ADD-ADHD

The same way you interract with a child without ADHD. The only difference is, if your doing a task with the child that needs a lot of focus (such as homework) you may need to redirect them a few times and make sure you two stay on topic. Also make sure to be as patient as you can be. Besides that, children with ADHD are often very fun to be around :)

Good question. We are not sure of the answer. At least half of cases are genetically related.

People who think it has to do with TV or other societal factors probably have it wrong. While it is true that ADD is recognized and diagnosed more often now studies where psychiatrists have gone out and looked for it have shown remarkably consistent rates (usually 5-10% of children) going back to the 1920's in many different cultures, including native and aboriginal cultures.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, a person that is labeled with ADHD, have seen symptoms that are disruptive in relationships, home and in school. The symptoms must also not be caused by any other issue. A person must also have the six common symptoms of the disorder, occurring for six or more months.

The medication varies for most people. I take strattera, fish oil, and concerta. The amounts will also vary depending on age, weight, and other factors. Some people may also take melatonin, but that is only to help you sleep at night, and is not restricted to people with ADHD. I am uncertain of strattera and concerta are Class A drugs or not, but you can only take this medicine if prescribed by a doctor.

My eyes do it looks like I'm taking heroin

According to the CDC, as of 2007 North Carolina has the highest rate of diagnosed ADHD in children(4-17) at 15.6%.

ADD/ADHD is a genetic trait. Thirty years ago, there was no diagnosis or treatment. While people exhibited the symptoms, they merely had to cope.

During the 1980s, treatment involved a Central Nervous System stimulant, believed to be a norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor, which allowed such students to focus upon boring subjects, for a longer period of time.

During the 2000s, clinicians found that ADD/ADHD children often did not outgrow the symptoms. For instance, a child that was physically hyperactive as a child may simply talk incessantly, as an adult.

Incidence, therefore, has not increased. Only diagnosis & treatment has increased. ADD is not a genetic defect. Neither is it a disease.

Consider that some people get thin on carbohydrates, while others become obese. Some people have brown hair, others blonde. Some like football, others like chess.

ADD is simply a different wiring pattern in the brain. It multi-tasks quite well. It acquires information through vision, and and observation.

Our modern society, however, tends to require long hours of focus, upon single boring subjects, tying people to a desk, using books that have few pictures.

Thus, ADD/ADHD people were wired properly for "beginning of time" to 1900, but poorly for 1901 until Present.

They tend to excel at Entrepreneurship, Military Service afield, and rapid troubleshooting. They tend to get an 'A' in chemistry Lab, but an 'F' in Lecture.

You can find additional information at: http://www.AmenClinic.com http://www.Chadd.org

You have asked a lot of questions about ADD, try and calm down go to this website http://www.oneaddplace.com/addcheck.htm it is a little test to see if you have a tendency towards ADD. If you do, then go and see your doctor and discuss appropriate medication.

Most people with ADHD, including children, suffer from some type of sleep disorder or experience higher than average difficulty in falling asleep. This may due to the fact of the lack of control of attention, causing a person with ADHD to have a hard time 'shutting' off their thoughts to be able to sleep.

I'd like to start by saying different medications have completely different effects on different people. I've taken Ritalin/Concerta in many different dosages since 3rd grade, I'm now in college; I've also tried Adderall, Adderall XR, and Focalin. For all of these, there is a sort of "crash" when it is wearing off, more apparent in higher dosages and for some more than others. the crash from Ritalin and concerta (both methylphenidate) last about 15 minutes, and consists of severe irritability, short temper, heightened emotions (only bad emotions, e.g. sad, frustrated, angry), and more severe rage. The shortened temper and more irritability are more common for any dosage, but the others usually just when I've taken a higher dosage. Focalin, however, worked wonderfully for me for about the first 30 minutes (of about 4 hours) then I was just furious with anyone and everyone who tried to talk to me for the rest of the time, it was a very bad feeling. I was a freshman in high school when I tried it, and told my mother not to open the door to my room or say anything to me until I told her it had worn off because just hearing someone try to talk to me angered me even more. On the other hand, my friend and his father both have had great results from Focalin, with none of the aforementioned.

