FrontPage
by
Grace Bridges, Monica Griffin, Stephanie Gnewuch, Katie Reegen
This heading and the background to the powerpoint towards the end of this wiki was created by using the picture cited as follows:
Blue pills. (Online Image). Available <http://www.wincount.com/blue%20 pills.JPG>. 23 Nov. 2008.
Table of Contents:
Guiding Question
An Overview
Our Statistics
Medication for ADD/ADHD
Alternative Treatments
Useful Resources
Works Cited
Works Consulted
Guiding Question:
What alternative therapies are available
for treating ADD/ADHD?
An Overview:
You have probably heard of ADD or ADHD. According to the National Institute of Mental Health it is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders among school-aged children, affecting approximately
3-5% or about 2 million children in the United States. That works out to be about one in every class.
Our group did a random survey of students at our high school and found that a staggering 82% of the students questioned knows someone with ADD or ADHD, and 43% said that person is close to them. This is not surprising because although for some people the symptoms of ADD or ADHD begin to subside as they mature into an adult, many teens and adults continue to struggle with them. This makes it imperative to understand the disorder and its treatments because understanding the disorder results in tolerance and appreciation, breaking down false stereotypes and supporting those who have ADD or ADHD.
One of the most common stereotypes of people with any neurological disorder is that medication does not help the user, but simply masks the problem. This is not so. A study by the National Institute of Mental Health concluded,
"Long-term combination treatments and the medication-management alone were superior to
intensive behavioral treatment...in some areas the combined treatment the combined treatment was usually superior...and could be successfully treated with lower doses of medicine" (NIMH 6).
In other words, properly dosed medication or a balance of medication and behavioral therapies is most often the key for successful ADD or ADHD management. However, do the adverse side effects of some medications, you or your loved ones doctor may decide that the adverse side effects outweigh the benefits and limit or discontinue the medication. In such cases, alternative therapies used alone or in conjunction with less medication is essential for proper symptom management. You or your loved ones doctor should carefully make that decision.
This wiki explains the basics of ADD and ADHD, the common medications used in their treatment, and some alternative therapies that are used. We hope that this wiki proves useful and informative.
Our Statistics
In order to understand approximately how much ADD and ADHD affects the IA community, our group surveyed many different students during lunch. We asked two yes or no questions. The first question asked whether or not he or she knows someone with ADD or ADHD. The second question asked if the person would consider that person to be a close friend or relative. The results were this: 75.5% circled "yes" and 24.5% circled "no" for the first question. For the second question 39% circled "yes" and 61% circled "no." The survey was a strong indicator that for many in the IA community ADD or ADHD affects their lives and therefore an adequate knowledge on the subject could be beneficial.
Medication for ADD/ADHD
There are three main types of medication used to combat ADD and ADHD. They are stimulants, antidepressants, and antihypertensives.
The most commonly used medications are stimulants such as Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin, and Focalin because of their common success. In fact, stimulants effectively treat about 70% of teens with ADD/ADHD. They work by increasing the dopamine levels in the brain, which boosts concentration and reduces hyperactive tendencies and impulsiveness. Most take effect about thirty minutes after taking them and last all day, but there are short-acting doses as well. This helps many people increase their abilities to focus, work, and learn.
The second type of medications are tricyclic antidepressants such as Tofranil, Norpramine, and Pamelor. They function by blocking the neurotransmitor norpinephrine from being returning to the nerve cell. Another kind of antidepressant that is used is called dopaminergic antidepressants such as Welbutrin. Antipdepressants are mostly used when treating both depression and ADHD.
The third type of medication used are antihypertensives such as Catapres and Tenex. They are used for treating hyperactivity and aggressiveness. It is also important to note that antihypertensives are normally used in addition to stimulants or anti-depressants, unlike the stimulants anti-hupertensives that can be used by themselves.
These medications are quite effective for many teens, but they are not without negative side effects.
Side effects for stimulants include:
- Feeling restless and jittery
- Difficulty sleeping, Loss of appetite
- Headaches, Upset stomach
- Irritability, mood swings
- Depression
- Effect on developing brain
- Heart related problems
- Possible stunted growth
Common side effects for antidepressants are:
- weight gain
- sedation
- dry mouth
- constipation
- headache
- increased heart rate
- Depression
- confusion
Another potential downside to medication is that it can be easily abused and sold, either by the patient or the patient’s friends. Additionally, the patient can be stereotyped by people who are uneducated about taking medicine for a mental disorder. So how can we minimize these negative side effects that come with the medications for ADD or ADHD? The answer is simple and complex because each patient must be considered individually. The most common solution is a treatment combining medication and alternative therapies.
Alternative Therapies
Since using drugs is only a short-term solution (meaning that, if you stop taking them, you will not see any of the effects changed), there is a need for alternate treatments. This is especially important in cases where there is also depression and/or anxiety. These methods are all long term and have lasting effects, unlike using drugs.
First of all, there is chiropractic treatment. This is when sensory integration is corrected by realigning the patient's spine by reducing stress on their spinal chord; the reason that this is important is because ADD/ADHD sometimes causes the nervous system to not interpret the patient's senses properly, which results in the brain misinterpretating signals.
