Demystifying the DSM: ADHD in Children

Dr. B here and we are demystifying the DSM and we are going through neurodevelopmental disorders and today I'm going to talk about ADHD which is the most commonly diagnosed in children. It's very important that we don't just take a child and say, oh he's hyper, he won't pay attention. And I say “he” because ADHD is most commonly diagnosed in boys. And you know, slap that label on a child, put them on Ritalin. And I think that there's a lot of controversy around this.  When a mother or parent brings a child in, and there's some concerns of ADHD, there's a time component and a lot of assessment components, so one of the first things that I don't think that the layperson understands is that ADHD symptoms, to be diagnosed, must be in more than one setting. If the school is complaining about behaviors, but the parent says they can sit, and they can read a book at home, they can do their homework without getting up for 20-30 minutes, then then it's not in two locations. So, then we must assess what's going on at home or what's going on at school that's different. So maybe just starting with, changing the supporting environment.  ADD, attention deficit disorder, or ADHD is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The H just means there's an additional hyperactivity component. ADD, which is more common in girls, doesn't have that hyperactivity component, and unfortunately oftentimes is not diagnosed.  But if somebody truly has ADD or ADHD and we do not treat it, research shows that we are decreasing their IQ points by 10 to 20, which means someone who may have been successful going to college and having a great career may not be able to do that. Just imagine if some someone without ADHD, their homework takes them 20 minutes with someone with ADHD and all the accommodations they can do it, but it takes them two hours, are we really evening the playing field?  Yes, I understand they could do it if you just make them do it right, but it's taking them two hours when the person without ADD. It only takes them 20 minutes. Is that really fair? Do they really have the same opportunities in life? So that's where I want people to think when they think of, should I treat this or should I not? And these are personal decisions and it's very individualized. It depends on how much support family can give sometimes. I'm not saying I'm pro medication or against medication. If you have a child who you believe has ADD, ADHD, just start the research. Get them an assessment. We have some basic criteria and then here at Mentally STRONG we will often get a full neuro psych testing to make sure there's no other things going on, right? Maybe they can't pay attention because everything is in words and they have dyslexia, right? Maybe it has nothing to do with their ability to pay attention, but their ability to learn, and so those are some of the other neurodevelopmental disorders that we see in children. And that's why it's important when we have any kind of symptoms in children and we get kind of that full neuro psych eval, making sure there's not learning disabilities, communication disorders, motor disorders. Then it is a process of elimination. So just remember that you are Mentally STRONG
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Dr. Cristi Bundukamara, Ed.D, PMHNP-BC --- A Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and a Doctor of Healthcare Education has experienced unimaginable trials that have caused many feelings such as depression, anxiety, anger, & overwhelming stress. 
However, she has developed a new pathway to becoming Mentally Strong & Choosing to be Happy.  With purpose, Dr. B has developed the phases that were refined within the Mentally STRONG Method that she created and wants to share with you.

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