Posted by Simcha on August 17, 2003, at 23:56:18
In reply to Simcha and Everyone Else who responded. , posted by Essence on August 17, 2003, at 18:45:19
Essence,
Wow, this must be very difficult for you. I can say what therapists have told me about some children who go untreated for ADD/ADHD. Sometimes, behavior intervention works and sometimes it's not enough.
The therapists at work tell me that without medication some ADD/ADHD develop Oppositional Defiant Disorder. All the therapists at work try not to pathologize a child. They only give preliminary diagnoses whenever possible so that a child does not get labelled. Once a certain level is reached it is difficult for a therapist not to give a more solid diagnosis.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder and lead to Conduct Disorder in children where ADD/ADHD is a possible diagnosis and it is left untreated according to the therapists I know. This does not usually happen until well into Middle School or High School. They tell me that with ODD the child still understands that what they are doing is wrong when they act out. Conduct Disordered children end up unable to know what they did was wrong.
I'm no expert yet and I'm not a doctor. I only know what you have typed here. I can understand your reluctance to have your child diagnosed and placed on medications.
Children with ADD/ADHD actually will calm down when given stimulant medications. For example coffee with have the opposite effect on ADD/ADHD that it does with people who do not have ADD/ADHD.
Sixteen is a difficult age for everyone. I remember myself at that age. I was very depressed and my parents did nothing about it. Sometimes, at least their reasoning was (my Father is a High School Teacher) that teenagers "outgrow" their mental issues with maturity. I did not outgrow it. For me it got worse.
Your child may be different. I don't know you or your son in real life and I am not in any position where I could make a diagnosis even if I knew him since I'm not qualified to do diagnosis yet.
The knowledge I have is based on what has been taught to me in school for now and during gaining experience on the job.
I would assume that you know your son best and you would be able to work best with him on a team of professionals to do whatever is best for your son.
I just wish both of you well no matter what you decide. Unfortunately there is so much we don't know about mental health and mistakes can be made. The brain and the human psyche is very complex and we only know so much.
Blessings,
Simcha
> Simcha: Thank you very much for your responses. Your support,without knowing the whole story was heartfelt. To Everyone else, so many to name, thank you for your input as well, including Lou's. Lou, I have read all those sites and many books, this decision has not come lightly as you will read on.
>
> My son's ADD is not a "NEW" diagnoses so this is not something new to me, medicating him however is. He was 'diagnosed' at age 2 as probable ADHD, but I was told through mental health that they could not put a disorder on a child under the age of 5. Despite that, my son and I went bi-weekly to mental health so I could learn how to raise my son without meds using counseling and behaviour modifications. We continued this until he was age 9. He was doing well in school, was a happy young boy and the hyperactivity aspect of his disorder was minimal at the age of 9 compared to where it had been. I somehow felt that perhaps he had outgrown his disorder, I had read that this could happen,his therapist agreed so counseling was discontinued. What I didn't know, was that ADD/ADHD could change to different types. Once he entered Junior High, his life fell apart. His grades fell dramatically, with each failure he felt worse and worse about himself. He began many distructive behaviours, running away from home, smoking, drinking, being verbally abusive, etc. The list is too long to post here. I tried several times in the past 5 yrs to get him to go back into counselling, he wouldn't participate so was told not to come back. Back in the winter, after being told he was failing his 5th yr in junior high school, I demanded that he go back and be tested for a learning disability. To my shock, it came back as ADD - innatentive. I was floored, I had really felt he no longer had this disorder. I always hated medications, and vowed when he was younger to never put him on one. Now I see the damage that decision has created. After his testing back in the winter, he agreed to try Wellbutrin. Well that failed and he dropped out of school after turning 16 in April and became a father in May. This decision to go back to a psychiatrist was his decision, he now wants an education and realizes that he can't do it alone. I am heartsick that such a young man has such a heavy burden to bear. But I am even more heartsick to think of what might happen to him if medical intervention isn't taken.
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> I asked about Concerta because it's once a day dosing and appears to not have the peaks and valleys of Ritalin, etc, so I wanted to hear people's experience with it and mostly, the psychotic side-effect. Adderall and Straterra are not available here yet and Concerta was just approved. Sorry for the long post, but thanks again everyone.
> Ess
poster:Simcha
thread:251524
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030812/msgs/251734.html