ADD AND ADHD

Ahhh step a day in my shoes! I have a 13 year old daughter that was 2 lbs when she was born. She has a Grade II brain bleed, hydrocephaleus, anemia requiring transfusions, bradycarida, and the list could go and on. Now she has Cerebral Palsy, seizure disorder, and ADHD. Without her medication she CANNOT function! Thank you Adderall! My daughter actually has a life because of it!

interesting you would state your question the way you have. According to the DSM IV ADD and ADHD exist. I get alot of heat for my personal opinion as many people use these type of diagnosis as an excuse for behavior. You asked so here is my take. A person whom has been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD is diagnosed according to certain chemicals present in the brain at certain levels elevated above what is considered to be normal for the average person. These chemcials being 'out of balance' then becomes known as a disease or genetic mistake that needs to be corrected with medication. I think that is incorrect. I believe that our behavior and the results that come from it constantly change the brain chemistry. The question here is does the poor behavior result in imbalanced chemistry or does the imbalanced chemistry result in bad behavior. Which came first the chicken or the egg? In my experience, having been diagnosed as bi polar and given medication to correct it, I became zombie like as if I were a different person. The brain candy (depakote) tricked my brain into believing there was no imbalance therefore nothing wrong, but as a side effect it numbed a number of my other emotions as well. I was then not forced to deal with life nor had the desire to react to anything that happened. Everything was fine in my mind even when in reality it was not. I removed myself from the medication and went through a withdrawl process as the chemicals in my brain shifted back to normal. This was dangerous as my mood swings intensified worse than ever before. My brain was used to recieving chemicals by pill and decided it didn't need to manufacture them anymore. After a few weeks things settled down. With the help of a therapist who did not rely on medicating his patients into compliance, I was able to begin to face the issues in my life and continue the growth process necessary to survive in life. That was 3 years ago. Today, I have a better understanding of what is going on. When my brain chemistry gets out of balance due to my reaction to everyday stressful activities, I turn to a good friend and work through my problems. When the issue is resolved life returns to normal and I show no symptoms of any DSM IV disorders. As I have adapted over the last 3 years the mood swings have become smaller and smaller. I don't have problems controlling my anger which always turned to full blown rage before. I don't suggest removing oneself from medication without care of a doctor and therapist to help them through the process. If one decides to go through the process without the brain candy they must be prepared to work through alot of problems. Life has problems, we can be part of the solution. (I am not a doctor and the above has been submitted to be an accurate statement of my own personal experience. Your results may vary. This is not to be construed as professional advice, but merely my own opinion based on my experience. Taking any action based on the above you assume your own risk and hold me harmless)

I Am Not Believed

My 9 year old son was diagnosed with ADHD. Without his medication he CAN NOT stay on task, pay attention or concentrate at task at hand. He doesn't having any particular bad behaviours, it is manly keeping his focus. He is a sweet lovable little boy!

yes i do, my mom was diagnosed with adult ADHD and zoom zooms around the house all day. She is so active, they gave her a padomitor and just in the house, she walks over 20 miles a day. She is on all kinds of meds to calm her down, but they don't work very well. They say adult onset ADHD is very rare, but in the cases they have studied (my mom is one) they are very active.

No idea.. i know 2 add 3 = 5.. bt 2 ahad 3 is how much???????????

I think that it is a chemical thing and it has been discovered that household chemicals or constant exposure to chemicals can be a cause or an effect to adding to the ADD, ADHD epidemic. we have studies showing that natural products can actually alleviate these types of disorders... http://jobsathome72.tripod.com

My ex has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD. I have read that this runs in the family so i hope my little girl doesn't inherit this.

Yes I do think that they are a type of disorder. My 7 year old has it. He is hyper and really can't control his impulsives sometimes. We are doing medication and behavioral cousneling to help him understand. There are improvements but it does hurt him socially. He is doing fine in school except his conduct is not always great.

Yes I believe it is a disorder. I know some people try and use that as an excuse. With what I have learned and I have to learn about this since my little boy has ADHD..it is actually a chemical imbalance that affects the brain. Alot of people don't see it that way or believe it. I know there is alot of people that blame the parents for the way the child reacts or behaviors. I don't care how good of a parent you are..if the child or adult has ADHD..it is not that persons fault or the parents fault..it is something that happens and we learn to deal with it. So like I have said yes ADD/ADHD is a disorder and needs to be treated the best way possible for that person.

Yes it is a real disorder. THere are many out there that do not think that it is. But living with a child that has it i know first hand that it not just a child out of control. it i think is a real condition

I believe that the words are a type of disorder.

Yes, I believe its something in the brain.

As someone who was diagnosed when I was 9 years old, and I am now 21 (with adult add), I have to say yes. I am very intelligent, but have a very hard time staying focused on the things I am supposed to. I am pregnant, so I had to stop taking Adderall (my ADD medication), and I have noticed a HUGE difference. I get caught up on the internet or watching television shows and forget that I am supposed to be doing other things... I burn food when I'm cooking, I forget appointments, I don't pay my bills on time, and I get really easily frustrated....

yes I do