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health advisory Hospital Mental Health 2007-11-15 19:01:19

ADHD was first described by Dr. Heinrich Hoffman in 1845 so it has actually been around alot longer than the past 5 years! A physician who wrote books on medicine and psychiatry, Dr. Hoffman was also a poet who became interested in writing for children when he couldn't find suitable materials to read to his 3-year-old son. The result was a book of poems, complete with illustrations, about children and their characteristics. "The Story of Fidgety Philip" was an accurate description of a little boy who had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Yet it was not until 1902 that Sir George F. Still published a series of lectures to the Royal College of Physicians in England in which he described a group of impulsive children with significant behavioral problems, caused by a genetic dysfunction and not by poor child rearing鈥攃hildren who today would be easily recognized as having ADHD.1 Since then, several thousand scientific papers on the disorder have been published, providing information on its nature, course, causes, impairments, and treatments.

A child with ADHD faces a difficult but not insurmountable task ahead. In order to achieve his or her full potential, he or she should receive help, guidance, and understanding from parents, guidance counselors, and the public education system. This document offers information on ADHD and its management, including research on medications and behavioral interventions, as well as helpful resources on educational options.

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I think there are a number of things causing children mental health issues. Children are not getting outside to get enough fresh air and excersize. They have become little couch potatoes that do nothing but watch television and play video games. Children are not being supervised while doing either of these activities. Children are learning things they are too young to learn. I think ADHD is very real but I also think our country and our changing culture is part of the problem. Chemical, poor environments, lack of supervision, lack of consistency in their lives, poor nutrition, and just a lack of good role modeling seems to be the norm these days. Our country needs to spend some time, money and energy on taking care of our children and the family structures before it is to late.