By Dr. Prashant K Vaidya,Homeopathy
What Is ADHD?
-As the name suggests, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a cognitive disorder, quite common in children.
-A few significant signs such as hyperactivity, diffused concentration, and uncontrolled behavioral patterns confirm this condition.
It is classified in subtypes as:
-Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive
-Predominantly inattentive
-Combined Hyperactive-Impulsive and inattentive (this is most common in children)
Distinct ADHD Symptoms :
-As mentioned, key behavioral patterns observed in children are excess hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattention.
-Most of the time, these symptoms are ignored as they are confused with the playful attitude of the child.
-However, ADHD rings a bell of alarm if the child has the following symptoms for 6 months or more, and if these symptoms are more prominent than in other children.
Inattention (Predominantly inattentive subtype):
-Easily distracted from focus
-Forgetfulness
-Difficulty in learning a new thing or completing a task
-Not paying attention when he is addressed
-Easily confused and disoriented
-Day dreaming
-Struggling to follow instructions or process information
-Hyperactive and Impulsiveness (Combined Hyperactive-Impulsive and inattentive):
-Extremely impatient and talkative
-Blurting out inappropriate comments without a restraint on speech or thought about the consequences
-Interrupting conversations
-Playing and touching anything and everything that comes in their way
-Squirming and fidgeting, when things do not work their way.
Causes :
Causes of ADHD in children are attributed to various reasons like:
-Emotional trauma (like death in family or divorce)
-Undetected seizures
-Anxiety followed by depression
-Existing medical disorders concerning brain
-Smoking and drug abuse in pregnancy
-Environmental toxins (like lead and polychlorinated biphenyls)
-Heredity (1 in 4 children diagnosed have at least one relative with the same condition)
-Most of the causes originate from the biological aspects.
-It is believed that the change in the structure of the brain might be one of the dominant reasons.
-Further, there are certain environmental agents that could possibly modify a child’s behavior.
Given below are some of the factors that have been identified by the researchers:
1. Modified Anatomy and Brain Routine
-Children affected by this disorder have notable differences in the function of the brain as compared to their counterparts.
-The chemicals present in the brain, namely neurotransmitters, are responsible for this behavior.
-These neurotransmitters are essential for the interaction of the cells present in the brain. In affected children, a neurotransmitter called dopamine tends to malfunction, thereby causing unfavorable consequences, that include impulsiveness, lack of concentration, and hyperactivity.
-Further, it has been scientifically proved that a child with this disorder has significantly smaller volume of brain, as compared to a normal child.
-The affected children seem to be less sensitive in situations, where they are either complimented or punished.
2. Genes
-This disorder is also believed to be transferred from parents, who are diagnosed of hypertension.
-Every fourth child affected by this disorder, has a relative affected by the same.
-This disorder is also more commonly found in identical twins. If the parents tend to have psychiatric disturbance, then there are possibilities of a child acquiring this disorder.
3. Maternal Factors
-Pregnant mothers habituated to smoking are at higher risk of having an affected child.
-Likewise, using alcohol or other drugs during the gestation period can retard the activity of neurons that produce dopamine.
-Exposure to chemical poisons such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) during pregnancy may also be considered as one of the risk factors. This chemical is widely used in the pesticide industry.
-Consumption of drugs like cocaine has proved to hinder the normal growth of the brain receptors.
-Also, there are cases where the mothers are less affectionate and are very critical towards their own children. They also tend to severely punish the child for literally a tiny reason.
4. Exposure of a Child to Environmental Poisons
-Exposure to environmental toxins such as lead and PCBs is another risk factor.
-Prolonged exposure to lead levels might even result in violent behavior. Lead is even found in sand, dust, and also in water pipes.
- Other possible environmental factors include pollution, consumption of food stuffs that have artificial colors, and exposure to fluorescent light. -Interestingly, even sugar has proved to shoot up the hyperactive behavior in certain cases.
Other Factors
-Watching television for a longer period could possibly make the brain want a constant stimulation.
-Deficiencies in the child’s daily diet accounts for poor nutrition and could result in the modified behavior.
-Children who are devoid of love and security might realize that their needs are not met, and this might lead to the development of symptoms similar to those of ADHD.