Treating Attention Deficit Disorder Essay, Research Paper

What if you tried really hard at accomplishing a task and no matter how hard you tried, you just could not finish what you started. That would be pretty frustrating, right? Well surprisingly enough this is a common feeling for four to nine percent of Americans. This feeling is caused by a disorder called Attention Deficit Disorder or more commonly known as ADD. Most everyone has heard of ADD but most people really don t know what it is or even what it stands for, and when most people think of ADD they think of the spastic kid in school who is always taking pills. Actually ADD is one of the most common disorders out there. So what exactly is ADD? Attention Deficit Disorder is actually a chemical imbalance in one s brain. This chemical imbalance causes interference with one s ability to focus, sustain attention, and with memory retrieval. Some people say that having ADD is like driving in the rain with bad windshield wipers. Everything is smudged and blurred and you re speeding along, and it s really frustrating not being able to see very well. I feel that the best way of explaining ADD is the constant inability to effectively complete tasks. This inability to accomplish tasks generally makes children in school really frustrated, and a lot of the time is thought of as a slacker, disorganized, or a daydreamer. Another important fact is that people never outgrow Attention Deficit Disorder, people can really only learn to effectively deal with it. Attention Deficit Disorder is treatable, but there are many options to treat it. Right now there are about four drugs commonly used to treat children with ADD. But drugs aren t the only types of treatment. Along with the drugs you must also undergo therapy or counseling to learn coping skills and adaptive behaviors. But unfortunately not every person with ADD goes through counseling to learn coping skills when they are young. As a result of this once you are taken off of the medication you are somewhat lost when it comes to properly trying to concentrate, study, listen, and learn effectively. All of the medications have positive and negative sides to them, certain medications work well for some people and not so well for others. Because of this it is very important to have a good doctor who will figure out what is right for the individual. The most common medication for ADD is a drug called Ritalin (methylphenidate hydrochloride). Ritalin, like most medications used to treat ADD, is a central nervous system stimulant, it works by stimulating the brain stem, which improves alertness and concentration, and attention span and the ability to focus on learning. So why use a stimulant to treat poor attention and hyperactivity? Well the medical science experts aren t really sure. Ritalin should generally be taken for at least a few weeks to determine if it will produce beneficial effects. Unfortunately there are a lot of down sides to Ritalin. Some of the more common side effects are nervousness, insomnia, reduced appetite, rash, hives, and joint pains. Some of the more infrequent effects are hallucinations, stuttering, extensive bruising, and even low blood cell count. A few doctors say that Ritalin can even weaken the heart. Not only are there physical side effects, there are emotional effects as well. It is thought that Ritalin can be very addictive, and sometimes children have a hard time getting off the drug, they may experience sleeplessness, and sometimes extended hyperactivity. For these reasons most parents are leaning away from Ritalin for use on their children.Another very common medication used to treat ADD is a drug called Cylert (magnesium pemoline). Cylert is another central nervous system stimulant. It is much like Ritalin as far as the effectiveness of the drug but there are many different side effects. Cylert is a fairly new drug and isn t as widely prescribed as Ritalin. Like any drug there are both good and bad sides to it. The good thing about Cylert is that it has fewer common side effects than Ritalin. But the more infrequent side effects are much more serious. For instance, studies show that Cylert can cause stunts in growth, both height and weight, in children. Also it can cause both Tourette s Syndrome and tics in children. For this reason Cylert should only be used for treating adults with ADD. Another bad side to Cylert is that it is supposed to be very addictive. Cylert is a drug that should be tried for a few weeks and if some of the more serious side effects are experienced than an alternative drug should be tried. One of the best alternatives to Ritalin and Cylert is a drug called Adderall (dextroamphetamine). Adderall is another fairly new drug. Adderall, unlike other medications used to treat ADD has very few side effects. In fact the most serious side effect is loss of appetite, which can easily be solved by sticking to a regular diet. Adderall is a great drug for many reasons. Mostly, Adderall is a long lasting drug; one pill will literally last the whole day. This is great because it saves children the embarrassment of going to the school nurse in the middle of school to get their daily medication. Another great thing about Adderall is that its onset of action is much slower and smoother. This eliminates the nervousness and hyperactivity usually experienced with Drugs like Ritalin and Cylert. Also getting off Adderall is much slower and smoother then most other drugs, this eliminates the withdraw-like symptoms when coming off most ADD medications. Also, Adderall is effective and safe on both adults and children, so the use of Adderall has been very positive.

Another great alternative to Ritalin and Cylert is a drug called Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine sulfate). Dexedrine is very similar to Adderall, basically because it is a long lasting pill, it has very few side effects, and it is one of the most effective drugs for relieving the bothersome symptoms of ADD. Dexedrine has been excepted very widely basically because it is a very attractive alternative to the ever so dreaded Ritalin and also it is the cheapest way to medicate ADD. There are very few people who oppose Dexedrine, mainly because of the addictive qualities of the drug, but those same people are against all types of stimulants for treating ADD. Although medication is very helpful with relieving symptoms of ADD, they aren t the only source of treatment. Along side of medication, medical, psychological and educational intervention, and behavior management techniques are required to affectivity treat ADD. This treatment should start immediately after being diagnosed with ADD. This is so important because you cannot always depend on the medications to fix all your problems. In fact it is common for individuals to become almost immune to the medication that they are on, rendering that medication ineffective. Also as you go from being a child with ADD to an adult with ADD doctors generally don t like to prescribe medication. Children with ADD need to learn coping skills, these skills are especially important in the classroom. It is very important for the parent of an ADD child to learn behavior management, if the parents are well informed they are more likely to make more informed decisions when it comes to dealing with their children s problems. Another very important part of ADD treatment is an appropriate educational program. A teacher should be informed about ADD to effectively deal with an ADD child s symptoms. Finally individual and family counseling should be done. Psychologists can be really helpful in recommending activities that will help with ADD. By personally having Attention Deficit Disorder I can say that all of those treatments are very important when dealing with ADD. I didn t deal with ADD till I was quite a bit older and I realized that I really needed help. Because of this it was a lot harder for me to learn to deal with the disorder. Although the medications did help when I was younger, I didn t really know what to do without the medications when I got older. Work Cited 1. Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. What s It Like To Have ADD? Copyright 1992http://www.add.org/content/abc/hallowell.htm (14 January 1999) 2. Peter Jaksa, Ph.D. Treatment of ADHD. Fact Sheet on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD). Copyright 1998. http://www.add.org/content/abc/factsheet.htm (14 January 1999) 3. Clinical Tools, Inc. ADHD medication: Ritalin (methylphenidate) Copyright 1998. http://206.31.218.3/english/pharmacy/meds/ritalin.htm(14 January 1999) 4. Peter R. Breggin M.D. Psychiatrist Discloses Ritalin s Hidden Dangers to Children. Talking Back to Ritalin. www.Ritalinprnews.com (14 January 1999) 5. Clinical Tools, Inc. ADHD medication: Cylert (magnesium pemoline) Copyright 1998. http://206.31.218.3/english/pharmacy/meds/cylert.htm(14 January 1999) 6. Clinical Tools, Inc. ADHD medication: Adderall (dextroamphetamine) Copyright 1998. http://206.31.218.3/english/pharmacy/meds/adderall.htm(14 January 1999) 7. Clinical Tools, Inc. ADHD medication: Dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) Copyright 1998. http://206.31.218.3/english/pharmacy/meds/dexedrine.htm(14 January 1999) 8. CH.A.D.D. Treating A Child with Attention Deficit Disorder. Copyright 1995 http://www.chadd.org/fact3.htm (14 January 1999)