“Sit down.” “Do your homework!” “Can you stop moving and eat your dinner please?” “Don’t touch that!” Growing up in the my house, there was a constant chorus of these phrases. Having a brother with ADHD didn’t change much, it just made him just as easy to love and even easier to get irritated with. For the first couple of years before he was diagnosed, nobody understood why he wouldn’t just sit and do his work and be good like all the other kids. We later discovered that it was a lot more complicated then that.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common condition that affects children and adolescents and can continue through adulthood for some. Children with ADHD have problems paying attention or concentrating, and they can not seem to follow directions and very easily bored. Adults with ADHD may have difficulty with time management, organizational skills, goal setting, and employment. They are also more susceptible to addictions.
Recent studies show that people with ADHD have abnormal functioning of certain neurotransmitters, or brain chemicals. The brain chemical dopamine (carries signals between nerves and is linked to movement, sleep, mood, attention, and learning) has been found to play a role in ADHD. It is also known that ADHD children may have certain parts of the brain that are smaller or less active, and that there is abnormal functioning in the nerve pathways that regulate behavior.
Now the most pressing question is: how do we help these children and adults with ADHD? Recent studies have shown that the easiest and most effective way to help is medication such as Ritalin and Adderall.
The top universities in the country teamed up to study the brain abnormalities among youths and adults with ADHD, and discover the relationship between these abnormalities and stimulant medication such as Ritalin and Adderall. In this 2007 study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, nine healthy parent-child pairs were chosen to participate. Each participant had either never taken medication for ADHD, or had stopped a minimum of 6 months before the trial. These participants had their brain scanned before taking the medicine, and then “using a counterbalanced and double-blinded design, dyads were assigned to receive either placebo or immediate-release [stimulant medication] on the first day of [brain] image acquisition.” Each participant was then asked to do a task/activity, while their brain was still being imaged using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging). The researchers concluded that among the youths, the stimulant medication increased activation in the frontal region of the brain, therefore concluding that stimulant medication helps those with ADHD.
Unfortunately, the side effects of these stimulant drugs are quite common. A team from Quintiles Inc., drug company consultants based in Falls Church, VA, looked closely at patient-reported side effects of ADHD drugs. They discovered that 48% of the 325 patients surveyed reported at least one of the following side effects: loss of appetite, sleep problems, and mood swings. Research has also started to look into the long-term side effects of these medications. A study conducted in 2007 examined the evidence and found possible links to appetite and growth (height and weight). 60% of children on stimulant drugs reported a loss of appetite. Fears have also been raised about potential long-term effects of stimulant drugs on the heart and on the developing brain. The data on these subjects is currently very limited, so the effects are still unknown.
Over the years, I have watched ADHD medication work wonders right before my eyes. My brother, who struggled all through elementary, middle, and high school to get good grades and keep up with the heavy workloads, is now a computer science major at Drexel University, and is smarter than I could ever dream of being. With success stories such as this one, it is difficult and scary to discover the possibility that there could be long-term side effects of these “miracle” drugs. With my personal experience, I think that the side effects are a small price to pay for the amazing things it can do. What do you think? Would the side effects be worth it to you?
Your post was very informative. My cousin has a severe case of ADHD and it’s something I see my aunt (who also has it) and uncle struggle with. She really needs the medication, but she always tries to fight taking it. It’s always been interesting for me, because I’ve never actually known which was the real Lizzy. If she didn’t take her medication she would be all over the place, she would ignore when she was instructed to do something, and be very difficult to communicate with. When she did take it, she was very very lethargic, wouldn’t eat, and seemed like a numbed version of herself. One day she would get away with not taking it, and the next day she would actually take it and act like a whole new person. She lives in Colorado, so I would only see her a few days a year. Therefore, I can’t compare the results on the same accuracy that you can.
ADHD is very controversial these days, because a lot of people feel that it is over diagnosed. Of course, that is something that can only be determined through opinion. Here is an interesting article claiming that ADHD isn’t even real: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2592641/Expert-claims-ADHD-not-real-disease-fits-two-criteria.html It’s interesting because if this is actually the case, it will completely alter everything we know about the medication. Check it out!