Next, there is nutritional treatment. This is mostly useful to patients with food allergies and sensitivites (ADHD has been linkned to food allergies) to certain foods, but it can help all people with the disorder in general. Foods that have a lot of Omega-3 fatty acids can be helpful to all people with the disorder because it helps sharpen mental focus and reduce hyperactivity.
Another good way to help patients is by having them go to counseling. This helps them with their stress, which can be bad because of growing up with a behavioral disorder. Also, if they have other disorders like depression, this can help them with that as well.
Next, there is behavioral therapy. Although it sounds similar to counseling, instead of having the patients talk about themselves and trying to understand themselves, this helps correct certain bad behaviors that may be because of their disorder in order to improve their overall performance in life. This helps change their thinking and ways of coping with things. Some examples would be self management, organization, study skills, prioritizing, focusing, controlling anger, and thinking before acting.
Finally, there is social skills training. Unlike behavioral therapy, which helps correct bad behaviors, social skills training creates new good ones. It also helps them develop and deal properly with social sitations, as well as reconginzing certain situations, like learning to read others' expressions and respond correctly to them (their own expressions, tone of voice, etc). In general, it is to make sure the patient works better with others.
There are many simple things someone can do. By keeping a schedule that's constant every day, being organized with every day things and keeping everying in a certain place, and using homework and notebook organizers, someone with the disorder's life can become much easier.
Useful Resources
For your convenience, you can access our powerpoint presentation of this project by clicking on the link below.
FINAL_ADD_and_ADHD_powerpoint.ppt
We also created an article for our school newspaper, which you can access by clicking on the link below. (Note: The article is on page 6).
www.iatoday.org/pdf/overachiever5.4.pdf
Works Cited
"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." 3 April 2008. National Institute of Mental Health. 20 Nov. 2008
<http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/adhd/complete-publication.shtml#pub6>.
Works Consulted
Blazer, Bonita. A Child’s Guide to Concentrating for Kids with ADHD. N.p.: Shire US Inc., 1999.
CHADD: Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. National Resource
Center on AD/HD. 20 Nov. 2008 <http://www.chadd.org>.
"Government Issues ADHD Drug Warning." Current Science, a Weekly Reader Publication 91.8
(Dec 16, 2005): 14(1). Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. International Academy High
School. 14 Oct. 2008 <http://find.galegroup.com/itx>.
Kwasman, Alan, Barbara J. Tinsley, and Heidi S. Lepper. "Pediatricians’ Knowledge and Attitudes
Concerning Diagnosis and Treatment of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders."
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 149.n11 (Nov 1995): 1211(6). Health & Wellness
Resource Center. Gale. International Academy High School. 19 Nov. 2008
<http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HWRC/>.
Root, Trudie A. "Your Child and ADD/ADHD: A Parent's Guide." Library Journal 124.16
(Oct 1, 1999):146. Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. International Acadmey High
School. 15 Oct. 2009 <http://find.galegroup.com/itx/>.
Smith, Melinda, Deborah Cutter, Robert Segal, and Jeanne Segal. "ADD & ADHD Medications:
Are Meds Right for You or Your Child?" 27 June 2008. HELPGUIDE.org: a Trusted Non-Profit
Resource. Ed. Joelle Belmonte. 20 Nov. 2008
<http://www.helpguide.org/mental/adhd_medications.htm>.
Staying in the Loop about ADHD. Tirosh, Emanud, et al. "Sleep and ADD Medication." Pediatric
Report’s Child Health Newsletter 11.n1 (Feb 1994): 5(2). Health Reference Center Academic.
Gale. International Academy High School. 19 Nov. 2008 <http://find.glaegroup.com/itx/>.
"Treating ADD/ADHD Naturally. (In Depth)." The Exceptional Parent 33.2 (Feb 2003): 40(1). Health
Reference Center Academic. Gale. International Academy High School. 14 Oct. 2008
<http://find.galegroup.com/itx/>.
"Treating ADHD Symptoms Without Medication: Free Special Report Examines Alternate ADHD
Treatments." Biotech Week 30 July 2008: 3016. Health & Wellness Resource Center. Gale.
International Academy High School. 15 Oct. 2008 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HWRC/>.
Vatz, Richard E., and Lee S. Weinberg. "Overreacting to attention deficit disorder." USA Today
(Magazine). 123.n2596 (Jan 1995): 84(2). Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. International
Academy High School. 19 Nov. 2008 <http://find.galegroup.com/itx>.
Wolraich, Mark L., Charles J. Wibbelsman, Thomas E. Brown, Steven W. Evans, Edward M.
Gotlieb, John R. Knight, E. Clarke Ross, Howard H. Shubiner, Esther H. Wender, and
Timothy Wilens. "Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder among Adolescents: a Review of the
Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Implications."Pediatrics 115.6 (June 2005): 1734(13).
Health Reference Center Academic. Gale. International Academy High School. 14 Oct. 2008
<http://find.galegroup.com/itx/>.
Note: Due to unknown technical formatting difficulties, the formating of the works cited is not perfect. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
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