ADHD has, as time passed, become more and more common among children. Perhaps not because the disorder is getting more common, but parents, teachers and doctors know more about the disorder nowadays, and tend to diagnose children more rapidly. The CDC recently conducted telephone interviews with parents and subsequently published a report which shows that almost 4.4 million young children in the US, at one time have been diagnosed with ADHD. Almost 2.5 million of these children were being medicated. Possible side effects of ADHD medication such as Ritalin are well known. Pharmaceutical treatment of ADHD may have side effects which are quite troubling, and this is why more and more parents are turning to natural remedies for ADHD instead of possibly dangerous ADHD medication.

ADHD is commonly treated with the two drugs methylphenidate or amphetamine, which are both central stimulant drugs. They have been proven to be effective when it comes to ADHD symptoms, but they also carry a high risk of substance abuse and carry lots of side effects, such as changes in weight, damaging appetite loss or gain, severe insomnia, as well as nervous tics. Most of us know this already; it is not healthy to give children the drugs which are abused by drug addicts on the streets. The amount of children who take these drugs is alarming – the production of methylphenidate and amphetamine has increased by 500% and 2000%, respectively, since the beginning of the 1990′s. Over 50% of prescriptions for these drugs come from pediatricians.

Since these medications share these troubling side effects, lots of parents are beginning to look into alternative options when it comes to treatments of ADHD. The research done on herbal treatments have indeed shown some promising results, and most treatments come without side-effects at all.

Studies have been conducted where caffeine has been identified as being a potential so-called “herbal remedy”, because of its properties of the stimulant nature. Several studies have shown how caffeine can be beneficial to children suffering from ADHD when given to them in quite high doses. However, the benefits from caffeine could not prove to be shown to reach the level of those seen with the traditional pharmaceutical treatments. It is also important to remember that several side effects from ingesting caffeine exist, including addiction and sleep disorders.

Other herbal remedies that have shown great promise without side effects are Brahmi, Ginkgo Biloba, Gotu Kola, Siberian ginseng, as well as green oats. All of these natural herbs enhance the alertness of a person without having to rely on caffeine.

Ginkgo leaves can increase the amount of blood which flows to the brain, and can also act as an antioxidant to nervous tissue. In addition to this, it can also improve the metabolism of glucose in the brain. Apart from this, Brahmi acts as an antioxidant, in the same way Ginkgo does, and has in fact been shown to increase learning abilities and cognition. Ginseng from Siberia increases brain activity and work performance. Gotu kola has been found to reduce chemicals in the blood which are released during stressful moments. Green oats have been known to function as a nerve tonic, and displays other stimulating effects over time.

Some Chinese herbs also show positive effects the symptoms of ADHD. A study conducted, comparing a Chinese herbal formula to Ritalin, showed these same benefits, but with fewer of the side effects which actually hurt the behavior and well being of children.

One particular product which has shown to support concentration and attention, while promoting normal energy levels in children and adults, is Focus ADHD Formula. This is a completely natural remedy for ADHD, which is absolutely free from side effects.

Using herbal remedies to treat and manage ADHD has shown great results without taking the risk of landing in abuse, as commonly found in pharmaceutical medication such as Ritalin and Adderall. Natural remedies for ADHD usually comes with a significantly smaller amount of side effects. It should be noted that herbalists may want to recommend additional supplements and changes in diet, in addition to using herbs to treat ADHD.

A difference in protein distribution, important for attention and learning among children with ADHD, has been found in a study done at the Swedish Örebro University. The difference in distribution of the protein is nearly 50 percent lower than what is normal. Due to this find, scientists believe that there are links between ADHD and other biochemical disturbances which has previously been disputed.

Jessica Johnsson, one of the Örebro University scientists, claim that this find could pave the way for other drugs than the ADHD drugs in use today. Johnsson presents these findings in her dissertation in medicine, belonging to the Experimental Neuropsychiatric group.

The group has mapped changes in the cells that are believed to cause ADHD and other disorders.

The leader of the group, is Nikolaos Venizelos, claims: “Very low levels of important signal substances in the brain are believed to case many of the diseases and impairments we study, which is why our understanding of these disorders increase when we understand how these changes occur.”

Various amino acids are transported to the brain to produce signal substances such as dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin. When the group of scientists studied the capacity of connective tissue cells to transport these signal substances, they can see how whell this transportation is working. They finally found that the transport of tryptophan is lower in children with ADHD, compared to children who don’t have the disorder.

