Sources

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11437079

nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml - Good source - government support

mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/A/attention-deficit/

psychcentral.com/disorders/adhd/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcVTiV47Gf8


http://addca.com/adhd-coach-training/About-ADD-ADHD-Details/add_adhd_treatment/


http://www.help4adhd.org/en/treatment/guides/WWK9

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2007/symptoms-of-attention-deficit-disorder-adhd/

The differences in the Identical

On the train this morning I saw a little boy that was running back and forth in the train. You could see how pleased he was at the moment. He did not bother to look back at his mother ,whom helplessly was trying to tell him to sit down. It was as if he didn't even notice her. He made me think of Henry, so similar to the rest ... but yet so different.

They are all children, they enjoy playing more than anything, they all laugh when they think of something funny and they all cry when they are feeling down. The similarities are never-ending, and the differences are so few, but too extreme.

I remember the day that mom and dad told me that Henry had a mental disorder. A state of mind that would explain his behavior. I knew that they had brought Henry to a medical center a few time, but they never told me why which made me jump to the assumption that he might have had a cold or something.  Apparently that wasn't the case and my parents had been receiving calls of complainant from his daycare where Henry had continuously shown signs of incapability of paying attention. When the teachers asked him to sit still, he would avoided them and continue with what he was doing without bothering what people thought of it. He had supposedly shown impulsive behavior, according to the teachers he had snatched toys from other children, and when he got told to stop, he would get angry and start screaming, throwing and breaking things. The teachers has said that he was acting different from other children. But for me, that was Henry, my little brother that had more energy then anyone I had ever known. He could barely sit still while eating breakfast, a behavior I up till then thought was found in all children including me. For me it always made sense that his behavior was due to him being a child and that I probably did the same thing when I was about his age.

However, that was not the case since inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity were all signs of ADHD. The extreme form of a child. A disorder that had come to be a part of my little brothers identity.

The name is, and will always be Henry

I remember the first couple of weeks, when all this was new to me. It had brought a curiosity in a field I'd never bothered caring for. All of a sudden I wanted to know more, I was restless, I was unable to wait for the fairy to come with a cure. I wanted to disprove the doctors, and show them that Henry was only Henry and not Henry with ADHD.

During this time it was difficult to digest all the things that I had heard and learned. Our parents had already taken Henry to more than two different doctors, and they all had said the same things. From a personal point of view I think it should be tricky to diagnosis someone with ADHD, since there are so many other disorders that have many similar symptoms. I once read on a BBC article that Bipolar, autism and food allergies often have the same symptoms like ADHD, and thats way doctors are advised to wait atleast 6 months before they can give any proper diagnosis.With Henry my parents said that they had waited more than a year, and seen how things were getting worse.

My mother told me that Henry's doctor said that it was difficult to diagnose people with ADHD since its not an infection, bacteria or a virus, which meant that it was nothing that  easily could be found in the blood. In a matter of fact, no medical procedure of that sort could identify ADHD. The only way doctors could diagnose someone with ADHD was by trying to read of their behavior, in other words it is up to the doctor to interpret the symptoms. In order to do this, they at least had to know how this person communicates with people, if (s)he has struggles connecting with people and etc. The doctor would also need to have some sort of medical history from the patients and its family, to get a more clear overview. This subjective form of observing implies that some people may get or give diagnosis easier than others. Therefore accuracy in diagnosis varies, which I saw clearly in a documentary I once watched that said that American doctors were more likely to diagnose someone with ADHD than a British doctor.

I must say that accuracy is not every doctors best strength, sad but true. I'm not implying that all doctors are like that, but most of them fit perfectly to that description. All this is what made me realize that Henry will always be Henry, whether he has ADHD or not, since the diagnosis are based on him as a person and not the other way around.

There is more than one way

As a child I always thought that there was a cure for everything , but I soon learned that there was an exception to everything. That ADHD was a disorder that had no cure, but more than 1000 different sorts of treatments. Most of these treatments are individual and doesn't necessarily work on everybody. Thereby I have come to learn that the treatment for ADHD varies, it all depends on the person of interest. Despite the fact that there is no real cure , studies by 'Pychatric-center' has proven that 50% of the children with ADHD will grow out of it as they get older.

This means that there is more than one treatment available for Henry. We have tried a lot of different kinds of treatments, all of them didn't work, but most of them worked surprisingly well. One method that I mentioned in a earlier post was the way he has learned to click his fingers in order to helps him to stay focused. His psychotherapist advices us to make him feel comfortable speaking about his feelings with us, and thereby we should make home his comfort place, a place he can always relay on. Since this would help developing his social skills.

A lot changes have been made in our family, our parents were advised to put up a routine for almost everything. Now almost every part of our life is organized... Maybe I'm exaggerating but that how it feels like. We always have lunch at 11:30, the same time Henry has lunch at his school everyday. We are allowed to eat snacks at a certain ”scheduled” time. Dinner is at 18:00, and no later. How we spend our time at home has become scheduled, everything has certain time. And for Henry’s sake, we have all learned to follow this schedule. This was said to help him meet expectations and keep time.

