Medication, Structure Combine As ADHD Treatment | WBNS-10TV, Ce...

And we wonder why we have drug problems in this country.

Of course, the medical community won't tell parents that many ADHD kids are actually early onset bipolar cases. No amount of ADHD drugs or "structure" will make those kids better or more manageable. Instead of telling parents that they can't adequately parent their mentally ill children and give them speed, provide early intervention and more promising drugs for bipolar disorder.

Stop fighting genetics with voodoo psychiatry.

MomOfTwo wrote:

Of course, the medical community won't tell parents that many ADHD kids are actually early onset bipolar cases. No amount of ADHD drugs or "structure" will make those kids better or more manageable. Instead of telling parents that they can't adequately parent their mentally ill children and give them speed, provide early intervention and more promising drugs for bipolar disorder.
Stop fighting genetics with voodoo psychiatry.

You are totally nuts. I would love to see your proof. Are you into scientology? really sounds like a comment they would make.

Studies show cannabis in pill form would be the best treatment for kids with ADHD. But wait! That's illegal! Sorry parents of children with ADHD. Pharmaceutical companies,alcohol & tocacco companies,and the prison industrial complex maintaining profit is more important than your child's health.

Just make them run around the block a few times after school, they'll be fine.

I have a ADHD child. Come spend a day inmy shoes when he's not on his meds. He's not biapolar, and the meds he's on isn't speed. Some of you need to get your facts straight before you open your big mouth. I have noticed the same names over and over again on these posts and we all know your treee huggers. Oh let's let them play out in the streets where all the sexual petifiles are watching our children play. That's real safe.

enb wrote:

<quoted text>
Get a life

I've got one. I'm responsible for coming on this forum and checking peoples spelling. But thanks for the suggestion.

My son is ADHD He takes medication only during the school week. I was very against medicine for a long time as a child I also had ADHD and I felt that meds they gave me made me feel bad. But I learned with my son it’s about the right medication, Healthy diet , and structure that has this under control. I don’t let him run wild ever I know some parents that do and I could never just give up. It takes work you have to read and study to find the right solution to the problem and until parents realize that just giving them a pill won’t work the kids will suffer.

I can honestly say that I was diagnosed with "ADHD" and was told that I would have it the rest of my life. This is my opinion on the whole ADHD issue: I think ADHD is a big fat lie fed to parents by doctors, teachers, etc as an excuse for their child doing poorly in school and for their behavior that the parents can't control (kids are hyper anyways!) Any time a child acts up at school, they label a child as having ADHD. Kids act up anyways..it's part of being a kid. I've worked in the school system for "at risk" kids in the first grade and 3/4 of the kids in the class were labeled as ADHD when they were in reality just being kids. Their only problem was that their parents didn't discipline them properly.
Ever wonder why it is that a kid can sit on their behinds and play video games for hours without a problem but when it comes to school work or anything that requires them to actually get off their behinds and do something (especially boring), their attention span suddenly "disappears" into thin air? I am under the opinion that ADHD is just plain laziness on the part of the child "diagnosed" with it. I could sit and play Super Mario Brothers video games (when I was a kid) for a good 8-12 hours yet when it came to school work, I was just too lazy to do it and too lazy to pay attention in class.
I also think that many doctors, teachers, etc are a little too quick to label a kid as having ADHD and a little quick to give out Ritalin to please the parents and make the kid calmer in the class room (and at home so parents might not have to do much parenting.)
I've been on Ritalin (not any more though). I hated being on Ritalin. I felt like a zombie..doing everything I was "instructed" to do without fussing about it. It wasn't fun.

Ok, so here it is. I am an adult female with ADHD. Anyone who knows me will tell you that if I do not take my medication to slow me down that I can not sit still to save my life, I talk non stop, and NEVER run out of energy. So for those of you who say that there is no such thing as ADHD, or that we are just lazy, you need to really know what its all about. Those who have it are FAR from lazy. We cant sit still or concentrate. Without the medication I act like I am on speed, which is the opposite of everyone else. Sounds good, right? WRONG, it is horrible! I do agree that doctors are misdiagnosing lots of children because its an easy out. But lets not forget that ADHD is real - as long as its diagnosed correctly. So lets focus on the misdiagnosis aspect and not that ADHD doesn't exist.