They claim that this could mean that the brain doesn’t produce as much serotonin, which is important to balance the mood of an individual. Without this knowledge, we might have missed signs of depression and mood swings in children with ADHD. An addition of serotonin could be necessary for successful treatment of ADHD.

The least expected discovery in this research, according to Nikolaos Venizelos, was how drastically reduced the amount of the acetylcholine receptor is in children with ADHD. It works as a protein which recieves the signal substance acetylcholine, which is necessary for concentration and learning. The acetylcholine effect is also noticed in pations suffering from Alzheimer’s, where it is treated with existing drugs. Thanks to these findings, it is possible that ADHD can be treated partly with existing methods used for other diseases and disorders.

Since there are similarities between ADHD and bipolar disorder, the team has studied biochemical chances in that disorder as well. In those cases, the primarily reduced signal substance production is that of dopamine and noradrenaline. Since both these disorders share a lack of amino acid transport, this might be the genetic link to find the cause of the disorder. The research team now hopes not only to give way to new drugs for ADHD, but also to be able to point the way towards new methods of diagnose, which could prevent wrongful diagnosis and medication.

Trying to spot specific ADHD symptoms in children can be quite difficult. More often than not, parents have a general feeling that something is wrong, and that their child act in a way that is dissimilar from other children their age.

To present the symptoms of ADHD, we have to be aware of the different types of the disorder first. As the meaning of the acronym suggests, the primary symptoms include inattentiveness and hyperactivity. But we also need to mention impulsivity. For those who don’t know, inattentiveness is simply lacking attention. The difference between hyperactivity and impulsivity is that there are children with ADHD who are very hyperactive and seemingly tireless, but who doesn’t show the impulsive characteristics of ADHD, such as acting out without thinking first. Of course, this also occurs the other way around.

Since these three characteristics of ADHD can occur independently of each other, let us present the symptoms of these types separately.

Symptoms of predominantly inattentive ADHD

Lots of children with ADHD who are inattentive can, in fact, stay focused. But that requires that the task is interesting or exciting enough. When faced with boring or repetitive tasks, they tend to lose intrest very quickly.

• Often appear careless
• Has trouble staying focused
• Doesn’t seem to listen when being spoken to
• Gets bored easily
• Frequently misplaces items and loses items in different places
• Often appear careless

Symptoms of predominantly hyperactive ADHD

Hyperactivity is easily spotted, but who really knows when it comes to young children? A perfectly normal five year old can be active enough to alarm parents. Therefore, we need to specify exactly what type of hyperactivity we are talking about when it comes to ADHD symptoms.

Children with hyperactivity often:

• Have trouble to stay physically still. Fidgeting and squirming is common.
• Run and jump around, and climb parents and furniture even in calm situations.
• Talks when not spoken to, without seeming to care if anyone is listening.
• Seldom plays quietly. Most children play both actively and quietly depending on the situation, but you seldom see children with hyperactivity draw or play with puzzles.
• Are ill-temepered and can scream and get very upset over practically nothing.

Impulsivity

Granted, some of these symptoms of ADHD float into each other. It’s not uncommon for children to present most of these symptoms. However, impulsivity carries its own set of traits:

• Interrupts others during conversation or play.
• Acts intrudingly on other peoples games.
• Has tantrums and displays a very raged behaviour when becoming frustrated.
• Doesn’t seem to think and plan, but instead guesses and does things by trial and error.
• Are uncomfortable in conversation or other social situations.

Concluding thoughts

So, to summarize, when you are looking through these symptoms of ADHD in children, you might get the urge to go through the list and cross symptoms off as you would a shopping list. However, there are numerous types of ADHD, and each child is absolutely unique. This is why we need to keep an analytical mind and instead try to analyze the child. And, of course, only professionals should diagnose a child with ADHD and take action according to that.

Most people know of ADHD/ADD, and most people even come in contact with others suffering from ADHD from time to time. However, what does ADHD stand for? The acronym holds a great deal of knowledge in itself regarding the characteristics of ADHD, and understanding it is essential to understand the disorder fully.

First we have to clear up a common misconception. These days the acronyms ADD and ADHD are used almost interchangeably, but it is common to not be aware that these both mean the same thing. Well, almost. ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) was the name of what we today call ADHD since 1968. In 1987 the name of the disorder was officially changed to ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, to give attention to the common symptom of hyperactivity. Not all people diagnosed with hyperactivity however, but it is common.

