|
Monthly NewsNote
July/August 2008
 Email this article to a friend
Don’t Be Scared Away From Add Treatment By The Thought Of Medication
Recently a lovely woman came in seeking help for her 19-year-old son. He had been diagnosed with ADHD in the fourth grade but she had never sought help for him. Her reason was “I didn’t want my child on drugs.” Now he was about to leave for college and her guilt was high. Let me discuss the boy’s history and what types of non-medication help he might have had.
As a disclaimer, let me make it clear that this note is not about health foods, biofeedback and other not so legitimate treatments that are available.
Rex’s History
Rex’s story is fairly typical for untreated Attention Deficit Disorder. He was always an underachiever, never did very well academically and struggled in many areas. He was disorganized, easily frustrated and always highly distractible. He created tension at home by not listening and being somewhat aggressive. As he got older he stopped doing homework, which increased tensions at home and at school. In addition, he had very poor self-esteem. Being an excellent test taker he did well on his SAT’s and exams and got into college.
This is a familiar history. But Rex had added pressures. Stress at home led to divorce. Rex began to use marijuana to self medicate and escape, and he was having difficulties in every sphere. While he was gearing up for college, success seemed unlikely.
How sad it was that for so many years Rex’s mom did not understand there was more to ADD treatment than medication. While medication is often the most effective part, there could have been family work to help understand the child, guidance for the parents, and direct help for Rex in terms of a coach to help him learn to organize and structure his environment, to teach him coping strategies, and to function better within the family. There would have also been the chance to get the school involved in a positive way rather than as a critical force.
Art’s History
A different, more successful story is Art, whom I saw a year ago. His mom was dead set against medication but came under school pressure. Her first words before I said anything were “I won’t use medication.” I convinced her to go through with the evaluation without thinking treatment. We did, and I clarified the impact of Art’s symptoms on everything from erratic schoolwork poor to self-esteem. I then asked her why she feared medication, and she gave me the traditional list. As with many parents, she had not spoken to anyone about her concerns. I clarified them for her, and although she listened, she still refused to use medication. I gave her the name of a therapist who might help her and her son and told her to feel free to call me if she changed her mind. I was very low key. It wasn’t easy.
This was in October. I received a call in February. Things were not going well and Art’s mom said she would like to talk about medication. I put Art on medication and the problems were significantly reduced. Art’s results were much better than Rex’s because Art’s mom was more open to learning when considering treatments that could work for her son.
The point is that a person with ADD can be helped in many ways. To refuse all treatment because of medication will only hurt the child and family, now and in the future. Further, over time, as we saw in Art’s case, the idea of using medication may become less frightening to the parent and therefore something to try. Try not to let your friends, patients or pupils avoid an evaluation. It could be very important.
|
