An ADD/ADHD Question? *Please Help*?

Question: My daughter is going in for an ADD test in a week. I am not sure what to expect but i have talked to the doctor and the phsycologist and the school counseler and they have all pretty much told me the same thing, but the didnt tell me what the actual test(s) would be like. They did say that they would test for things like ADD,ADHD,BIPOLAR DISORDER,DYSLEXIA, ECT. Because they told me that those things get mixed up alot durring diagnosis. But we are all pretty sure its ADD. If there is a parent out there whos child has gone through this kind of testing before and has had experience in this feild, any helpful answers will be considered. Thanks ~Worried Mom

Answers:
You are a concerned mom who is doing the right thing. There are too many misdiagnosed cases of ADD/ADHD and too many overmedicated children out there. There is one true test that measures brainwaves that can accurately diagnose ADD/ADHD.
Not enough people get that, before a perscription from a doc that's in bed wuth some drug company. Sometimes ADD/ADHD can be regulated with a modified diet and behavioral therapy, but sometimes medication is necessary. Find out first, because some meds have side effects that are worse for the child than the disorder.
It's important to find out exactly what the problem is, because labeling a child creates a stigma that is often self-fulfilling. Sometimes it's simply an anxiety disorder brought on by trauma or famiy interactions. I am not saying you're a bad parent or abusive, but sometimes a child feels pressures from sources you are unaware of, or one parent that is emotionally unavailable to the other, or to the child.

I would do these physiological tests, as well as see both family (whole family) and individual counseling for the child. Any issues that require counseling to deal with need the WHOLE family to participate, not just the "target patient".

It's the whole family's problem, not just the child, and this avoids the stigma of the child being seen as "the bad seed" or the "one who needs to be fixed". Besides, the whole family will need to know how to handle, or manage, the behavior of themselves and the child.

In any event, it's important to let the child know that you want to help but you don't know how. That's why you are doing this, so you can learn how to be a part of the solution, rather than a part of the problem.

Good luck to you all, and take care.

---

Just so you understand, any child that goes in for testing is diagnosed ADD and put on meds. I would give your child a loving enviornment, well balanced meals (not processed food), and a little patience. The drugs may show some improvment at first but like many things in the long run they either stop producing the same desired effect, stop working, or produce undesirable side effects. Please unless you child is seriously falling behind developmentally don't jump to the "is my kid ADD?" trip to the doctors office....or at least take it with a grain of salt when the prescription pad comes out. Get your kid involved in music and a team sport try to nourish the areas of their life you see that they are able to focus, and help them work the mind muscle.

---

---

More Questions and Answers

• Can a person with Bipolar 2 disorder enjoy sex? Any issues if he gets married?
• Have you ever .. heard voices in your head ?
• I think i might have social phobia. Anybody has it that might give me some info?
• have you ever had sex when you were pregnant?
• If you don't want to be hypnotized and a magician attemps to hypnotize you, will you be anyways?
• Is a person who is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic dangerous?
• why is the mind?
• I talked to my mom about my birthday, she ignored me. I feel so upset.?