To summarize what ADHD stands for, we can go through the phrase word for word:

• Attention – This means the predominant symptom of ADHD involves the attentiveness of the affected. People with ADHD have problems keeping their attention to what’s right in front of them, and have a hard time doing one thing for very long. This can lead to problems with learning and work.
• Deficit – Deficit stands for just what it is. The person suffers from a deficit in attention, and has a harder time staying attentive than others.
• Hyperactivity – The affected is very active and often fidgets if they have to keep still for longer periods of time. This is usually noticed quite easily by others. As stated earlier, the hyperactivity is not a requirement for a person to be diagnosed with ADHD, but it is common.
• Disorder – A developmental disorder which occurs in childhood and may continue into adulthood. Mental disorders are defined as a psychological or behavioral pattern which is not normal in the development of an individual.

Knowing what the acronym ADHD stands for can help people get a better overview and understanding of the disorder, and is essential to be able to research further into the characteristics of ADHD.

Methylphenidate, or Ritalin which is the brand name of the drug, is a psychostimulant drug which is used to treat a multitude of medical and psychological disorders and syndromes. It is often prescribed for treatment of ADHD symptoms, and is also used to treat depression, lethargy, obesity and narcolepsy.

It is a Schedule II drug, meaning it presents a high risk of abuse because it is so addictive. Since people use this drug to treat disorders such as ADHD it is not only chemically addictive, but also becomes addictive since patients who stop using Ritalin will behave differently from what they are used to. That means many people who take Ritalin will gain the sense that they need it to live their lives in a normal fashion.

Since ADHD is normally discovered in an early age, many parents question what this drug does, since they administer it to their children despite the massive controversy which surrounds the drug.

The effects of Ritalin are almost identical to cocaine and amphetamines. This is the effect which is desired when treating ADHD, but the benefits also comes with great risks. Because of its similarities to cocaine and amphetamines, Ritalin is highly addictive. No matter what one might gain from taking a drug, the medical rule is to avoid addiction at all times, since that will bring more problems down the road.

Another factor is that since the diagnosis of ADHD is diverse and subjective – there is, in fact, no way of diagnosing ADHD with 100% certainty – the patient runs the risk of being administered the drug without actually needing it. A child simply acting out because of emotional problems risk becoming addicted to a drug which does not heal any of their problems, while presenting a whole new set of risks.

Side effects

If we take a look at the other risks involved with Ritalin, the official side effects include the following problems:

• Abdominal pain
• Appetite loss
• Anxiety
• Blood pressure and pulse changes (both up and down)
• Irregular heartbeat
• Sweating
• Dizziness
• Sadness, anxiety and irritability
• Euphoria
• Headaches
• Hypersensitivity (including skin rash and fever)
• Fatigue
• Sexual drive increased or decreased
• Nausea
• Pupil dilation
• Psychosis
• Short-term weight loss
• Stunted growth
• Dry mouth

All these side effects have been observed in patients who have taken Ritalin regularly for a longer period of time. The higher the dose, the higher the risks are of experiencing these side effects of Ritalin, especially in children.

Substance abuse

While many subscription drugs can be abused, the abuse rate of Ritalin is quite popular because of its high availability and known similarity to cocaine and amphetamines. When this knowledge is spread among teenagers, some of which are taking Ritalin to treat their ADHD, the risk of abuse increases far more than with other prescription drugs which are less available among teenagers.

In 2004, the US Poison Center recorded over 8000 Ritalin overdoses. Most of these overdoses were due to drug abuse and suicide attempts. Although Ritalin is prescribed in 1/100th of the lethal dose, its high availability is once again a factor. In recent years, selling their prescribed Ritalin has become a way for teenagers to make money.

Alternatives

While most people who are diagnosed with ADHD go on medication (most commonly Ritalin or Adderall), after studying their side effects and experiencing them first hand, many people want to find alternative treatments. The general distrust for pharmaceutical companies also adds to the search for alternatives. Apart from the dietary options available, some natural remedies are available, which have also been reported as working well. Some of the most popular alternative treatments are BrightSpark and Focus formula, available at NativeRemedies. These remedies provide a natural way for the child to calm down and focus, and because of their natural substances they are free from side effects.

When you or your child get diagnosed with ADHD, it is only natural to start thinking about what type of help you can get from society to overcome the disorder. ADHD disability benefits would enable a person to get financial help while working or studying, to make sure they can afford having a harder time getting a raise, finding employment, and taking longer time to study than their counterparts without a hyperactive disorder.

So is it possible to get awarded social security benefits from having ADHD alone? As with all disabilities, it all depends on the severity of the symptoms. When it comes to children, their line of work is their education. For adults, their ability to perform as a worker is what makes or breaks their disability appeal. So the way to think about this is: Does my disorder cause problems for my occupation? How severe are these problems? The worse off you are, the greater the chance is to get social security benefits.

