ADHD refers to a group of symptoms which begin in early childhood and continue into adulthood causing difficulty at home, school and at work. It is the most common behavioural disorder of children and teens. Children or adults suffering from ADHD are restless, hyperactive, impatient, impulsive and inattentive. Boys are diagnosed with ADHD more often than girls. We frequently get little ones, moving around in the chamber, touching different things on the table, opening drawers, not listening to their parents or to the doctor, adults of this disorder can not wait for their turn, they are impatient, all the time enquiring, how long they will have to wait, constantly moving in and out of the waiting room.
CAUSES
The exact causes are not known but abnormal function of prefrontal and cortical lobe can cause problem with attention and impulse control. A combination of genetic and environmental factors also play a role. ADHD runs in families. The parents of ADHD children also show some traits of the disorder. Imbalance of chemicals that keep nerve cells in the brain communicate with each other, called neurotransmitters like dopamine and norepinephrine may be a factor in development of symptoms. It has also been observed that areas of brain that control attention are less active in children with ADHD.
Other factors include poor nutrition, infections, abuse of cigarette and alcohol during pregnancy which affect the development of baby’s brain may be the contributing factors.
Exposure to toxins such as lead in early childhood can affect brain development. Injury to brain or some brain disorder can cause ADHD.
SYMPTOMS
There are three main group of symptoms
1. INATTENTION
Difficulty in paying attention and unable to consistently focus, remember and organize, have a hard time starting and completing tasks that are boring, repetitive or challenging. Children are easily distracted, don’t follow instructions, daydreaming make careless mistakes, loose their things and are forgetful about daily activities
2. IMPULSIVENESS
Such type of people frequently act before thinking, may not make sound judgments or solve problems well, may have trouble maintaining personal relationships. An adult may not keep same job or spend wisely, difficulty in waiting for their turn, often interrupt other. Children rush to the street without looking.
3. HYPERACTIVITY
Child may squirm, fidget, climb or run when it is not appropriate. These children have difficulty playing with others, may talk a great deal. Adults do not enjoy reading or quiet activities.
To be considered suffering from ADHD these symptoms must appear before seven years of age and must continue for six months. The behaviour must occur more often or more surely than in other children of same age. Most important is that the behaviour must create real handicaps in at least two areas of life- in school and at social settings or working at home. A child who is overactive at school only but does well elsewhere does not have ADHD.
TREATMENT
Need for treatment – Essential for ADHD, without treatment there is interference with child’s performance at school, inability to make and keep friends negatively effect his self esteem. ADHD children are at risk for developing conduct disorder, depression and anxiety disorder. Teens may have great risk for car accidents, alcohol or tobacco use.
With treatment they are able to focus attention, develop personal strength, minimize disruptive behaviour, become productive and useful. Treatment can also decrease frustration, discouragement and failure, that many people experience throughout their lives.
ADVICE for parents of ADHD children
A good mental and physical health will help provide the needed energy. Learn behaviour management skill through counseling. Help the child to learn how to interact appropriately with other people.
TIPS for helping child
1 Develop healthy self esteem. Behaviour caused by such a child can affect his feelings about himself. Help the child by developing healthy selfesteem by encouraging a sense of belonging, confidence in learning , and awareness of his contributions.
2 Be successful in school It will help the child academically, socially and developmentally.
3 Accomplish task at home It requires parents’ patience, persistence and creative thinking
TESTS
Hearing or vision impairment
For lead poisoning
Anaemia may cause low energy and poor concentration.
Thyroid Function Tests High or low levels can effect energy and attention.
Seizures can affect brain function and result in unusual behaviour.
HOMOEOPATHIC TREATMENT
Some important drugs are
TARENTULA – Great restlessness, sensitive to music, jumping and dancing. Fidgety of arms and legs, moving from one place to another, striking himself and others, rubbing head against the pillow.
ZINC-Fidgety feet even while sleeping. Children play dirty tricks with their siblings.
APIS – Awkwardly handle things, drop them frequently, moving feet while sitting. There may be a history of suppressed eruptions and discharges.
CINA – Child can not sit quietly, puts finger in mouth or nose, wants something but does not know what. Wormy child, jerks and twitches in sleep, can’t have hair combed, rolling of head from side to side, irritable peevish and obstinate child with pale face and dark rings around the eyes. Child can ‘t sleep unless in constant motion or on belly.
CHAMOMILLA – All the time excitable, striking , throwing things, extremely irritable.
KALI BROM – Over excitement of brain due to worms, shrieking in sleep, busy playing with fingers or his dress or walking about, feels better if occupied physically or mentally., better by rubbing, excitement by slightest external stimulus.
KALI IOD – Talkative, restless, harsh, wants to walk in open air.
IODIUM – Always walking to throw away anxiety, impulsive to tear things, to do harm to himself, to do violence. Enlarged glands, always hungry, eats between meals, but weak emaciated body, wants cool room, all the time running about, never sits or sleeps quietly
.
TUBERCULINUM – Constant desire to do something, to go somewhere, to do different things desire to travel, adults will keep changing doctors., tendency to catch cold with tubercular family or personal history.
Besides these remedies following rubrics can be of help in the selection of appropriate medicine
Absent minded
Attention, lack of
Break things, desire
Concentration difficult
Destructiveness
Excitement, nervous
Gestures plays with fingers
Impatience, runs about
Impetuous, hurry Impatience
Impulsive, to run
Inconstancy
Improvident, heedless
Memory, weak for every day work
Mistakes , makes
Occupation, changing constantly
Overactive
Persists in nothing, undertakes many things
Plans, making many
Quieted, can not be
Reading, aversion to
Restlessness
Runs about
Sitting, aversion to
Travel, desire to
Understand, does not, question addressed to when
Wander, desire to
Dr. Poonam Batra
B.H.M.S. (Del)
Marris Rd, ALIGARH
Cell: 0571-3111500
drpoonambatra@hotmail.com