Now I'm only going to talk about methylphenidate, because that's what I've taken consistently since I was younger. I'm not really hyperactive, just ADD, and something that's always been very hard for me is the mellowing effect of Ritalin. If I take as much as I feel I need to feel on par with everyone else in the world, it severely mutes my emotions and outgoingness. It's quite a shame, I never take medication if I want to have a good time and relax because I'm boring around my friends if I take more than just a very small amount, I even bore myself. But this also means that I'm not as aware of what's going on because I'm unmedicated. This has always been the hardest thing to find a balance for. However, this may seem contradictory, but because it's a stimulant, taking enough feels like I've had 3 cups of coffee. Taking TOO much for your body can make you very jittery, and cause uncontrollable ticks.

When I first started taking Ritalin, my psychiatrist (I will hate this woman for the rest of my life because of this) prescribed me I believe 15 mg (mind you, I was in 3rd grade, and now almost 20 y.o., I take 10 mg when I have a lot to do and really need to focus) and I uncontrollably twitched different muscles in my face, neck and shoulder for a very long time. Because of this, I still do twitch when I get extremely stressed or overstimulated. My father, who is about 5'8" and takes 54 mg Concerta, once forgot he had taken it already and accidentally took two, and his head was jerking uncontrollably for the 12 hours it lasted; he locked himself in a room because any outside stimulation was more than he could handle. So my point in saying all this is just be careful not to take too much.

One last side effect I'm aware of is that if your body is used to having the stimulation every day of an ADHD medication, and you'd rather not take it on weekends or for a day whenever (as I do because I can't relax if I take very much of it) then it can make you feel very lethargic. This effect is similar to someone who is used to having 2 cups of coffee every morning...they practically can't function without the caffeine. So on those occassional days you don't take it, assuming you've been taking it daily, some caffeine or other stimulant may be needed to get yourself up and feeling normal. Again, this isn't ALWAYS the case, and if it is it only lasts a day or two if you stop taking it for a bit.

The attached link has a complete list for you. Most drugs used on ADHD children are also used on adults but with different dosages and sometimes different formulas. See link below. If you or someone you know needs to be treated for ADHD there should be an added benefit to treatment of personal help for organization and behavior modification by a counselor or social worker. Ask the doctor for this type of help too.

Sugar, simple carbohydrates like white flour based products, other refined (processed) carbohydrates, additives, aspartame, sucralose, artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, MSG, and other glutamates.

Risperdal is the brand name for the drug risperidone; risperidone is used to treat schizophrenia and sometimes to treat aggression in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Risperidone has no use for ADHD, and can cause worsening attention. Risperdal should not increase aggression.

ADD is a depreciated term for attention-deficit disorder. More appropriately, ADHD is used meaning attention-deficit hyperactivity-disorder. There are three subtypes of ADHD: predominately inattentive, predominately hyperactive, or a combination.

It depends on the strengths of each disease and how old you are. ADHD is really bad for young people like teens because they could not focus well.

Not to good when I'm feeling the side effect of drowsiness. When I don't feel that effect I guess I feel the same as I did before I started taking it. I've been taking it for nearly a month now by the way.

Not a smart thing to do, I quit cold turkey for Bi-Polar, and Depression and I regret being off them. Been there; done that. You become a popular breakfast cereal..... "Fruit Loops." You can only be bi-polar if the chemistry in your head becomes imbalanced; your meds are supposed to re-balance your scrambled head. Going without your meds is only good when you are appearing before a Social Security Evaluation Board to get on SSI, but not really recommended. Bi-polar IS A DIRECT RESULT FROM BIOLOGICAL PARENTS PROCREATING THESE CHILDREN AT CERTAIN, PREDICTABLE, AVOIDABLE TIMES. The only problem is that people never heard of this Theory, or the Genetic Law behind it This same Law affects EVERY child born.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) refers to a family of related cognitive disorders that interfere with a person's capacity to have normal activity levels (hyperactivity), hold back on impulsive behaviour (impulsivity), and focus on tasks (inattention) in developmentally appropriate ways. ADHD is a neurobiology disorder, meaning the problem affects brain function (thinking, learning and memory) and behaviour.

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can have difficulties at home, at school, and in relationships with friends and other children their age. ADHD has also been shown to have long-term adverse effects on school performance, career or job success, and social-emotional development. Because children with ADHD are not able to sit still and pay attention in school, they may have disciplinary problems, and they can be viewed as troublemakers by teachers and other students. They experience peer rejection and show a broad range of disruptive behaviours. Their academic and social problems can have far-reaching and long-term effects. These children have higher injury rates. As they grow older, children with untreated ADHD, in combination with conduct disorders, are at risk for abuse, antisocial behaviour, and injuries of all sorts. Up to 70% of children diagnosed with ADHD will continue to have symptoms into adulthood.

