Common pills for ADHD
People tend to turn quickly to medication when a child is not doing well in school or is upset. The American Academy of Pediatrics has even lowered the age to 4 years old that children can be diagnosed with ADHD. This is how drug companies market a “chemical imbalance” theory for children. However, people are turning to a new view.
Family stress is now seen as toxic to children and root of many emotional and behavioral problems. In a recent Parentlode column, Lisa Belkin from Huffington Post discussed this new view. Family therapists are now trying to help children by looking at their nurturing environment.
For example, a child named Paulie had a teacher who believed he had ADHD because of his seemingly personality change overnight. When asked about it, he said he was worried about his father who had lost his job and was crying all day. How to fix this problem? Therapists are encouraging parents to reduce arguments at home, not show their negative emotions in front of their children, and tell their children goods things about their days.
Parents can help their children’s stress by having a healthier communication style. They also should be aware of keeping a healthy family structure. Spending time together can even help. If parents begin to drift and one parent is overly close to the child, this can place pressure on the child and cause them to develop problems, even autism or ADHD. Over the past couple of decades, drug companies have successfully convinced parents that pills will solve their childrens’ problems. Parents are starting to see past this. Parents are now starting to take on the role of fixing their children’s mental health and not giving them pills or sending them to child psychiatrists.
I chose this topic because I know many people that are taking medication for ADHD and similar diagnosis. I think it is interesting to see other alternatives to these drugs. Also, some of these drugs when combined, have side effects that are still unknown so I find it is interesting to see if there are other solutions.
Original Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marilyn-wedge-phd/protecting-a-child-from-f_b_1084421.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living-mind
Extra Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/04/stressed-parents-sick-kids_n_1075317.html
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/10/14/peds.2011-2654
Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adderallrx.jpg
fishinthesie
I definitely agree that medication isn’t the only option and that there are so many people who have been misdiagnosed. This overuse of medication to aid people has also led to all kinds of abuse that affects our communities. People think that because it’s so freely prescribed, basically anyone can make use of it. I found an article that addresses that ADHD/ADD drug are one of the top prescribed and distributed drugs.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-diller/adderall-abuse_b_5101278.html
While there are many people who do benefit from these drugs, and I’ve witnessed these benefits in people I know, there is definitely an influx of misdiagnosed children and adults.
whitebloodcell
Great article izotope! I definitely agree that medication is not the only answer for ADHD. The common medication, such as Ritalin and Adderall, have been proven to cause insomnia, irritability, and loss of appetite. It is widely speculated that these drugs also have negative effects on children’s brain development. Furthermore, many children are falsely diagnosed with ADHD and their emotional problems can be solved through exercise, proper meals, and a stable family structure. Even with children who definitely have ADHD, drugs should only be part of the solution and should be combined with emotional coaching, exercise, and other natural remedies. (http://www.helpguide.org/articles/add-adhd/attention-deficit-disorder-adhd-treatment-in-children.htm)