ADHD Medications And Children With Anxiety

For those who are not clear, ADHD is an abbreviation for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, a behavioral disorder that is now affecting nearly 10% of the school-age chidren. In our day to day life, you may hear a lot of people associate ADHD medications with children with anxiety. From a more professional point of view, however, there is no direct relation between the two. They are only associated for the simple fact that both relate to ADHD. If a child is suffering ADHD, he will have extremely hard time in paying attention and focusing, which will ultimately lead to failure in achieving goals.

Despite its seemingly obvious symptoms, diagnosis of ADHD is not as easy as many would believe. This is because about two thirds of the children with ADHD also suffer other medical conditions the same time, and the common coexisting conditions include anxiety disorder, ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) and CD (Conduct Disorder), mood disorder, and learning disabilities. Now, it is not hard to understand the association between ADHD and anxiety - they often go side by side!

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In fact, about 25% of the ADHD sufferers also have anxiety disorders. There are both mental and physical symptoms, such as restlessness, fatigue, difficulty in concentration, irritability, insomnia, excessive worry, fear, heart racing, sweating, stomach pains, and diarrhea. Others may even develop OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and Tourette syndrome, as well as motor or vocal tics (movements or sounds that are repeated over and over).

In diagnosing ADHD with anxiety conditions, doctors usually will inquire into the complete medical history of the child, use their own observation, and conduct an interview with parents. At the moment, ADHD cannot be completely cured but can be effectively managed through a combination of medications and behavior therapies. The anxiety condition is also highly treatable with professional counseling coupled with medications. In both situations, early treatment may help prevent further development of mental problems, including suicide attempts.

There are several types of ADHD medications, such as stimulants, non-stimulants and anti-depressants. All of them have established effectiveness, but none is totally free in side-effects although there is currently no evidence of any long-term ones. The same can be said for medications for children's anxiety, but of course the two medications cannot be used interchangeably.

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Behavior therapy is another effective means to treat both ADHD and children's anxiety. With that method, the doctors endeavor to adjust the behavior of affected children by making right changes to their home and school environment, improving their organisational skill, and setting up an appropriate reward and punish system.

Without a doubt, the parents' involvement is an essential in implementing the behavior therapy. Being the closest ones to the affected children, parents can help their kids by creating a routine, help organise, limit distractions, establish goal, rewards and confidence. As such, parent training is often an indispensable part of the treatment program.

Despite the importance of the role by parents of the affected children, some people are still attributing the cause of children's mental problem to poor parenting. This, of course, is a complete myth. Today, the stresses faced by our teenagers are no less than adults, which include the worries for schooling and concerns about socialisation. Plus, teenagers' minds are experiencing constant learning and changes. Having said these, there is no need to over worry if you have a problem child. As said, ADHD can be effectively managed with behavioral therapy and ADHD medications, and children with anxiety can also be successfully treated with the same combination of methods.