The doctors told us that we could contact them or simply use the site 'Psychcentral' if we were wondering about anything. I remember reading once that the different treatments could be divided into 2 sections, one being medication and the other being psychotherapy. My parents never fancied the thought of giving Henry medication though our doctors said that they could be to a lot of help. They suggested different kind of stimulant medication, since they thought it could help him focus and learn. These doctors also said that if the stimulant medications such as Ritalin, Concerta, Dexedrine wouldn't work, we could let Henry try some non-stimulant medication such as Strattera ,Vyvanse. However our parents never gave in to using medication as a treatment, sharing my fear that it might change who he is as a person, and therefore they bring Henry to psychotherapy once or twice every week.

And I must admit that Henry  has shown massive improvements after these treatments, which makes me happy every time.

Things I see in Henry

In BBC news I read a statement by a doctor about ADHD patients saying "It's about a problem in the brain which means a child can't regulate their behaviour or emotion. They don't learn from their mistakes and they can't plan or organise, and they have difficulties with their short-term memory.”. All these are things I see in Henry.

Just remember, "normal" people don't always act the "right" way either...

Sometimes, we don’t act like we should. Be that “normal” people, or those with ADHD. We all make mistakes and we don’t always react the “right” way. But people like me, “normal” people, learn from our mistakes and tries to do better the next time. People with ADHD don’t know how to. Therefore, they act the “wrong” way more often, but that doesn’t make them bad people.

One day we were on the beach and I sat there with my bucket making small castles. Henry took my bucket and started tearing down all my towers to make a racing path for it, strongly believing it was his time to play. And when I would try to protest, he would get mad at me for intervening in his project. And then, as I gave up, and let him destroy everything I had built, he just left it. I was so annoyed at him, I felt like running after him and hitting him. If it was any other person I probably would have. But I didn’t.

This might make him seem incredible selfish and ignorant, and that’s pretty much what I thought at the moment, but he isn’t. And here is why. Like any other kid with ADHD, he isn’t really patient enough to wait for his time, but simply goes ahead with what he wants too. And that day we wanted to play with the sand just like me, which makes it sibling bickering, just like in any other family.

When I got annoyed with him and blamed him, he would give me anger as he was not able to properly control his emotions, especially at such early age. Today he doesn’t get as angry as quickly, but he still has his moments. I feel sorry for that, because he can’t control it, and even though he knows afterwards that he behaved wrong, he does not know how to prevent it. He tries, but he doesn’t understand his own behavior. This does not mean my brother is mean or egoistic, it just means he can regulate his feelings.

Back at the beach, my father grabbed him and made him apologize to me, not in the most subtitle way perhaps, but still. Soon, me and Henry sat and made our sand castle together. Well, at least until he ran away to catch the waves instead…

I always...always knew it deep inside

The studies made by Scientists from Cardiff University have proven that ADHD could be like autism, a mental disorder that has its roots in genes rather than in bad parenting. I can hardly believe peoples ignorance, our parents raised us up with the same manners, so if bad parenting was the cause, how come it only effected Henry ? 

Back to topic, these scientists examined the DNA of 366 children which have been diagnosed with ADHD and then later compared it with the DNA of people without the disorder. The outcome was as expected, 15% of the group of people with ADHD had a larger and more rare variation in their DNA. This means that the ones with ADHD had either big parts of the DNA duplicated or missing. Getting this confirmed pleases me, I always knew it ! Everything has its reason for being the way it is.

But, Good news never comes alone, its always in the company of Bad news. These studies are currently getting criticized by experts, that are doubting the accuracy of the studies made. The fact that only 57 out of 366 children had this modification in their DNA seem to be bothering them , but like Albert Einstein once said ,  "A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.". Additionally, no one can be sure of anything at the moment. We are all looking forward for further studies to be made, the more the better, since EVERYTHING is possible... something Henry taught me.

It should make sense

In my last post I wrote about how ADHD not was entirely caused by bad parenting, because there are so many factors out there that actually  make a difference, so to completely blame it on one thing is stupidity. Over the years I've read many articles and discussions dealing with the reason of ADHD, and here is what I've learned

What fully causes ADHD is still a mystery , but a lot of studies have shown different bits and pieces that might cause the disorder. One of the reasons is that the norepinephrine and neurotransmitters dopamine are working in a lower speed, and this causes that the transmitter less successfully can send messages to the brain. The neurotransmitter is the part of the brain that actually helps with attention, organization and having the ability to manage ones emotions. So therefore its only natural for people with ADHD to be inattentive , impulsive and hyperactive.

I've read a lot, but I can't help noticing that every study made is just an estimated guess. Even though many doctors have concluded what they think the reasons in the brain to be, we are far from knowing what causes it. Maybe that is good though, because if we had the reason, we would soon have a cure, and people like Henry will be extinct within a few years. I'm all for healthy, but I can't help thinking that Henry might be lost in the process. Or maybe thats just typical sisterly worries.

