First Post & a primer about ADHD

The reason behind this post and if I am being honest, the catalyst for this blog in general...

I identified the child in this video after the second question. It is easier I guess when you have spent half your life educating yourself about it, and what is and isn't ADHD... Trust me, we hate ourselves enough. We don't need your hate too...

What is ADHD?

ADHD is a sex-linked hereditary disorder with ties to a genetic abnormality. While yes, it is ultimately an endocrine disorder in a way, a chemical imbalance in the brain, namely dopamine and serotonin, there is a lot more at work psychologically that happens as a result of this.

What have we gone through?

Feelings of inadequacy, etc, that society's ostracism amplifies. As a result, we latch on to relationships where we are appreciated and aren't left to feel worthless because we can at least finally have some validation. If you even suspect that your child may have it, please get them checked out and early by a child psychologist. Early treatment and modification of routine and behaviours can help your child more than mere pharmaceuticals can. The reason ADHD get such a bad rep is due to the fact that a lot of parents through the 80's, 90, and even 00's use ADHD medications as a fix. Do yourself and your child a favor, treat ADHD as a disorder, much like good parents of T1D children do. In the case of T1D, Insulin fixes the direct need, but all the insulin in the world can't fix the pancreas. Such is the case with ADHD.

How is it dealt with?

Pharmaceutical intervention, while important, is only a piece of the puzzle. It can fix the imbalance to some extent, but it will not heal your child. NEVER cycle their meds. You would NEVER not give a T1D kid insulin when they were going through an event, in the same way, once you begin treatment, you should not stop it. This will cause more damage to the child's psyche than not doing treatment at all. You are essentially putting your child through psychotic or schizoid breaks. Periods of lucidity followed by periods of mania and depression... essentially you are inducing a bipolar state and it hurts. Also be careful with criticism. Yes, we are more sensitive to criticism. Mostly because while you only see you criticising occasionally, what you don't see is the constant criticism we face. Not necessarily externally, but internally. We destroy ourselves in our inner monologue, you telling us we are worthless only reaffirms that belief and damages us.

How Can I deal with it as a parent or loved one of an individual with ADHD?

The best thing you can do? Educate yourself. Read books, blogs by people with ADHD/ADD, talk to people who have it, try to understand what is going on. One cannot catch ADHD, and while it is over diagnosed by lazy parents and doctors, it is not merely a behavioural disorder. One cannot just "fix it" with behaviour modification. This is an endocrine disorder with psychological components. We literally can't help it. We want to do better. You have to help. We can't do it alone.