Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and Parenting

The legitimacy of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been a controversial topic since it’s recognition as a part of the DSM-III, although there is copious research proving how many children are affected by this disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ADHD may affect around 3-5 percent of children. Psychiatrist Sami Timimi and psychologist Nick Radcliffe believe that ADHD does not exist and that the rapid increase of children taking stimulant medication to control it since 1996 is astonishing. Timimi and Radcliffe assert that it is a disorder made up by Western culture in order to explain away normal behavior in adolescents. They claim that normal adolescent behavior is viewed as unacceptable in today’s self-indulgent society. There have been millions of dollars and countless hours spent funding research about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, how it affects children, and what is the cause of ADHD.

Behavioral disorder or ADHD remains comparatively common among young children ages four to twelve years of age. These conditions exist extremely innate, brain based that has to do with the limitation of a specific functions of the brain associated with behaviors. Mischief-makers and undisciplined are the characteristics of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). For parents and caregivers to detect behaviors particularly from association to concentration might conceivably overwhelming. To help stabilize the brain’s activity, physicians prescribe drugs to children with ADHD, but some parents disagree with it considering the effects of drugs. This paper will explore the benefit of a child’s well-being that depends on the hands of parents, caregivers, and doctors whether drugs are appropriately prescribe for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Attention Deficit hyperactive disorder is a prevalent and ever rising affliction in modern societies. “According to the American Psychiatric Association (2009), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders in school-aged children(Saemi 179)”.While the initial response to handling the syndrome is to medicate it and continually medicate to stem the Simpsons. This is not a temporary instance to cure the disease just a never ending cycle. It is my belief that not only is the medication over prescribed, but the alternative methods are to quickly overlooked. To clarify, I do not argue that the medication is uncalled for and should be removed. Only that everyone who has the condition should be

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is classified as a syndrome that is comprised of a variety of behaviors that often arises in early childhood and is characterized by extremely high levels of motor activity, difficulties with attention span and concentrating, and/or impulsive behaviors (Cook & Cash, 2011). It has been estimated in the United States that approximately 20% of children and adolescents display signs of a psychological or behavioral disorder according to Luthy, David, Macintosh, Eden, and Beckstrand (2015). ADHD is considered one of the more prevalent psychological disorders in children, with approximately 3-7% of school-age children with an ADHD diagnosis as mentioned by Luthy et al. (2015).

“ADHD is the most extensively studied pediatric mental health disorder, yet controversy and public debate over the diagnosis and medication treatment of the disorder continue to exist.” (Connor D., P.1, 2011) Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often a debated subject when the method of treatment is being discussed because it has become a trending issue to over medicate children with ADHD. A fitting label for the trend is the anesthetization of our youth, caused by government agency expansion and pharmaceutical allowances, and blame parents not advocating for their child better.

Over the past couple of decades there has been a huge increase in the diagnosis and prescriptions given out for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. According to a news report done by USA Today over the past five years use of ADHD medications have risen 40% totaling 39.5 million individual prescriptions ("New findings," 2009). When statistics like this are seen it is only normal for someone to ask questions. People are becoming curious about the legitimacy of the disorder, and whether or not the treatments being given to individuals are appropriate. The argument seems to be strong on both sides of the fence, but the extensive research done on ADHD leaves it hard for one to believe that it is a made up disorder.

The trending topic of ADHD and the medication provided has been widely criticized and reviewed for its long and short term affects. Most commonly the concerns are raised from parents struggling to decide whether or not to place their children diagnosed with ADHD on the available prescribed medication. The persistent controversy stems around the long- term effects of stimulant ADHD medication and the development of substance abuse within kids and adults (Zheng, Lichtenstein, Halldner, D’Onofrio, Serlachius, Fazel, Larsson, 2014). Many claims surround the condition is not adequately recognized, while others claim once diagnosed medication is pushed too hard on the parents without knowing the possible hidden dangers or complete understanding

