ADD and ADHD fact or fiction?
 For every parent their child's education and performance in school is a
central concern. Parents worry about a
future plagued by poverty for their children and get very frightened when their
child does not do well in school. As a society academic performance is a
benchmarking tool used to predict future performance and professional success.
American culture dictates that young people need to do well in school to get
into a competitive college that will ultimately yield a well compensated
career. Antisocial behavior, poor grades, violence and hostility are early
indicators of serious developmental problems that can follow a child around well
into adulthood. Parents will do almost anything to give their children any
advantage as well as to correct any disadvantage facing their children. Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder, known
acrimoniously as ADHD and ADD, are the two most commonly diagnosed
behavioral disorders in children and young adults. Often these disorders serve
as an explanation for a child's academic failures and often educators are the
first to suggest the possibility that a troubled student may need to see a
psychiatrist. Before jumping to conclusions based on accounts of teachers and
guidance counselors, parents facing these types of concerns need to educate
themselves about some hard truths surrounding arguably the most over diagnosed
disorders among young people.
Executive Function - The source of ADD/ADHD
The cause of ADD and ADHD is from the lack of
something called executive function. Executive function
is explained by using an
orchestra as a helpful metaphor where the conductor of an orchestra is executive
function and the rest of the brain functions as the musicians. Think of how an
orchestra would sound if each musician was playing whatever and when they
wanted. The musical piece would not sound the way it should and would most
likely sound like a bunch of noise. When an orchestra is functioning
correctly, the conductor
gives cues and makes sure that each musician is playing in time resulting
in the sweet sound of symphonic success. Inside the mind different signals and
functions work independently or in concert depending on what tasks the brain
needs to do. Executive function calls on different brain functions and processes
depending on the situation and makes sure that brain functions are operating
effectively and efficiently. Goal oriented behaviors, responding appropriately
to new and stressful situations, learning, and the ability to adapt to
surroundings all rely on executive function. Think of someone who has ADD or
ADHD lacking direction, not intelligence. Without executive function
functioning properly human beings would lash out an act like primitive humans
like Australopithecus. Our brains would make decisions and actions all at once
making the human race even more impulsive, dangerous, unpredictable, and almost
impossible to condition or predict. Our brain processes would act independently
as if other brain functions acted separate from one another. The human brain is
an extremely synergistic environment where many brain processes simultaneously
occur. ADD and ADHD have similar symptoms but the major difference is that ADHD
includes more hyperactive behavior such as jumpiness. ADHD patients experience outbursts, are
impulsive, sometimes violent, and confrontational to other students and teachers. ADD patients experience a
generally socially withdrawn attitude, motivational problems, experience
periods of depression have the same source: lack of executive function. ADD or
ADHD is successfully diagnosed when the source of these undesirable behaviors
stem from lack of executive function,
Note: Autism, Schizophrenia, depression, Tourette's syndrome, and obsessive
compulsive disorder are other behavioral disorders caused by the lack of
executive function and often are misdiagnosed as ADD or ADHD
The reason behind this that often the symptoms of ADD and ADHD are
misdiagnosed as other mental health conditions. The reason for this is
that there is a great deal of overlap between different mental
health conditions and their symptoms. Depression is sometimes misdiagnosed as anxiety, and
bi-polar confused for schizophrenia to name a couple examples.
Similar Symptoms
 Among the mental health community there is some concern that many individuals
are being wrongfully diagnosed due to the overlap of ADD and ADHD's symptoms
with other behavioral disorders all in the name of parental concern and fear for
their troubled child's future. It is extremely important that the appropriate
channels are used in the diagnosis where educators, health professionals, and
parents are all equally involved before any sort of treatment is started. This
concern comes from the medications used for treatment which are primarily
controlled narcotic stimulants such as amphetamine, dextroamphetamine,
methylphenidate, dexmethylphenidate,
or
lisadexamfetamine. These class of drugs fall under the Drug Enforcement
Administration Schedule II controlled substances and are central nervous system
stimulants. This classification indicates a high potential for dependence
and abuse. Other drugs in this category are opiates, heroin, and its derivatives
like common prescription pain killers. Before agreeing to a medication routine set by a psychiatrist,
other options should be discussed and all side effects as well as risks need to
be considered. The most common brand names for ADD/ADHD medications are Adderall, Ritalin, Dextrostat, Focalin, and Concerta. There are other
non-narcotic options such as Straterra that work similarly to antidepressants by
regulating the levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
Treatment
 In addition to medications, cognitive therapy can be used to teach the brain
how to respond differently and more desirably to situations where the individual
was struggling. Most commonly therapy along with a medication schedule is
the best approach to dealing with ADD/ADHD symptoms. In addition to traditional
therapy, using cognitive therapy can drastically improve a child's condition if
it isn't responding favorably to medication. Cognitive therapy is also used in
the treatment of panic disorder, personality disorders, post traumatic stress
disorder, and schizophrenia. The objective is to retrain the mind so it
functions properly and to increase the likelihood that medication will not be
needed for the rest of the child's life.
Medications are harsh on the body and the most common ones are narcotic
stimulants. The effects of the drugs are similar to cocaine or other
central nervous system stimulants, and can raise anxiety levels thru the roof.
Patients often complain about heart palpitations, chest pains, and irrational
thoughts as well as behavior. Doctors sometime recommend that patients do
not attempt to take their full dose of medication on the first day of treatment.
Breaking the pill in half for the first few days is a popular suggestion.
Some additional downsides to medication are the potential for abuse. Many
students sell their medications, often trade them for street drugs, and sell
them for money. Recreational drug use is extremely dangerous to someone
who has been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Ironically if left untreated, ADD
and ADHD lead to drug abuse, problems with the law, and social withdrawal.
When it comes to choosing medication it is a very slippery decision and must be
monitored by parents, teachers, and physicians alike.
Conclusion
There are other medical professionals who see ADD and ADHD as a social
phenomenon caused by the increasing demand to perform. Students today are under
more pressured than ever before with college attendance at an all time high,
universal access to education and information, and an incredibly competitive job market. It is not uncommon for college students who are struggling in school to seek
help by calling their family doctor to get medication. To strengthen the argument that ADD and ADHD may be caused by
social factors more than a chemical imbalance, is that adults are now being diagnosed
for the first time. These types of disorders were thought to only affect
children and young adults, but now an increasing amount of adults are now being diagnosed. The growing demand to perform at the workplace with the fear
of
losing a job in a recession lingering, begs to question if this is another way
for Americans to seek out another shortcut to make life easier.
Having incredible energy, focus, and motivation all thanks to a pill is an
attractive proposition. I have seen friends claim they had ADD just to get
the medication because they needed some help getting through school. They
didn't think they were ADD and only wanted to be diagnosed with it so they could
get the medication Aderall. By using the pill when my friend studied, his
grades started getting better and he no longer worried about getting kicked out
of school because he was on academic probation in college.
Do you think ADD/ADHD are real disorders or products of an unrelenting
society obsessed with performance and success? Please share any comments or
testimonials involving your personal experiences with ADD or ADHD.
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ADD and ADHD fact or fiction?
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