What is ADHD?
The American Psychiatric Association describes ADHD as a disorder whose main features
include hyperactivity, impulsiveness and an inability to sustain attention or concentration.
It is further divided into three specific diagnostic forms. Difficult to diagnose,
it may manifest itself differently in girls, whose symptoms may be less obvious,
than in boys. Children with ADHD have difficulty with home, school, and peer relationships.
They often talk excessively, blurt out answers before questions are completed and
have trouble making and keeping friends. Alternatively, their inattentiveness may
cause them to “tune out” the teacher and be labeled “dreamers.”
ADHD has also been shown to have long-term adverse effects on academic performance,
vocational success, and social-emotional development. For many individuals, the
impact of ADHD continues into adulthood.
How common is ADHD?
ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed disorder of childhood, reaching epidemic proportions
throughout the United States. It is estimated by The National Institutes of Mental
Health to affect 3 to 5 percent of school-age children, occurring three times more
often in boys than in girls. On average one child in every classroom in the United
States needs help for this disorder.
What are current treatment options?
Traditional Western medicine uses stimulant and depressive medications as well as
behavioral modifications as primary treatment modes. Non-traditional approaches
have included biofeedback, acupuncture, cranial sacral therapy, homeopathy, hypnotherapy,
and sound and vision therapy. A 1997 study in the Journal of Pediatric Child Health
found a conclusive link between diet and ADHD behavior in some children. A 1995
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study found that ADHD subjects had significantly
lower concentrations of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in their blood plasma, and
a 1996 study reported in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry found that
zinc levels in ADHD patients were less than half the levels of those in the control
group. Additional studies have linked low magnesium, iron and seratonin levels with
ADHD. While much is yet to be learned about this disorder, clearly nutritional therapy
is in many cases beneficial in taming the symptoms of ADHD.
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