1jrJedismom Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 As the mother of two kids with ADD, I started to notice there was a relationship between ADD and Sleep. A few months ago I wrote a research paper on the subject and found my theory to be correct. I would be interested in hearing about anyone elses experiences with this or comments. Edit: " in an individual child, it can be very difficult to tease apart whether interrupted sleep is the cause or the result of ADD" http://www.drgreene.com/21_621.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 From what I know is that ADD and ADHD have been overdiagnosed in this country, especially in young children. I am sure there are specific symptoms for this but people have got to remember that young kids like 5 and 6 year olds are naturally squirmy. My mother teaches kinder and she knows that a 6 yr old is not going to sit still for more than maybe 20 min if you're lucky. I know that we have come a long way from saying that being homosexual was a mental disease but psychiatry has come up with some theories that are ridiculous in my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1jrJedismom Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 You are right. In many instances it is misdiagnosed. Sleeping disorders, leading to sleepdepravation, mimic some of the symptoms of ADD and ADHD. The mind tends to wander and is unfocused when deprived of sleep. There are true diagnosis of ADD that are coupled with reduced sleeping paterns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Sitherino Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Well, as someone that has ADHD as well as a number of other disorders (both psychological and physical) I can tell you I have many issues sleeping. Often I'll either get little to no sleep or I'll sleep far longer than my body requires giving myself a general sense of fatigue but mentally I'm completely normal (well, in the sense of what my normal mental state is. ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1jrJedismom Posted February 15, 2008 Author Share Posted February 15, 2008 I have similar thoughts. I'm perfectly normal. Normal with my head out in space. I guess they had to get it from some where. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Web Rider Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 It's my general stance that most mental disorders are overdiagnosed, and when they are, they are simply medicated. And people fail to understand that medication simply screws with the chemical makeup of the brain in order to simulate a "normal" setup. Medication does nothing for the person's ability to exercise self control, and thats what I think we're missing out on. Yes, meds are often necessary for MAJOR cases of ADD, and beyond the fact that I simply don't like giving meds to little kids, I think more treatment in the way of helping kids learn to calm down, learn to focus themselves, and slow their minds of their own will. Yes, it's not the solution to every case, and we have to make kids understand, we can't just throw meds at kids and say "okay, you're normal now." Because it's just lying and that makes the situation worse. Kids with any sort of REAL mental or physical condition need to understand their limits, and recognize that something isn't right upstairs and that they need to work extra hard to control themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1jrJedismom Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 yes, some parents might find it easier to medicate their kids then take the time to work on disapline and focus. Some of these kids just need the extra time and attention. But, like you said and I know, there are cases were the meds are nessessary. My Daughter is one of the more severe casses. We went off the meds for a year between 3rd and 4th grade and it was a total nightmare. She spent 8 hours a day on homework and still never finished. She performed poorly in class as well. But, when her Dr. and I reintroduced the meds, She became a different child. Her teacher was amazed at the diffence. No I dont like medicating her, but at the same time I dont want to loose her somewhere along the wayside with no confidence that she can do everything all the other kids can and she is intellegent, but she couldnt see it when nothing got done. The other kids harassed her about getting to work, but all that accomplished was to distract her more and make her more frustrated. Its not a thing I would wish on any child and their family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadYorick Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 I have noticed a complete increase in ADD and ADHD over the years. Why just last week I went to a birthday party and I found out I was the only one there without a mental disease. Anyway there are still a lot of holes to fill with ADD and ADHD. We still don't know everything about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 ADD is just a scam to sell more Ritalin(sp?) and other meds and to justify the (continued) existence of (most) psychotherapists. As is most psychotherapy. <runs> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadYorick Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 ADD is just a scam to sell more Ritalin(sp?) and other meds. As is most psychotherapy. <runs> Yeah I think you would get bashed/flamed for saying that. But I personally think that ADD is very over hyped and can be controlled if the person really concentrates at times and learns self control. Mostly I think a person can learn this in the teen years or adult hood when they mature some more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Neuroscience as it were is still a new frontier in the science world. We don't fully understand the inner workings of the brain. We have been able to discover some things like chemical imbalances and such but the increase in ADD and ADHD...how many of those kids diagnosed are truly ADD or ADHD? Medicating the kid to make them sit still for three hours is not the answer. Hell it's a legal way of turning them into junkies from the way I see it. But there are exceptions like the severe cases and it is more likely an imbalance in the brain's natural chemicals. However when the kid is naturally bouncy, that's no reason to medicate. Maybe it's me but I have a wary feeling for psychiatry in general, maybe it's because most things I have heard are theories and there are no sure fire ways of testing without harming the participant which goes against research ethics and the Hippocratic oath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1jrJedismom Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 When I was a kid, we were labeled hyperactive or dreamers. Now It has merited a little more attention then that. I guess we were in attention deficit. But, I was really surprised by how little is known about the sleep issue. There are not many sleep studies on kids. All my sources did talk about sleep as a part of ADD/ ADHD either being a cause or symptom. Kids with ADD are 56% more sleep deprived then those with out( Teenagers with ADD and ADHD: A guide for parents and Professionsls by ChrisZeigler Dendy MS). I set a more strict sleep schedule and it helps but not a cure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Sitherino Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Uh, medication is never just thrown out to kids. It's up to the parents to actually take the advice of the doctor to go and seek the required counseling that goes along with medication being given. Of course meds themselves don't solve the issue, they're meant to be used as an aid to help with the psychological treatment that goes along with assisting people with ADD/ADHD. True, it has been grossly over-diagnosed however this over-simplification of the matters is in no way better than the throwing out of medication and people not going along with the required mental assistance. This thread is now made of massive fail and death. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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