Medical requirements

To get disability benefits from having ADHD, according to Social Security, you need to have medically documented inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity. It is not possible to get a supplemental security income from having, say, only two of these three symptoms.

In addition, for children aged 3 to 18, they need to have at least two of the following conditions, and the conditions need to result from ADHD:

• Impairment in age-appropriate cognitive/communication function.

• Meaning: The applicant has marked problems with understanding or communicating.

• Meaning: The applicant has marked problems with functioning socially, interacting with other people, etc.

• Meaning: The applicant has marked problems with functioning on a personal level, meaning that the personal life has to be negatively affected by ADHD.

Required documentation

These requirements has to be supported by documentation from earlier tests made, medical findings, school evaluations, etc. Most people who have lived with the disorder since childhood have documentation from school, from doctors and from parents who tried to get help with the symptoms their child was displaying.

Getting a disability check from having ADHD is indeed quite hard. You will have to prove not only that you have the problems which are required to be eligible for social security benefits, but also that those problems are severe enough to cause big problems in the way you function and live your life.

The major problem is that the diagnosis and evaluation of ADHD is very subjective. It can be difficult to get a medical professional to attest to the fact that your ability to function, work and study is very hard because of ADHD.

At this time, most scientists all agree that it’s hard to say what causes ADHD in children. Many studies have been made which suggests that genes are an important factor, and that the disorder is most likely hereditary.

These discoveries does point science in the medical direction, but at the same time some are also looking at factors such as how environmental and social situations could cause or worsen ADHD in a very young age. When it comes to medicine, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), cigarette smoking and other reckless behavior by the mother during the pregnancy could very well cause ADHD, since it has been proven to cause other intellectual disabilities. On the other hand, social factors like high stress, feelings of insecurity and trauma in the early years of life could cause a child to develop ADHD symptoms.

The National Institute of Mental Health has published a booklet called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), in which these theories are explained in more detail.

Genetic causes

Researchers have been tracking specific genes looking for a cause of ADHD for years. Finding a genetic cause would enable the scientists to one day preventing the symptoms of ADHD before they show up.

Unfortunately, the results of several studies suggest that while there are physical differences in the brain which are specific among children with suspected ADHD, as many of these children grow up the abnormalities in the brain improved. This suggests that the reduced thickness of brain tissue, which is what the studies found, may not actually be the cause of the disorder, but actually a cause of some of the symptoms which will not be noticeable later in life.

Dietary causes

It has been suggested that the diet could be a part of why children develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Mostly, the criticized components of a child’s diet is sugar and food additives.

Sugar has been largely ruled out as the cause of ADHD, since a study was carried out in which children were fed both regular sugar and sugar substitutes each day, and did not show any unnatural signs of attention problems. However, since the disorder consists of so many symptoms, leaving the affected very sensitive to outside factors, less sugar could very well help the development of the child.

Recently, a study was made which indicates that food additives could have an impact on children which causes ADHD. A multitude of food these days contains preservatives and artificial colors. These substances have been tested on animals and humans alike for short term effects, but the long term effects are harder to pin down.

Some books have been written which claim that a healthy diet can not only still the symptoms of the disorder, but also prevent it from showing up altogether. While this is not scientifically proven, most would agree that feeding your child healthy food would in any way provide better chances for the child. Since researchers are unsure of what is the exact cause of ADHD and the learning disabilities it causes, why take any chances? The health care industry unanimously state that a healthy diet is always preferable to a child, rather than high fat food with sugar additives and unnatural preservatives.

Environmental factors

During the pregnancy, the fetus is especially sensitive to anything the mother is subjected to. While it is widely known that a pregnant woman should neither drink nor smoke, approximately one in every 1000 children in the western world (Europe and the USA) are born with birth defects due to alcohol or other substance abuse, including cigarette smoke.

Another factor which has been linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is children who are exposed to lead, from paint or pipes in the plumbing systems of old buildings. As it turns out, this could mean ADHD is also a socioeconomic factor, since poor families have problems making sure the environment in which their child grows up is suitable for them.

Conclusion

So what causes ADHD in children? As we can see, this is a highly disputed subject, and unfortunately frustrated parents of hyperactive or inattentive children will have to wait for science to figure that out. As is the case with many disorders, it could take many years still before we have an answer to this question. Granted, testing theories to rule out the ones which are incorrect is the only way to find a cure to help people live with their disorder, and it would be unwise to jump to conclusions when dealing with millions of people who feel and perform differently from others.

