Psychotherapy, Psychotherapist & Counsellor in Aberdeen

Does my child have ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder that can severely impact the behaviour of children and youngsters regarding their school performance and socialising with peers. ADHD is thought to affect around 5% of children worldwide, a figure that has held broadly steady across international reviews.

Symptoms of ADHD:

Inattentiveness:
Struggle to hold attention during calm activities, tend to daydream, forgetful, disorganised

Hyperactivity:
Excessive activity, restlessness, fidgeting

Impulsiveness:
Impatience, thoughtless behaviour, impaired impulse control

Some children have difficulties with inattention only, without the hyperactivity, which makes the diagnosis less obvious. This used to be called ADD; DSM-5 now describes it as the predominantly inattentive presentation.

How to diagnose AD(H)D?

The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) diagnose ADHD.

It is essential to distinguish between usual symptoms of inattention, hyperactive and impulsive behaviour, which occur, for example, during specific developmental stages like childhood or puberty and those symptoms, which cause mal-adaptively high levels in the daily lives of children and adolescents whether at home, at school, at work or in social settings.

Under DSM-5, several symptoms must have been present before age 12, and they must occur in at least two different settings, such as home and school. (Earlier editions of the manual set this threshold at age seven.) Children and adolescents with an AD(H)D diagnosis suffer from socialising with their peers, learning difficulties or vocational training.

A diagnosis is never made from a single appointment. Information is gathered from the child or young person, the parents and the school, using questionnaires, interviews and observation during sessions, so that the picture covers home and school rather than one setting alone.

A thorough physical examination by a doctor should be done to exclude, for example, epilepsy, metabolism disorder, and sight and hearing impairment which can cause similar symptoms of ADHD.

Other psychological or developmental disorders can cause inattentiveness or hyperactive behaviours like obsessive-compulsive disorder, autism, tics, low or high intelligence or dyslexia.

Many different aspects should be considered before diagnosing AD(H)D. An assessment involves a session with the parents, at least two sessions with the child, questionnaires completed by both parents and teachers, and other psychometric tests and profiles like IQ tests.

ADHD and Comorbidity

It is estimated that around 60 to 80 % of children/adolescents with ADHD also have other disorders like Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, OCD, Conduct Disorder, Excretion Disorder and Specific Learning Disabilities.

https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/adhd-comorbidity/

The Stress on Parents 

The authors of the book ‘Understanding A.D.H.D’ Dr C. Green and Dr K. Chee put it together this way:

‘There must be super-men and wonderful women out there who find ADHD easy, but we have not met them so far. The parents we deal with are tired, confused and frequently full of self-doubts. Many have already had a real run-around… Many are secretly disappointed that parenting has not lived up to expectations. Others are angry that one child has brought so much stress and disruption to what was once a hassle-free home. A few have an immense feeling of being trapped in a nightmare that won’t end. At the end of a family weekend, the parents feel they have gone ten rounds in the boxing ring. “

Therapy

Evidence-based therapeutical methods help children and adolescents with ADHD and other mental disorders. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, the therapist will recommend a so-called combination therapy of medication and psychotherapy (CBT) or only medication or psychotherapy.
Untreated ADHD can cause severe problems throughout life.
Children can suffer from low-self esteem since they cannot show their full potential, struggle with having or keeping friends, have low school performance, and have trouble at home/with stressed parents.
Youngsters abuse drugs to ease their restlessness (self-medication) and often suffer from depression.

It is crucial to validate the emotions and the struggle of the parents. Parents and children mustn’t blame themselves for their struggle. They often suffer as much as their children and feel very often helpless. Therapy can help the whole family to understand the disorder and its consequences.

Therapy can help children focus on their strengths, develop adaptive strategies to overcome challenges, and strengthen overall relationships with family members and peers.