I have a 8 year old with Adhd. You people that is commenting on this fact bad things about it you must not know what your talking about. My son has been on Concerta for 2 years making good grades and he can concentrate where his Kindergarten year was a nightmare. He is not a zombie he is still a hyper child but he concentrates. We keep a good schedule and structure and they have to keep the same routine. Also for the parent that only gives his medicine during the week not the weekend you shouldnt do that either that messes with the childs head any doctor will tell you that. SO those who comment that parents are lazy or the kids are lazy you dont know what your talking about until you dill with it your self. Also Concerta is the third medicine he has been on where the other two like Stratara and Respidal made him Zombie. I am a mom that cares about my son all the way around and to the person said that doctors and parent lies about ADHD you also don't know what your talking about do your research before you comment.
Thank You,
A very involved Parent

MomOfTwo wrote:

Of course, the medical community won't tell parents that many ADHD kids are actually early onset bipolar cases. No amount of ADHD drugs or "structure" will make those kids better or more manageable. Instead of telling parents that they can't adequately parent their mentally ill children and give them speed, provide early intervention and more promising drugs for bipolar disorder.
Stop fighting genetics with voodoo psychiatry.

You have A LOT to learn. You ARE totally nuts! I have a child with ADHD and he is NOT bipolar and it is manageable with the medication and structure!

I think there are a few children and adults who have ADHD, but most of the time it's over diagnosed. Yes, we live in a fast-paced society. We want everything instantly. Some people say computers, fast food, and computer games have made children ADHD who normally wouldn't be. Some teachers don't want to work hard enough to make kids behave. In some cases, it's just bad parenting. When a child's parents get divorced, their grades may drop and they start getting in fights at school. They often lash out. That doesn't mean a child has ADHD. When a parent goes to prison, a child who was well behaved is suddenly unable to sit in a chair and be quiet for more than five minutes. That isn't ADHD. That is called stress and acting out.

A teacher once told my mother I needed to be on Ritalin simply because she and I didn't get along. It wasn't a behavior problem--we just couldn't relate to each other.

MomOfTwo wrote:

Of course, the medical community won't tell parents that many ADHD kids are actually early onset bipolar cases. No amount of ADHD drugs or "structure" will make those kids better or more manageable. Instead of telling parents that they can't adequately parent their mentally ill children and give them speed, provide early intervention and more promising drugs for bipolar disorder.
Stop fighting genetics with voodoo psychiatry.

You need some serious help lady I am an adult who did not know i had Adha and learned this through drug use. I also suffer from bipolar. I currently use vitamins, exercise and keeping my stress level down to maintain my symptoms. I also work with children who have several diagnosis and we train them to deal with their feelings and give them tools to manage their symptoms.

"About one child in four diagnosed with ADHD also has or will soon develop bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic depression, according to a report in the August 2006 Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry."

First, be aware that there are many published studies and articles about the link between ADHD and bipolar, including misdiagnosis of both illnesses in children.

My son was hospitalized at Ohio State at age 14 after being treated for ADHD since age 9. He was not only ADHD - he was bipolar. The Ritalin and "therapy" did nothing but aggravate his condition. He was and is still bipolar at age 23. It took at severe psychotic break to get him a complete diagnosis and the RIGHT medication. In fact, many articles state that Ritalin worsens the bipolar symptoms.

That was my point, people.

According to the doctors at Upham Hall and among the psychiatry fellows my son saw over the years at the OSU Child Pschiatry Department, many doctors do not like to "scare" parents with information about the link.

We later discovered my son's father, adopted at birth, came from a long line of bipolars. Many families have the genetic trait and do not talk about it. If you have a kid with ADHD, make darn sure you clarify to doctors that depression runs in your family. Even if there is no apparent history, you still may end up with a kid with bipolar who started out with ADHD.

So, before you call me nuts - why don't you all do some further research? Likewise, in a discussion about mental health disorders like ADHD and bipolar illness, is it really appropriate to call someone "nuts"? I know my son was called that term many times as a child, even by teachers, so why perpetuate stigma and ignorance?

Kim, I think holistic approaches in the therapy component for kids with bipolar or ADHD are great as an additional tool, but substituting those methods for medication is definitely
"voodoo psychiatry". Not only that, you are asking for a psychotic break which could put someone at risk for suicide, violent acting out, etc.

As a former elementary school principal, I am quite aware that attention difficulties are just the tip of the iceberg. ADHD children can't filter out distractions, finish tasks on-time, use their memory optimally, etc. A pill doesn't teach these skills.

My wife and I opted to use cognitive training for our son, Alex. We used Play Attention (www.playattention.com ) and ADHD Nanny (www.adhdnanny.com ). We've been very successful with these approaches. We also changed our parenting skills with great success.

It's just important to know that medicine teaches nothing. Parents and teachers must actively participate to help change a child's life.

ok i think alot if you people are iggnorant to the accual disorder. i am 17 years old, and i have both ADHD and Bipolar and i will be honest, without the medication my day is a wreck. the medication helps me to function. without it i suffer from horrible mood swings and my grades slip. most of you are judging the disorders without even knowing what we really have to deal with on a daily basis!!