Once a disputed diagnosis, the medical establishment has concluded that ADHD is a genuine disorder, and that extensive research has lead to a diagnosis with high reliability. It is estimated that almost five percent of the US population live with ADHD. Even though ADHD (or ADD, as it was called in the past) consists of symptoms usually noticed in most children during stages of their growth, there are ways to learn when a person suffers from a psychological disorder and is not just going through a rough period of their life. This site provides information on ADHD in children, teenagers and adults.

ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and is described as a set of behaviors which, when appearing together, causes problems not only for the affected individual, but also for the immediate family and friends.

These behavioral problems are generally grouped into three categories, which each cause different problems at home and in school. These categories are inattention, impulsivity (or impulsiveness) and hyperactivity. The characteristics of ADHD are no longer very disputed among doctors and psychologists, so it is fairly wise to call this a true disorder, and not a name branded on children with certain ways of behaving, as some have claimed in the past.

Inattention means having difficulty to focus on one task for a longer period of time. Inattentive people often get easily bored or distracted, which causes them to not finish many activities. Often, a parent discovers these problems in a child when the child fails to listen of follow simple instructions.

Impulsivity is one of the most easily recognizable symptoms for people not in the immediate family to recognize. Highly impulsive people have a tendency to interrupt others and have trouble waiting for their turn when interacting with a group. They often don’t listen to others during conversations, but instead focus on their own side of the communication. It is not uncommon for highly impulsive people to answer questions before they are fully asked, as if their answer was going to be judged by the speed in which they give it.

Hyperactivity is also easy to recognize. Most people who are hyperactive have trouble sitting still, and most of the time they fidget, wiggle their limbs, or simply run around in inappropriate situations. In a family setting, the dinner table is a place for a hyperactive person  to display signs of hyperactivity, as is classes in school where they are expected to stay seated and focused.

xkcd: Lease - Sometimes we all feel a bit inattentive

When trying to diagnose a child for ADHD, most professionals agree on a set of requirements for a diagnosis to be made. Simply being inattentive or hyperactive does not grant an ADHD diagnosis, which is important because of the treatment which is not suitable for people who does not have the disorder. Doctors try to find out if some or all of these symptoms have shown for more than six months and before 7 years of age. If these symptoms show up in adulthood or the teenage years, or only for a shorter period of time, the individual probably does not have ADHD.

Also, a child does not have to be hyperactive or impulsive to be diagnosed with ADHD. Many people only suffer from some of the symptoms, while others show all of the symptoms. Granted, these symptoms can also display differently for different people. This is why a diagnose for ADHD takes time, and should not be rushed.

Scientists have specified three major subtypes of ADHD:

• Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
• Predominantly inattentive
• Combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive

Children with predominantly inattentive ADHD are often overlooked and not diagnosed with the disorder, because of the nature of their symptoms. Often times, these children will sit quietly and not bother anyone. However, many parents will see this as something positive, and may consider their child to be shy or more focused on their intellectual progress than their physical abilities.

Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive ADHD, on the other hand is much easier to recognize, since most parents will have a hard time controlling their child. From 3 years of age and onwards, it is easy to detect if your child has a tendency to listen to you and acts accordingly, or if it is unusually active and impulsive, while not focusing its attention on anything for more than a minute or two.

The combined subtype is tricky, since symptoms often shift with the state of the child. In a safe and calm environment the child could act very inattentively, while a stressful environment could cause it to become hyperactive. Most of the time though, they will have trouble focusing and will not pay attention the way children without ADHD will do. Other factors such as hunger, fatigue and pain can also cause a shift in behavior.

It is not uncommon for parents to try diagnose their child by themselves before going through an evaluation together with doctors and psychologists. The reasons for this are many, but primarily a parent will not want to rush into a disorder evaluation before they feel there is a good reason for it. Often, parents feel a sense of failure when discovering that not everything is right with their child. However, finding information on ADHD on children is tricky, since a lot of the information available online and in magazines is not always scientifically proven.

Most people who suffer from ADHD encounter problems in their life because of their disorder. This does not mean, however, that there is nothing to be done. Treatments do exist, and lots of people with ADHD have been helped by medication although there are side effects. Every year there is continuous research being done to find out how to make people live with the disorder, and new theories get published all the time. Some experts also claim that one of the main reasons for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder becomes a problem with both children and adults is a dietary one. Several books have been written containing diets and nutrition advice which is said to lessen the symptoms of ADHD.

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