Realizing something was wrong

When Henry and I were smaller, he started behaving more impulsive and hyperactive, and soon they visited a professional. And clearly, he had from ADHD. That night, I could hear mommy cry as I lay down in my bed, though I didn’t understand it. I understand it now, because I’ve seen other people deal with it since then and most of them do the same. It is sad how its tearing down a family, learning that you child is sick. People feel responsible for not magically fixing something that they did not know about and that cannot be fixed. I imagine all illnesses bring that feeling of helplessness. Just like any mother, my mom grieved for not doing something, for bringing this upon her child. It’s usual by parents to feel guilty, and as far as I’ve seen it happen for two reasons: DNA and parenting skills. My mom experienced the second as she thought she had done something wrong that made Henry that way. But that’s not true, ADHD isn’t caused by a bad parent, perhaps by a bad environment, but not bad parenting skills. My mom know this now, and does not cry herself to sleep, but I know that some does, so I want everyone to know that they’re not alone and that they’re not the cause.

DNA is another thing though, because it’s actually true. ADHD do run in the genes, and is inheritable. I recall reading a child with ADHD is four times as likely to have a relative with that disorder compared to someone who has not. It’s not a definite gene, it’s just a statistical factory, and other factors are probably just as important, but it still enough. As far as I’ve understood the genetic compound of children with ADHD changes something in their brain that differs them from the rest of us. A new research article I read spoke of the amygdala, the part in the brain were the short term memory is located, causing the short attention span and alike seen in ADHD patients. However it works, its connected to the genetic makeup, which doesn’t really makes it easy. That part of the guilt is understandable, knowing your genes might actually have caused you child’s disorder. According to me though, they aren’t guilty so It only makes sense that they should put their energy in to helping their child and find a life for themselves in the mess. Because, ultimately, feeling better is not about forgetting that you feel guilty, it’s about accepting it and living with it. My mother still knows it might be the genetics she passed on that brought this on, but she has accepted it and sees beyond the curse. Like me, she chosen to see the beauty, chosen to se Henry in spite of the ADHD, chosen to love him for who he is.

A beautiful day in November

The inattentive side of ADHD means that you can’t stay concentrated on a task, but you attention goes away, either to a dream world where you forget where you are, or a you start concentrating on everything else and leave the task behind. Henry often chooses to simply walk away and do something else.  But I can remember one time when he actually painted me and entire painting without walking away.

It was November and snow was starting to fall, Henry had just learned his new trick to staying focused, clicking his fingers. It was a smart method, allowing him to let go of what he was doing and click until he had something new to do. I was grateful to the mentor who taught it to him, because it made my crayons whole longer, since Henry wasn’t breaking them out of frustration of lack of concentration as often.

This day, we sat and painted, I told him about my day in school and even though I knew he wasn’t listening I, as always, found it comfortable to tell him. After a while he started clicking with his fingers and looking around him, yet he didn’t leave. After a while of clicking, his eyes returned with some focus to the paper before him and he continued coloring it, telling me it was a picture of us. He returned to clicking his fingers a few times, but never left the table, so after a while he gave me his first finished painting. It was as he had said a picture of us, Sarah and Henry, standing on the grass with the sun shining brightly above. And in a light blue where the snowflakes falling.

After that he never finished a painting, but I love the ones he gives me anyway. But that one, from the day in November, still hangs above my bed to remind me that anything is possible as long as you believe in it.

So what does it really mean ?

Inattention, Hyperactivity and Impulsivity, 3 words that most people recognize without really having a clear understanding of them. Therefore I have decided to make you readers more educated than most people. So here we go!

Inattention is the inability to control your mind as well as setting goals you want to achieve. It is a struggle to follow instructions since one is unable to keep their mind on one thing, so continuously daydreaming is a common symptom.

Hyperactivity sounds fairly easy to detect and so it actually is in some cases. There is this one boy in Henry’s therapy group, he is said to be very active, almost too active. He loves speaking and he said that he had some major problems sitting still, but that was nothing I could notice with his behavior at the moment. He told me that he had his way of coping with it, and this was by exercising immensely. It probably worked better on him since he was about my age and not too young for the exercise. There are of course more things that are classed as hyperactive, but it basically means to always be in motion, being still is not an option.

The last one is Impulisvity, which summarizes in being impatient, this can be seen in cases such as when children don’t like waiting for their turn. A more severe example can be when children act without considering the consequences.

These are the three categories that ADHD is classed in and even though Henry doesn’t show symptoms for all of them he displays many of them, diagnosing him as ADHD.

My name is Sarah

My name is Sarah, and my little brother has ADHD. That’s how I always describe myself, because when your brother is always in the center, you don’t exist without him. When I was little, I used to imagine a fairy coming with a magical cure so that he would always be a normal little brother. But as I got older I realized no fairy would come and make him different. And you know what, I am glad for that – I wouldn’t want him “cured”, because my little brother, the one I love with my entire heart, wouldn’t be him if he didn’t have ADHD. It may be an everyday struggle with frustration and sudden bursts of anger, but the time in-between is worth it, and that’s why I’m writing this, to show the beauty of making life work. My name is Sarah, and my little brother has ADHD.

My brother is named Henry, he is eight and he suffers from Combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive ADHD. This means he had both problems concentrating as well as being still or waiting for his turn.  Besides from that he is a real sweetheart with a big heart.

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