Treatments of ADHD
Uploaded by purple_nurple on Apr 25, 2007
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is “a condition that is usually found in children characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness.” Affecting about 35% of the children in the US, this disorder is most often found in adolescences showing signs of aggression, disruptiveness, and the inability to control themselves; symptoms like these can be shown as early as the age of five. Although several treatments are available for ADHD, the three main types people rely on are medication, Biofeedback, and homeopathic remedies.
The most common form of treatment for ADHD is medication, which is most frequently prescribed and is made up of stimulant and non stimulant prescription drugs. Stimulants help increase both mental and motor performance and uplift the mood in depressed persons. The drugs achieve this by allowing a child to have the ability to block out irrelevant thoughts and impulses and to focus their attention on what is important. In this way, stimulants help children become more aware of their surroundings and more aware of self control, which is the net result. In short, stimulants benefit children in a focusing sense; “…for about 70% of people with ADHD, stimulant medications improve their symptoms.” This form of medication “also increases the ability to problem solve and to learn,” as well as helping an individual do a better job at choosing what to say or do. This is accomplished because of “less interruptions, fidgeting, and finger tapping” during the school day. Children are also able to improve “their social skills and relationships, along with their attention during sports and other activities.” With stimulants, a child can use their “brake pedal.” In other words, they can slow their mind and thoughts so they can focus on the task at hand. Without stimulants, a child is all “gas pedal”; they cannot focus or organize their thoughts and their mind races from one thing to the next.
With the help of stimulant drugs, like Ritalin and Dexedrine, which are both “a form of amphetamine,” children are able to focus during certain time periods. Most stimulant medicines are similar to a time release capsule. Once a medicine is ingested, it will start working about thirty minutes later and last for about four to five hours, depending on its type. Ritalin and Dexedrine have these characteristics. Other capsules, like Concerta, “last for about twelve hours,...