Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Treatment | Free Writing Example (2023)

Introduction

Mike is a 15-year-old white high school student in 9^ºNote. She lives with her family in the city and commutes to school every day. She suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which is a very prevalent condition in the United States. It is diagnosed early in childhood and persists into adulthood in most victims. CDC data (2021) indicates that millions of children in the US have been diagnosed with ADHD, with 3.3 million children ages 12 to 17 million diagnosed. Also affected are 2.4 million children ages 6 to 11 and 388,000 children ages 2 to 5, bringing the total to 6.1 million children (CDC, 2021). Boys are more likely to be diagnosed (12.9%) compared to girls (5.6%) (CDC, 2021). ADHD mainly presents with behavior and conduct problems along with anxiety in children with this condition.

diagnostic criteria

Mike is easily distracted and cannot concentrate adequately on activities that require his full attention. This has been a challenge since he was 4 years old, when his mother noticed that she couldn't fully focus on a conversation. Every time she was talking to him and something unrelated to the conversation happened, he would lose his concentration and the content of the dialogue would escape him. This continues to be a problem for him, as he is unable to focus on conversations effectively when distracted.

Mike also does not pay attention to instructions and makes mistakes regarding school work, which has affected his performance a lot. Teachers always try to be explicitly clear in the assignments they give students, but Mike seems to misinterpret them in almost every case. This makes it difficult for them to teach you due to their lack of focus on instruction. Despite efforts to improve his academic performance over the years, including the use of private tutors, Mike is still disappointed.

Mike forgets to do required chores around the house, despite his parents' best efforts to make sure he is regularly reminded of his responsibilities. These efforts include his mother's insistence on having a guard rooster at home for him and his siblings. This was to ensure that they remembered and that Mike was aware of his responsibilities in general. These measures were ineffective in ensuring that Mike remembered what was required of him at home. The same situation is evident in his schools, as the teachers and management generally did not help him remember his homework.

Mike has difficulty concentrating in a classroom and is often on the go. This makes it difficult for learning to occur in an integrated way, eventually affecting his classmates. Mike randomly gets up in class and starts pacing for no particular reason. Efforts intended to calm him down are usually unsuccessful due to the challenge encountered in reasoning with him. The inability to concentrate has been a constant feature of his life, which has diminished considerably since his elementary school days. He makes deliberate efforts to minimize his attention span.

Mike also has a hard time doing things quietly and talks a lot. This is a challenge in his schoolwork every time there are group projects, and he can't allow his classmates to make meaningful contributions. He also interrupts teachers and blurts out responses during lessons, interrupting the teaching process. This makes it difficult for him to be teachable and for his colleagues to understand the content. This aspect bears most of the responsibility for his diminished results in school work.

Etiology

Genetic vulnerability and family history are crucial factors in the development of ADHD in children. Children with blood relatives who have ADHD are highly prone to the disease, and this shows that family history is involved (miller et al., 2020). People from the same families share tremendous genetic similarities that are passed down from generation to generation. Some of these genetic traits are responsible for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder seen among family members. However, this is not an absolute expectation, as some mothers with ADHD do not necessarily conceive children with the condition. However, this feature is a high risk factor and is expected to affect many families.

Exposure to environmental toxins such as lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is an important risk factor in the development of this condition. These chemicals are found primarily in paint and old buildings, among other areas not recommended for human habitation. Lead and PCBs are responsible for causing genetic mutations in the genome of perfectly healthy children and triggering the onset of this condition (Awaga et al., 2020). These mutations are common in children between the ages of 4 and 15 and cause attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Lead is a neurotoxin that affects the brain, neurons, and the chemicals produced (Sparks, 2020). Lead poisoning causes the overstimulation of certain neurons and the overproduction of certain chemicals, hence the appearance of the condition.

Maternal drug use among pregnant women is responsible for the development of ADHD in their children in some cases, and therefore drug use is an important risk factor. Drug abuse has teratogenic effects on the developing fetal brain and interferes with neurotransmitter mechanisms (Little et al., 2021). Drugs such as alcohol and tobacco cause increased production of neurotransmitters that cause the brain to become hyperactive and attention-deficient. Children born to alcoholic mothers are diagnosed with this condition early in life and persist into adulthood.

functional impairment

Mike's life has been greatly affected across the board due to the ADHD condition greatly affecting his life. The condition caused his academic results to deteriorate greatly from the lowest grades in school. He can't concentrate in class for long without getting distracted or starting an unrelated argument that affects his classmates. This effect on his upbringing is also accentuated by his lesser ability to accept instructions from any authority, including his teachers and parents. His parents made numerous efforts to improve his grades, hired private tutors, and changed schools for his son. These efforts did not guarantee the desired results, since Mike's performance is not the result of poor teaching, but the condition that affects him.

Mike's social life is chaotic due to his condition, as he is barely able to make friends. Most of the friends he has had throughout his life think that he does not care about his well-being, not realizing that his condition makes it difficult for him to give them the attention they deserve. Mike doesn't have a girlfriend like other students his age because the girls think he's weird and he's afraid to get close to them. Mike's relationship with his parents and siblings is often strained due to the fear that he may endanger his life and that of his family due to the recklessness associated with forgetting him. Mike does not indulge in substance use, but neglects his safety due to his hyperactivity involving involvement in dangerous events such as jaywalking.

Treatment

ADHD is primarily treated through the administration of medication and therapy, and the two approaches are used in unison. Medications given for ADHD include methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, dexamphetamine, atomoxetine, and guanfacine (NHS Choices, 2019). These drugs alter the brain's performance by interfering with the production of crucial neurotransmitters. Essentially, these drugs regulate the production of chemicals responsible for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Drugs allow a person to focus on a conversation or class longer without losing focus. Drugs make a person less hyperactive and allow them to suppress the need to interrupt events around them without provocation. Some medications are prescribed for daily use as they improve patients' lives in general, while others are recommended for use in a school setting.

The therapy changes the behaviors of ADHD patients and follows the requirements of various theoretical frameworks. Therapy mechanisms include psychoeducation, in which parents are encouraged to discuss the condition with their children, and behavioral therapy, in which ADHD patients' behavior is managed by various adults in their care. The therapy also involves training in basic social skills to enable ADHD patients to communicate with others with minimal interference from their condition (NHS Choices, 2019). Cognitive behavioral therapy is a mechanism that influences how children perceive their condition, eventually allowing them to alter their behavior in a way that benefits them. The therapy also involves educating parents about the ADHD situation and this improves their ability to bond easily with their children.

References

Awaga, Abdel Hamed, Hammad, Mohammed and Yassa. (2020).Lead as a risk factor for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Zagazig Journal of Legal Medicine,18(1), 21–33. Red.

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. (2021).ADHD Facts and Statistics | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Grid.

Little, B., Sud, N., Nobile, Z., & Bhattacharya, D. (2021). Teratogenic effects of maternal drug abuse on the developing brain and underlying neurotransmitter mechanisms.neurotoxicologia,86, 172–179. Red.

Miller, M., Iosif, A.-M., Bell, L.J., Farquhar-Leicester, A., Hatch, B., Hill, A., Hill, MM, Solis, E., Young, G.S. y Ozonoff, S. (2020).Can the familial risk of ADHD be detected in the first two years of life? Journal of Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology, 1–13. Red.

Options of the National Health Service. (2019).Treatment – ​​Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). NHS. Red.

Sparks, MM (2020).Using the National Health and Nutrition Survey to explore the relationship between food insecurity, childhood lead poisoning, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. Oregon State Library. Grid.