What you should know about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and drug treatment

So high is the degree of concern about the rate of increase in diagnoses of ADHD and prescribing, that enquiries have been initiated in the United Kingdom and abroad to try to determine why this is happening. Those experts who adhere to the biological explanation of ADHD, assume it to have a neurobiological or neurochemical basis. However, despite extensive research over almost 30 years, there is still no unequivocal evidence to this effect. It remains only a hypothesis -- a theory. In fact, in 1998 the American National Institute of Health, took the step of announcing that there was no evidence that ADHD was a biological brain disorder. This position remains unchanged.

Statements about ADHD as a biological disorder are often followed by claims of genetic relationships. In establishing the credibility of ADHD's supposedly biological status, it is important to be able to prove that it is 'inherited'. However, although there continue to be many claims that ADHD has a genetic link, this also remains unproven.

Although there is no doubt that there are impulsive, inattentive, restless disruptive children (especially boys) who present severe challenges to parents and teachers, there is considerable controversy among healthcare professionals as to whether 'ADHD' actually exists as a 'medical' condition. Some maintain that it is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Others point to the effects of food additives, vitamin deficiencies, trauma, poverty, parenting issues and modern unstructured lifestyles, etc. that give rise to children 'acting out' their anxieties and frustrations. There are concerns, also, that difficult behaviour which was once accepted as a normal part of a child's development, is now seen as unacceptable.

Most experts agree that ADHD can be treated by combining techniques including medication, behavioural therapy, psychotherapy and education. Together these techniques appear to have been successful to some degree, but it is the increasing use of largely untested psychoactive drugs like Ritalin and Concerta that is disturbing.

Ritalin ‘has cocaine-style side effects'

Psychoactive drugs have a fast and noticeable effect on the behaviour of ADHD sufferers. Ritalin, a well-known example, is actually an amphetamine which works on the brain. The result is that children become more compliant and calm – “zombie-like” is one mother’s description – and better able to concentrate, which can be a great relief to harassed parents and teachers.

Some studies, however, have found that Ritalin affects the mind in much the same way as cocaine. Cocaine is taken very quickly into the bloodstream and gives an immediate 'hit', but Ritalin is swallowed in tablet form and so works over a much longer period. The hit isn't there, but the effects - and the side effects - appear to be.

ADHD drugs have been shown to produce a range of side effects including brain damage, depression, tics, hallucinations and delusional disorders, seizures, heart attacks and strokes, headaches, blurred vision, cancer, suicide and sudden death. Withdrawal symptoms can include severe and prolonged depression and can lead to suicide.

Some advocates of these drugs say that the worst side effects are loss of appetite, insomnia and headaches, which reduce over time. Opponents strongly disagree. The real problem is that they are relatively new and their long-term effects have yet to be identified. In the meantime we continue to ‘test’ its properties on those with ADHD, and that means, increasingly, on our own children.

Adding to the problem?

"To a child with attention deficit disorder, particular colourings and preservatives are a danger. Children ... are aroused by them, made very miserable, and virtually uneducable." Dr Peter Mansfield, Good HealthKeeping (Kindred Spirits, Issue 4, Summer 1999)

Although not proven, some studies suggest that hyperactivity can be induced or aggravated in some children when they eat food containing additives.

Many children are not receiving enough essential nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, vitamin A, riboflavin and folate. Iron deficiency is directly associated with attention deficit disorders, irritability and with poor achievement at school; zinc deficiency with irritable, tearful, sullen, and possibly hyperactive behaviour; calcium deficiency with anxiety neurosis; and magnesium deficiency with fidgeting, anxious restlessness, as well as with learning disabilities.

What can be done

Screening for food intolerance is a necessary first step before any decision to use psychoactive drugs such as Ritalin. Even the simplest dietary changes - such as avoiding foods containing food additives like coloured sweets, fizzy and sugary drinks - can bring about a remarkable improvement in the child's health and behaviour.

If your child is diagnosed as having ADHD then you could also encourage them to take Omega-3 oil - specifically fish oil – which is probably the single most important nutrient for a child with this diagnosis. They should, we are advised, drink water as their primary beverage, taking care to avoid fruit juices, colas, and milk. It is also important for children to restrict their intake of sugars and grains, which can cause elevated insulin levels.

Links: www.hacsg.org.uk;
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