ADHD effects millions of children in the United States. When a child is diagnosed with ADHD, there is usually a tendency to prescribe medications, and in fact, about 80% of those who are diagnosed with this disorder will, at some point in time, be prescribed medications for the disorder.
Questions that come up with regards to ADHD are, is ADHD a real disorder? Is medication necessary? Do children outgrow ADHD? Is there a cause, or underlying causes of ADHD? Are there any natural solutions to the symptoms of ADHD? What can parents do to help children overcome these symptoms without medication? Does TV, video games and movies contribute to the symptoms of ADHD? Is there anything that teachers can do in the classroom to help children who display the symptoms of ADHD to be able to focus in school? What about diet, does it play a role in ADHD? Food additives? In a similar vein, what about childhood depression, are there any contributing factors that can cause a child to become depressed and what can parent's do.
There is not a single answer to the question "what causes ADHD". What seems to be the case, is what Joel Nigg states, and provides substantial evidence for in his book "What Causes ADHD?, is that there are multiple factors involved. Diet might play a small role for some children. The book Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Parent and Educator's Guidebook suggests that children benefit from a low sugar diet, low in refined carbohydrates. Food additives might also contribute to such symptoms in a small number of children.
However, there is some evidence that the media plays a role in symptoms of ADHD in some children. Long hours in front of the TV can create tension in both adults and children, and this can contribute to the symptoms normally associated with ADHD both in the home and in the classroom. Additionally, a large percentage of children in the inner cities regularly view violent movies in many forms, including movies of intense horror, R-rated movies, and sometimes can be exposed to pornography from pre-teen years. Violent video games are the daily fare of millions of children in the U.S. and elsewhere. Such violence and sadism does effect the mental health of children in various ways.
There seems to be a difference between the way boys and girls internalize stress and violence in the media. While boys might become agitated and aggressive, girls may tend to internalize and become subdued, "disconnected" or depressed.
There are three basic types of ADHD which have been defined, that is, ADHD with hyperactivity and impulsivity, ADHD without hyperactivity, what used to be referred to as ADD, and which is now sometimes referred to as ADHD-IA, or Inattentive type, and most commonly "combined type," which includes both hyperactivity and inattention.
Interestingly, in the classroom and elsewhere, art has been shown to positively effect the symptoms of ADHD in both children and adults.
There is much that can be done to help children who have symptoms of ADHD, as well as adults. Medication does not have to be a part of the answer to this problem, rather, there are many practical solutions, both in prevention, and in "curing" the symptoms of ADHD, so that children can succeed in the classroom and at home, without medication.
John W. Samuels is a writer and author on the subject of children's mental health, a resident of Newark, NJ U.S. and currently teaches science in public schools in Newark, NJ. He runs the NJ non-profit, Association for Natural Psychology, and its mental health website. Please see: http://www.winmentalhealth.com
Articles and resources are presented on ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, schizophrenia, OCD, borderline personality disorder, autism, the psychological effects of abortion, positive parenting, child psychology, and many other topics, 146 pages of free information.
The book Overcoming ADHD Without Medication: A Parent and Educator's Guidebook, is available on Amazon.com in paperback and as an ebook on Kindle.
Many of the underlying causes of ADHD are considered, as well as positive non-pharmaceutical solutions for both parents and teachers. Mental health professionals can also benefit from insight into aspects of children's mental health that might not usually be considered. Research from scores of clinical studies and other professional sources, an extended bibliography and index, as well as nearly 100 footnotes help to distinguish this book from some others on the subject.
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