What is ADD and ADHD?
What is ADD and ADHD?
Imagine living in a fast-moving kaleidoscope, where sounds, images, and thoughts are constantly shifting. Feeling easily bored, yet helpless to keep your mind on tasks you need to complete. Distracted by unimportant sights and sounds, your mind drives you from one thought or activity to the next. Perhaps you are so wrapped up in a collage of thoughts and images that you don’t notice when someone speaks to you.
For many people, this is what it’s like to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. They may be unable to sit still, plan ahead, finish tasks, or be fully aware of what’s going on around them. To their family, classmates or co-workers, they seem to exist in a whirlwind of disorganized or frenzied activity. Unexpectedly—on some days and in some situations—they seem fine, often leading others to think the person with ADHD can actually control these behaviours. As a result, the disorder can mar the person’s relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem.
ADHD, once called hyperkinesis or minimal brain dysfunction, is very common and affects 3 to 5 percent of all children. Two to three times more boys than girls are affected. On the average, at least one child in every classroom needs help for ADHD. ADHD often continues into adolescence and adulthood, and can cause a lifetime of frustrated dreams and emotional pain.
Many experts believe that ADHD is not strictly speaking a disorder, but rather a group of symptoms which can be caused by many different factors, including emotional problems, inconsistent discipline, diet, hearing impairment, family problems, school environment and many other factors. It is therefore always important to correctly diagnose the problem, rather than resorting immediately to high schedule, sometimes addictive, psychiatric drugs with their unpleasant side effects.
What is ADD?
ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is a group of symptoms that affects concentration and a person’s ability to focus. It can also cause mood swings, impulsiveness, behavioural and other social problems. Children with these problems have difficulty in completing their school work and are often in trouble with parents and teachers. If not managed correctly, this often leads to low self esteem and other behavioural problems later in the teenage years. Adults with ADD are often undiagnosed and made to feel stupid, rather than being helped.
What are the causes of ADD?
There are many different causes and explanations for the symptoms of ADD including diet, allergies, food intolerances, low muscle tone, anxiety, depression, family problems, poor discipline and even some forms of illness. Unfortunately some doctors and therapists do not do a thorough assessment and simply prescribe potentially harmful and addictive psychiatric drugs without considering what the causes of the problem might be.
_Michele Carelse, M.A. Clinical Psychology _
