ADHD what does it mean?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Sort of confusing. Many people think they or their children can't be ADHD because they are not hyperactive. Doesn't matter. ADHD, has subsets that help describe diagnosis more clearly.  One is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Predominately Hyperactive- Impulsive type. These are the kids or adults who can not stay still  to save their lives. Always have to be on the go. Difficulty watching a movie without jumping up 18 times, or sit through a class without bugging their neighbor, doing things that disrupts others around them with their excessive energy. Oddly enough they can focus like a laser on a video game while tracking aliens on a screen and be oblivious to their surroundings.  Reason being: It really interests them. Their impulsivity leads them to blurt out answers to questions that may not have even been asked yet. :)  Or they are just looking for a reason to talk.
They can be loud, and boisterous and impulsive.  Can't emphasize the last part enough.  Impulsive behavior, impulsive speech.  Lack of forethought into the future. Sort of like "taking out the filtering system" that the rest of the world runs on.
Case in point: As a mother of an ADHD child who is now in  his 30's. I will never forget the day I watched in amazement as he ( who was around 3 years old at the time) jumped out of the car when I stopped reached around me and grabbed my keys out of the ignition.  As fast as his little legs would go he ran to a pipe that was sticking up out of the ground with a lid like flap on it and dropped my keys into the abyss.
As I stood there open mouthed I marveled at the thought process that went into that.   WHYYYYYY DIDDDD YOU DOOOO THATTTT!!!!!!!  I believe those were my exact words.  He of course had no answer. He saw something he wanted to do and he did it.  End of story.  Leaving me to figure out how to get my keys back, (fishing line and magnet while a good idea, not really helpful).  Anyhoooo fifty bucks and a locksmith got me a new key and we were on our way.  That was the turning point.  I realized that I was going to have to be ever so vigilant in the future because his little brain operated on a different channel than the rest of the world. ADHD , Hyperactive /Impulsive type generally requires certain symptoms to be diagnosed. Some of those defining symptoms are:
 Excessive movement, fidgeting,  difficulty remaining quiet at appropriate times,  impulsive speech which leads to interrupting others frequently, problems waiting a turn, inability to sit quietly or sit at all.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder Predominately Inattentive is the flip side of the coin.  Not necessarily seeing hyperactivity or impulsivity but basically a lack of paying attention.  These are the "mind wanderers". While the rest of the world is focusing on a solving an answer in a classroom situation or working on a project at their work site, they are struggling to stay on task.  Anything is a distraction, the bird out the window, the way paint is chipping on the wall, the sound of someone sneezing in the next room.   They may have problems following directions, don't seem to be listening, difficulty with details, trouble organizing themselves, problems planning into the future, forgetful, loses things frequently.  As an aside I remember one winter in grade school that we went through three (yes 3) winter coats. How a child loses a coat when the temperature outside freezes the bark off a tree escapes me. Not to mention buying mittens, gloves and hats in multiples.  Gotta love them... all in all ADHD is a challenge but the bottom line is these kids, and adults are not willfully acting this way to irritate the rest of the world.

What we don't know could fill a bucket !

Not a very reassuring start is it. Sorry but have to be ruthlessly honest here. If anyone tells you anything is 100% absolute then start running for the door because they're leading you down the wrong path.  As a professional I strive to give my patients everything I know about a certain drug therapy, mental health disorder, outcome, side effects, etc., but one thing I can tell you for 100% is we don't know everything.  Every day is a new lesson learned. My goal for this blog is just to keep addressing common issues that have question marks for a lot of people. My hope is that this will provide some guidance in understanding what a mental health diagnosis is, symptoms, recommended treatments, medications most often recommended, side effects and other services that are available.
Anyone who picks up a newspaper or goes online or listens to the news knows that we have a big crisis out there related to mental health. Not enough people to treat the mentally ill, and a severe lack of access to care for uninsured, or under-insured patients should make this a number one priority for our state and federal government. I know, I know, they talk about it and advocate for it but so far here we are, stuck in the middle of huge crisis that only seems to be getting worse by the day.  I would like to see more early intervention in the school system to help stem the tide of "behaviorally and academically challenged" kids making their way slowly and unsuccessfully through their school years.  We need to "put a cork in it" as Archie Bunker used to say.
Recognize the early warning signs in children. Evaluate them and set them on a path for success rather than wait around and "see what happens".  I have heard this so many times in my practice. Things like "well let's give it another year and then we'll see where they're at".  Why wait? Each day is a lost day in a child's life. Each semester that passes without proper evaluation and treatment is one more semester they have to try to catch up with.  This just leads to more opportunity for that child to fall further and further into the cracks, and be labeled as a "behavioral problem", or an "oppositional child", and allows them to lose more and more self esteem in the process.
This leads me to the topic of my next blog "The ADHD diagnosis."   See you then.