in a strange setting, like the pediatrician's office is almost meaningless in making a diagnosis. For many years, pediatricians would watch a child for 15 minutes and say, "I don't see a problem". Youngsters' behaviors vary. Even an exceedingly hyperactive child can do well for an hour in a setting, particularly if it's one-on-one.



Go to the doctor where he or she will do tests

Answer 3

You should ask her pediatrician. How old is your daughter? Most communities have programs that screen children to identify any problems and if there is a problem they will refer you to the correct agency. Don't be really quick to medicate your daughter. And you might try changing her diet, although that will really hard. They've found that eating processed and fast foods can contribute to ADHD. This includes anything canned, fast foods, frozen dinners, a ton of stuff. But a study did find that eliminating all of that can lessen ADHD symptoms. There is a book out about that plan, but I'm not sure what it's called, you could probably find it on Amazon.com. If you do decide to go the medication route, be prepared for side effects and you might have to switch medications a couple of times to find the one that works for your child. If your child is under 6, they probably won't diagnose her with ADHD and they definately won't medicate her.

Answer 4

Consult a pediatric psychiatrist. (not a GP or pediatrician!!)

A good psychiatrist is up on psychotropic meds that are useful in the treatment of ADD/ADHD. Many kids benefit from medication. My son and daughter both have forms of ADD/ADHD. My son is true ADD and is on a non-stimulant medication to help him with concentration. My daughter is true ADHD, she is like a fart in a skillet when she wasn't on medication. With medication she has settled well into school and is getting good grades. She is planning on med school upon graduation from HS. Both are monitored on a regular basis by the psychiatrist.

Limit sugar and caffeine intake before you do anything, and see if this might have something to do with it.

Answer 5

ADHD

Possible Symptoms
Among the many symptoms that an ADHD patient may experience are impulsivity, the inability to organize thoughts, difficulty keeping track of time, remembering important events or tasks, the inability to complete tasks, and the tendency to delay tasks that require more concentration. Commonly a perceived psychotic episode in a patient could reasonably be attributed to the patient's inability to properly organize thoughts and information. If, for example, a patient consistently consciously spends more money than he or she earns, the behavior could be considered psychotic based on the assumption that the patient believes that he or she earns more money than is obviously the case. The patient usually knows about this situation, but is unable to control it effectively, due to ADHD symptoms. Another example would be a patient who consistently and knowingly does not keep appointments or appears late to events or meetings to which the patient had explicitly agreed to be attending on time.

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Reactions and Diagnosis
If the patient's ADHD condition is not known to an observer, the observer may reasonably assume that the patient is undergoing a psychotic episode or suffers from a mental illness, such as schizophrenia, based on the patient's erratic behavior and statements that are obviously and demonstrably false, even to the patient himself. These symptoms would, from a psychological standpoint, not be considered a psychosis, but rather a behavioral or thought disorder that is related to the pre-existing ADHD condition; if the patient was actually psychotic, he would hold a false belief, even if it can be disproven, but an ADHD patient is usually aware, at least on a subconscious level, that his actions are not always consistent with reality, but nonetheless exhibits the behavior due to a lack of control of his impulses.

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Possible Causes
The ADHD patient is often unaware of an appointment or task that needs to be completed, or grossly over- or underestimates the amount of time or effort that is required to complete a project, and therefore can be observed to have an extremely chaotic lifestyle. Often ADHD patients will simply forget a task because it does not interest them, and it is simply no longer part of their conscious memory, no matter how important it is (i.e. taking an exam, driving the kids to school, going to an interview, doctor's appointment, etc). In such cases, the patient may perhaps be considered delusional, because his perception of reality is severely distorted without his knowledge. Most patients, however, learned to live with the fact that they are very forgetful, and therefore do not consider themselves delusional on a conscious level, although their behavior may mimic that of a person who actually is suffering from a psychosis

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Perception
It is important for ADHD patients that others recognize that their seemingly irrational behavior is not necessarily due to a severe mental illness that requires immediate treatment and that could even present a danger to the patient himself or others, but are rather normal, relatively benign traits of the patient's personality; the behavior usually does not increase in scope, severity or recurrence, and with the proper background information can be identified as ADHD.

To those who are not familiar with the symptoms that are experienced by an ADHD patient, which is the case for most non-professsionally trained people who do not have ADHD, it may be difficult or impossible to believe that the patient is not actually insane; the effects of such reactions from others can have a negative impact on the patient's psyche, and sometimes patients begin to believe themselves that they actually are psychotic.

Answer 6

ADHD is not that easy to diagnose because there is no clear cut blood test. My son has ADD and social anxiety and depression and ODD. Yep lots of fun here. The Chadd web site has tons of information. I had a teacher and myself fill out questionnaires through the school that's how they figured ADD not ADHD. Counselor plugged them into computer and it screamed ADD based on children his age and such. Next step was doctors visit and medication. We see a therapist and a psychologist. You need them because ADHD/ADD has many co-morbid conditions. My son was checked for learning disabilities and when we found out he ranked 98% in USA for reading and math I hit the roof because he had D's. That was when someone told me he needed a IEP and 504(CHADD web site). Although my son has a high IQ he was just slipping through the cracks. Consistency in parenting and rules is a absolute must! I will help you with anything been there done that, email me.

Answer 7

my son showed signs of it when he was 3 or 4 yr old. He was referred 2 a child physocoligist (that spelt right??) Any way, they said they wouldn't rule ADHD out but wouldn't diagnose it either because they didn't want 2 give him medication as they thought he was 2 young. He's 11 now and i give him Eye-Q (fish oils) his behaviour has calmed down and he's doing well at school. Try the Equazen website.

Answer 8

I note that some excellent results have been obtained by increasing Omega 3 in the diet often found in fish oils but also available as a dietary supplement

Answer 9

I have ADHD and alot of people say it does not exsist but it does I have it and have only just been dieagnosd i take medication and it does help! go to your gp they will rever you to a specilist but it may take timeto be sorted and it does not help with school or college stay positive and good luck

Answer 10

Fish. Omega 3 oils in fish are known to have some kind of calming influence. Sometimes it can be something in the diet - colourings flavourings etc.