Hi. We were told our 10 year old had ADD when she was 7. We chose at the time not to medicate and have been happy with our decision. Especially with all the reports of mis and over diagnosing. Now she's showing serious signs of behavioral depression. Her counselor feels it's due to untreated ADD which has led to "feeling "weird" and different from other kids, not measuring up, etc. Now we think we may have made a mistake not medicating her....but one thing has not been addressed and not one doctor I've spoken with can answer this. If this is a medical condition (i.e. cancer, diabetes, etc.) why do they depend on a questionare to diagnose it? It's like going in with signs of a heart problem and them asking about 40 questions with no physical tests and saying ok, you have a heart problem. I just don't get it. Answers to these questions are so relative and can be said of just about any 10 year old. Their usual answer is, there is not medical test. Ok, then how can you be sure she has it?
My other concern is how the medication will effect her loving, bubbly personality? She's such a treasure. Just an inattentive one. I don't want medicine that will change her personality drastically. But because of these other depression issues feel it's time to do something....Please help....

Hi. I don't imply that our story is your story. You know your child best, but here's what happened at our house. My oldest son is AD(no H)D. We constantly heard from teachers that he was lazy, unmotivated, immature, etc. Because this was perceived as his reluctance to pay attention, it was his fault. He was corrected, reminded, yelled at, punished ALOT! He hated school. Classmates made fun of him. Because he wasn't really paying attention, if he heard people laughing, he assumed they were laughing at him (sometimes yes, sometimes no). He had no self esteem at all. In school he often did poorly on even simple tasks because he didn't listen to insturctions. He had no joy in his life. The stress gave him insomnia. he had head aches, stomachaces. He spent as much time with the school nurse as with the teacher. Finally, we tried the Ritalin. It was like night and day. He did things he had never done. He noticed things (the color of the sky, the length of the train in front of us)he never noticed before. Ritalin is not a miracle drug. However, my 12 year old son had begun talking about suicide and running away and it all disappeared after the Ritalin.

I wish you the best. Remember, you know your child best. You won't make decisions now that are written in cement. You can go on/off meds as deemed necessary. There are behavior interventions that help some kids. Good luck

Jeanniemom,

Your right. It's ridiculous, but that doesn't stop them from claiming the biological cause for ADD. But yes, amphetamines will lift mood, but there are alot of non-drug things to help lift mood, which have been documented to be effective... Omega 3's ,(fish or flax oils), and vigorous exercise (already studied as being as effective as pills for depression). Make sure she gets all her protein and vitamins for the day. Non of these things cause dependancy, addiction, side effects, etc. like a drug will.

She is also at a delicate age where the teen years are almost upon her, and how she "fits in" with peers is becoming important! Maybe it's time to find out any real interests she might have in an organized club, such as sports, choir, drama, etc. My extremely shy daughter literally came out of her shell when she joined choir and drama. What a difference! She used to complain about not fitting in anywhere. She had little self-confidence at first. But these activities made her feel part of something "special" in the school and her senior year she made chamber singers(small elite, top choir in the school), and traveled to Europe. Even now that she has graduated from high school, the confidence has not worn off. She made her very best friends she still hangs out with now from that group of drama/choir people; an added bonus.

See if you can't find some special interests or hidden talents your daughter might have....something that will be worthy of her attentiveness and focus and might make all the difference in her confidence!!

My son did lousy in school, never paid attention and hardly did homework; I was just grateful he graduated; he was barely able to pass high school. But when he discovered the world of computer programming, networking, web design, etc., he excelled and now this is his career.

So there is hope for your daughter. She may be one of those kids that regular school subjects will not get her undivided attention, like my son. Encourge her to try and discover new things; maybe there is something magic waiting for her like there was for my two kids.

(from Jennita)"Your right. It's ridiculous, but that doesn't stop them from claiming the biological cause for ADD. But yes, amphetamines will lift mood, but there are alot of non-drug things to help lift mood, which have been documented to be effective... Omega 3's ,(fish or flax oils),"

jennita...do you know where these have been documented to be effective? the best I can find is anecdotal evidence and I would love to see some documentation so that I can do what they do in the study. We don't see much help from omega 3's here and documentation would be wonderful.

thanks!

[This message has been edited by cthrn (edited 01-11-2003).]

I would love to provide some. Unfortunately, the rules here do not allow the copy/paste of such research....I aim to follow the rules...but the magazine I read the fish oil stuff on was in Psychology today.

[This message has been edited by Jennita (edited 01-12-2003).]

Hey, I also forgot...I read caffiene used to be used for depression and as a help for studies, and it's a "stimulant" with alot less side effects than amphetamines...you'll never see Coca-Cola induced psychosis. I drank it as a kid and so did mine with no ill effects. My dad drank coffee when he was a kid(good lord, the very strong Espresso; he is Italian and this was common in those families). Just don't let them drink it at bedtime!

cthrn,

If your talking about scientific evidence with
omega-3's.

For evidence with Bi-Polar disorder, search google for : "Harvard Fish Oil" or "Dr. Stoll Harvard Omega-3"

For evidence with AD/HD search google for :
"Purdue University ADHD Omega-3"

Results with Omega-3's are ususally seen with doses of 6-8 grams in Bi-Polar disorder, and up to 14 grams with AD/HD.