In the United States, 9.5 percent of children between the ages of 3 and 17 were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD (Morris 1). ADHD is defined as a constant issue with hyperactivity, lack of focus, inability to control behavior, or a combination of these (Berger 1). In order to quell the difficulties caused by ADHD, parents will usually resort to sending their child to a physician to prescribe a specific medication. These medications serve a great purpose, but also include numerous unwanted side effects. As of 2010, 48 percent of 325 surveyed patients reported side effects caused by ADHD medications, the most frequent being loss of appetite, sleep problems and mood swings. About 21 percent of these side effects

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a well-known problem across the world. The most controversial topics when it comes to ADHD are the drugs used to treat the disorder. It is commonly known that ADHD represents something along the lines of “one is too hyper and cannot pay attention”, but that doesn’t mean they should be forced to take a medication that will potentially affect their well-being for the rest of their life. The mind of a human being is a beautiful and fragile thing, drugs should not be used for those who struggle with ADHD. The school system does not treat those with ADHD in learning environments correctly. Those who have been

The use of stimulant medications such as Ritalin or Adderall in children with the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continues to rise, albeit at a slower pace than in previous decades, a new study finds. The study authors tracked data on prescription in the US 1996 to 2008. They found that the use of drugs for ADHD was higher among children of 6-12 years and increased slightly from 4.2 percent in 1996 to 5.1 percent twelve years later. However, increase more pronounced occurred in older children, ages 13 and 18. In this group, the ADHD drugs increased more than double, from 2.3 percent in 1996 to 4.9 percent in 2008. The researchers said this reflects a greater understanding

When children begin to develop “symptoms” of ADHD, parents begin to become frustrated and lose patients, so they think they need to go to the doctors and have their own child put on medication. It is very common that children are misdiagnosed with ADHD. Eighty-two percent of teachers and sixty-eight percent of undergraduates agreed that ADHD is over diagnosed. “According to many critics, such over diagnosis raises the specter of medicalizing largely normal behavior and relying to heavily on pills rather than skills, such as teaching children better ways of coping with stress” (Lilenfeld).

The controversial issue of over-diagnosing ADHD and the subjective matter of psychiatry is a topic that is shrouded in misconception and lack of understanding within the American public. An apparent epidemic of ADHD overdiagnosis has increased the number of young children taking psychostimulants and this dramatic increase has been a cause for concern in the United States. ADHD is one of the most prominent mental illnesses in the United States and the effect to which it is diagnosed -especially in young children- has become a significant problem and raised the question about the credibility of psychiatry.

Public awareness of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) went from being under diagnosed to being over diagnosed. These days, teachers, counselors, and parents will diagnose a child with having ADHD disorder if he/she has disruptive behavior. Yet, the public does not know if ADHD is it an actual psychiatric disorder, a behavioral problem, or a school-based learning and interaction problem. Although it seems that ADHD is a socially constructed disorder rather than a valid neurobiological disorder, Pharmaceutical companies’ advertisements bombard the media convincing parents that medications are the best cure for their child to behave properly. Doctors, research organizations, and medical schools must continually

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (“ADHD”) is a common childhood disorder that represents developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, impulsivity and overactivity. It occurs in 3% to 5% of the school age population as stated by (Craighead, Craighead, Kazdin & Mahoney, 1994). Another author (Barkley, 1981) stated that ADHD occurs in at least one child in every classroom. As a result of these statistics, ADHD has become one of the most commonly referred and heavily studied psychological disorders of childhood. Studies show that about 50-60% of children with ADHD in the age range of five to seven years are hostile and defiant. By the

Excessive levels of hyperactivity and inattention can be extremely impairing for both the afflicted child and their caretakers. Children with ADHD can experience problems with cogni-tion, poor academic achievement, troubled peer relationships, and heightened household conflict (Barkley, 1997; Loe 2007; Bagwell, 2001; Harpen, 2005). These children often present with in-creased aggression that can result in a comorbid diagnosis of conduct disorder or other disruptive behavioral disorders (Jensen, 1997). The heterogeneous symptoms of this disorder can make se-lecting a treatment course particularly challenging. While prescribing stimulant medication has become the golden standard for dealing with an attentional system gone awry, there is growing concern over the use of pharmacological interventions for children since the side effects of such use during this period of development may not yet be fully understood. Additionally these drugs do not directly curtail aggressive and defiant behavior that many of these children display but they may improve a child’s ability to benefit from other psychosocial interventions.