my paper om ADHD

ADHD
I did my research paper on ADHD. This is an acronym for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I chose this because I personally have been diagnosed with ADHD. This disorder effects between 3 to 7 percent of school age children. It also affects 2 to 4 percent of all adults.
The disorder can have many negative effects. Some of these include inability to pay attention to details, a tendency to make errors in schoolwork or other activities, difficulty with sustained attention in tasks or play activities, apparent listening problems, difficulty following instructions, problems organizing tasks and activities, avoidance or dislike of tasks that require mental effort, tendency to lose things like toys, notebooks or homework, and distractibility and/or forgetfulness.
ADHD is also defined by the following difficulties. Fidgeting or squirming, difficulty remaining seated, excessive running or climbing, difficult playing quietly , always seeming to be on the go, excessive talking, blurting out answers before hearing the full question, difficulty waiting for a turn or in a line and problems with interrupting or intruding.
This disorder use to be thought as only occurring in children. It is now just really being brought into focus that this also occurs in adults.
In adults it may effect there family relationships, romantic relationships and even there work. The side effects of this disorder have destroyed many relationships and complicated others.
ADHD can be treated but it can not be ‘cured’. Some of the treatments include, but are not limited to: Medication and counseling. Some medications seem to really help those with ADHD by reliving the symptoms. This can help them to function with minimal complications from the disorder. Counseling can help them to better organize their thoughts and behavior patterns.
I have learned that for a lot of ADHD patients stimulant medications help a great deal. Stimulant medications fall into three categories, Methylphenidates, which include Ritalin, Concerta, Methadate, and Focalin. Next are the mixed salts of a single entity amphetamine product which include Adderall and Adderall XR. Last there the dexatroamphetamines which include Dexadrine and Dexostat.
There are other kinds of medication types that are becoming more prominent. These are nonstimulant, and depression medications. The nonstimulant medications, such as Concerta, are now being more widely used. Although there are a lot more tests using stimulant medications, it is now becoming clear that some people respond just as well or better to the nonstimulant medications. For these people, any negative side effects that were caused by the nonstimulant medications can be avoided.
These are some frequently asked questions and answers about medications such as.
· Q: How long does it take to achieve a therapeutic dose of medication?
· A: The effects of stimulants are usually noticeable within 30-60 minutes.
· Q: With non stimulants it can take 3-4 weeks to take full affect. These medications usually take a few weeks to get the right dosage for each individual.
· Q: As my child grows, will the dosage need to be changed?
· A: It is not always necessary to change the dosage, Many adults and adolescence have been on the same dosage for years with no need to increase, or change it.
· Q: Will my child continue to take medication forever, even into adulthood?
· A: No not necessarily. Sixty seven percent of children with ADHD continue to show symptoms into adult hood.
· Q: Should medication only be taken when the child is in school?
· A: This is decided by the therapist and by the parents. It is often times a of more benefit if they continue to use the medication at home also.
· Q: What about the individuals that do not respond to medications, either pschostimulants or antidepressants?
· A: In general, at least two or three different psychostimulants should be tried before it is determined that they are not helpful.
It should also be revaluated to be sure that is the case that they really have ADHD. It may be that they have been miss diagnosed. Some other disorders will mimic this disorder or they may have another disorder that is causing the problems.
· Q: Are children who take psychstimulant medications more likely to have substance abuse problems later in life?
· A: No. Multiple studies have shown that people with ADHD on prescribed medications, not only do not have a substance abuse problem but they even have a lower chance of suffering from a substance abuse problem in the future.
For children that have ADHD there are medications with time release properties. This helps to alleviate some of the problems with the medications dispensed at schools. This can help to give the teachers and nurses more time to work with the individual children and to help to make sure there is an even dose delivered all day.
Many adults that have this disorder are not diagnosed correctly. Often, they find out that they are affected when there children are diagnosed. They may discover that they share many of the same symptoms as there ADHD diagnosed child. It is now becoming more apparent that both adults and children alike are affected. ADHD is rarely outgrown with age, but continues on through out the life of the affected person.
People who are affected by this disorder may qualify for programs to help the disorder. This aid comes in two forms: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This act guarantees children with ADHD a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Both of these require that the person applying meet certain requirements. Parents of ADHD children need to be aware of these programs, and weigh both the benefits and the drawbacks.
One of the main things that one should be aware of as a parent or a person with the disorder is that 67% of all people with ADHD also have a coexisting disorder.
These include Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Mood Disorders, and Anxiety Disorders, Tics and Tourette’s syndrome and learning disabilities.
Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Affect about 40% of all individuals with ADHD have oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). 25% of children 40-50% of adolescence and 20-25% of adults have Conduct Disorder. These two disorders are often over looked and should be carefully considered when assesing people who have ADHD. When treating ODD/CD, it is very important to discourage delinquent behaviors, to allow that person to repeatedly choose pro-social behaviors. Patients with ODD/CD usually require strong, clear structure with reinforcement of appropriate behaviors, as well as positive behavior management plans to extinguish antisocial and potentially harmful behaviors and correct their social behavior and thinking.
ODD involves a pattern of arguing with multiple adults, losing one’s temper, refusing to follow rules, blaming others, being deliberately annoying to others, being angry, resentful, spiteful, and/or vindictive.
Another Disruptive Behavior Disorder is Conduct Disorder (CD). CD often involves trying to break rules without getting caught. Some examples are: being aggressive to animals or people, skipping school, running away, destroying property, lying or stealing and breaking curfews. CD frequently is a serious problem and is described as delinquency in children with ADHD.
It has been shown that children with both ADHD and CD are twice as likely to have trouble reading then children with ADHD alone. The children affected are also a lot more likely to fail either emotionally or socially. Research shows that in those ADHD and CD students treated with stimulant medications, they were not only more attentive but less likely to display antisocial behaviors.
Mood disorders also accrue in a lot of people with ADHD. Besides being inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive they seem to have mood problems. Some of these can include the symptoms of crying daily, unexpectedly, out of the blue, irritability, mania, sad depressive moods or exhibiting mood swings mood swings. All of these can cause problems at work, school and in family and romantic relationships.
ADHD is a commonly occurring disorder that should be treated. It has many offshoots that can complicate it, and can be greatly improved by the right help medications, and/or trained and well informed people. If left untreated, it can cause a widely differing level of emotional and social damage. If you have ADHD or think that you might, you should seek the advice of a medical professional. Treatment may just help you better your life and the relationships you currently have and will have in the future. This is not just a disorder that affects children. It affects adults to.