What does ADHD mean is a question many parents and carers ask. They are puzzled and a little frightened and in this article, I will explain why. They are also immersed in a sea of conflicting information so it is hard to know what to do.

Basically most experts are at least agreed on what ADHD is. It is a neuro-biological, developmental disorder in the brain. The brain transmitters are not functioning as well as they should be. It is rather like faulty electrical wiring in a house. It could also be compared to a rather poor cell phone signal.

What this means in reality is that the child or adult who is suffering from this condition displays the following problems:-

• distracted by anything and everything- the brain seems to lack a filter for incoming sensory messages. This explains why they cannot settle down to one single task.

• Cannot focus at all for any length of time

• Some children are rather slow and dreamy

• Is very often hyperactive and cannot sit still

• Tends to be impulsive both in behavior and in speech.

Now the crazy part begins here. First there is no clinical method of diagnosing this condition. Doctors, specialists and mental health providers rely on an observation checklist and merely compare behavior to the norm. This is very approximate indeed. This has probably led to many cases of misdiagnosis. The fact that other childhood conditions can often mimic those of ADHD is often forgotten.

The second crazy fact is that the medications used are either psychostimulants, anti depressants or drugs normally used for blood pressure problems. Yes, these are very often given to children as young as four years of age. Nobody is quite sure how they work and although they are stimulants , they calm children down.. Nobody has told us about the possible long term damage to a child’s brain, neither is there any certainty whether they might become addicted.

The third crazy fact is that the medications which are in the antidepressant category come with a warning that there might be a risk in suicidal thinking. This warning was put on these meds in 2004 so the FDA was covering its back. But, yes, you read that correctly about suicidal thinking. A child of five could already be pushed towards suicide by medication?

Now you can see why the question, what does ADHD mean, has rather crazy and sinister overtones when we think about the treatment meted out to millions of children across the nation. Most medical experts also cover their backs and say that the best treatment of all is with behavior therapy used in conjunction with some medication. That is what they say but many doctors, parents and carers are just ignoring this advice.

Now if you think this is the answer to the question, what does ADHD mean, that is fine. If you disagree and want to explore other ways of treating this minor mental disorder, you can check it out on my website.