Get Incensed

I am so tired of people, who do not know what it is like to have or take care of a child with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), look at me and judge me for medicating my ADHD-afflicted son! There is a stigma around this disorder, and I think it stems from the significant increase in U.S. diagnoses of ADHD. I have heard it said so many times that Americans are just in a hurry to medicate their children so they don’t have to deal with unfavorable behavior. Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but in my situation, that is bull poo-poo! (I know that doesn’t have the intesity I’m going for, but I have to be careful.)

Let me take you into the mind of a child with ADHD.

A child sits int he back of a classroom. He is embarrassed that he cannot listen to the teacher long enough to answer questions like the other students, and fears being called on. As he hides from the teacher’s view, he struggles with sitting still and chewing on his pencil. Staring around the class he realizes that once again he has lost touch with what the teacher was saying, and now it is time to do the assignment, but he doesn’t know how. If he asks the teacher what to do, he knows he’ll be in trouble for not paying attention, but if he does the work wrong or not at all, he’ll get in trouble at home. He gets angry at himself, and becomes defiant choosing not to do anything, and gives up his care of getting in trouble. Subsequently, poor behavior leads to a note being sent home, which results in being grounded, and an extended night of homework while he tries desperately to catch up with his assignments.

The situation I just described is real. My son has gone through this several times, and I cry every time I think of the mental pain it put him through. I got over the idea that it is bad and selfish to medicate a child for mental and behavorial problems, because there came a point when it was obvious to me that it was actually neglect to allow my son to endure this mental torture! It was neglect to allow my son to get behind in school because I didn’t want people to know that he had to take a pill everyday! There came a point when it no longer mattered what I thought or felt about it; the only thing that mattered was giving my son a chance at a normal life.

It goes beyond medication though. A 4-prong approach must be taken to treat ADHD, especially if anger or other extreme emotion-control issues are involved. After all of my research, discussions with doctors and therapists, and what I have learned from my son directly, you have to have:

1. Medication
2. Professional Mental Therapy
3. Consistent Discipline (Rewards and Consequences)
4. Education

The fourth requirement noted is probably the most important. I have found that the more I learn, and the more I teach my son about ADHD, the less life-altering the condition is. My son was initally embarrassed about medication and therapy, but now that he understands what ADHD is, and how many others are affected by it, it’s no longer the elephant in the room.

I am drawing the line here. I resolve to no longer let the opinions and looks from those who disapprove of my tactics to help my son, bother me. I will hold my head high, and feel confident that I am doing all I can to make sure that my son lives the best life he can.