What is the relationship between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and other disorders, such as learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, or depression?

Most children treated for ADHD have other conditions. ADHD can co-occur with learning disabilities (15-25%), language disorders (30-35%), conduct disorder (15-20%), oppositional defiant disorder (up to 40%), mood disorders (15-20%), and anxiety disorders (20-25%). Up to 60% of children with tic disorders also have ADHD. Problems with memory, cognitive processing, sequencing, motor skills, social skills, control of emotional response, and response to discipline are common. Sleep disorders are also more common.

[The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder information above is based on source material from the National Institute on Mental Health entitled "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - Questions and Answers," published in March 2000.]

To elaborate on the previous answer, since ADHD and ADD have a significant biochemcial component, it is not surprising that those with ADHD find it varies in intensity over time, from day to day, and even during different times of day. The environment also plays a role in how easy it is to concentrate and refrain from fidgeting. Many, if not most people with ADHD and ADD learn to cope with it with the various aspects of the disorder, by compensation or practice. However, some of the ADHD deficits are not cope-able, meaning one needs to learn to live and work them. It will not actually go away, but it can become less of a problem as one learns to compensate for it. The most effective ways to deal with it usually include a combination of medication (for the biochemical part), behavior modification, and coping strategies.

No, ADHD is not infectious. It is not a virus, but a lack of growth in certain regions of the brain; a person with ADHD has underdeveloped brain regions that control focus, attention, and planning.

We tend to be totally off subject almost all of the time. For example, let's say Jiminy Cricket had ADD and was trying to help Pinocchio with a girl problem, suddenly he started talking about the old TV show "Get Smart."

it depends on there person and the medicine the right ADHD med could be great for you or your loved on but be unaffected or bad reaction for me. your gunna have to go though old fashion trail and error.

no is my final answer . i feel that therapy and talking will help dont start on drugs because this will cause a chain reaction.read label of side effects free at druginfo.com arianna no is my final answer . i feel that therapy and talking will help dont start on drugs because this will cause a chain reaction.read label of side effects free at druginfo.com arianna

I have ADHD and I havn't had any problems of it getting worse. I also havn't heard of it getting any worse either.

I can only speak for myself, of course, but as I have gotten older my own ADD has indeed gotten more severe, but not a lot because I finally found a treatment for it. I'm on a rather large dose of Adderall and it has had an unbelievable impact on my life. I wish I'd had it when I was a child or in high school.

I feel I must qualify this by saying that I also suffer from depression and anxiety and am also being treated for these.

However, before my psychiatrist and I found the right combo of meds, we went through more drugs and drug combos than I can accurately recall. I'd start a new treatment, it would help for a short while then I would 'crash.' Each time this happened I would feel worse.

With my Adderall I can concentrate, finish projects, and my self esteem has even improved because I know that I /can/ achieve goals and finish things now, where in the past I wouldn't even try because I was sure I'd just give up or lose interest.

For me, I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 6. I am 19 now. Going into adulthood my ADHD did increase in severity, but I am in my second week of treatment with adderall. I am currently taking 15mg a day (10mg when I wake up, 5mg at 4:00). The dosage is completely too low, but it's helping a bit.

there's a couple of ways of looking at this, too. my ADD seems to be getting much worse as I get older, (I'm being treated and am taking Dexadrine, which helps a lot) and yes, it could be that my ADD is actually getting worse, but it couls also be that as I get older I am having to deal with a lot more problems and responsibilities, and it may be that because of this it is simply becoming more obvious, which would appear (and feel)exactly the same.

ADHD is a grouping of behavioral or mental patterns: a mental disorder. It describes behavior but not an underlying cause. It’s like how a pain in your leg does not describe the cause of the pain. Is it broken, burnt or infected?

It looks like there are more ways to get ADHD: genetic, environmental and both. We just don’t know exactly what happens. Some recent Dutch research seems to indicate that for 80% of children with ADHD, most symptoms can be taken away by a personalized diet.

Full speculation mode - A big reason might be: The brain of someone with ADHD likes some food or activities too much. When consumed the brain makes so much dopamine that the body adapts and starts breaking it down faster. As a result normal dopamine production gets broken down faster too. On average you have to little dopamine in your brain, which is the stuff that makes you concentrate.