ADD and ADHD

I have another fun medical theory.  I think when kids are diagnosed with ADHD it is just anxiety and with ADD it is just depression.  Depression makes concentration hard as well, as does anxiety.

Some children are nervous children, hence anxiety.  This usually comes from how they were raised.  If there is a lot of fighting in the home they will obviously be more nervous.  If they were abandoned by one or both parents, literally or psychologically, or abused, they will be more nervous.

Other children struggle with depression.  This might be due to being neglected by one or both parents.  Depression can also be learned behavior from a parent.  There are theories that it is hereditary but I don't think it is actually passed in the DNA.  It is simply that a parent may model depression which is then imitated and repeated by their child. 

ADD is an attention deficit disorder.  It looks more like a lack of motivation though; a kind of laziness or not caring about things.  If it is in regards to school, it might just be that the parents don't seem to help with homework or their teachers are bad teachers and that is why they don't care about school.  It does not have to be the child's fault if they are not learning.  The teachers and parents are primarily responsible for the child being able to and wanting to learn.  Therefore it could just be depression due to a lack involvement from either the parent or teachers or both.  Depression comes from isolation and causes one to not care about things in general; to lack goals, to not have any ambition for life or dreams for the future.  Depression and ADD have a lot of similarities, which is why I think they may just be the same thing.

ADHD is attention deficit hyperactive disorder.  It comes across as excessive nervous energy.  Kids and adults with ADHD seem to never be able to sit still.  They always have to be up doing something.  They don't need to sleep as much etc.  Anxiety causes the same things in a person.  People who are anxious can never seem to be able to sit still.  They seem to have tons of energy.  They seem to be able to accomplish a lot and never get tired. 

All of this, depression, anxiety, ADD and ADHD, could all come down to hormone levels as well.  A higher testosterone level in a man or woman causes one to have more energy.  This could come across as anxiety or ADHD.  Likewise a lower testosterone level, in either a man or woman, causes lower energy levels.  This could come across as depression or ADD.   Sometimes it is thyroid issue, but it can also be a hormone issue.

"ADHD is a medical diagnosis. There is, however, no definitive medical test to prove or disprove whether ADHD is present. Diagnosis is determined by discussion with physicians as well as questionnaires completed by patients, parents, teachers and caregivers regarding behavior patterns. This subjective process can make diagnosis difficult, especially when there are additional co-existing conditions." http://www.healthcentral.com/.../related-conditions-40570...

"Hyper-focusing on a project, for instance, may lead to losing a night’s sleep, which may trigger mania. Under-focus, meanwhile, may lead to frustration and a sense of learned helplessness, which is an open invitation to depression." http://www.healthcentral.com/.../154724/connection-hypomania

Interesting: "Iron Deficiency Anemia:
Iron Deficiency in adults causes lethargy, feeling exhausted and irritability. In infants and children, however, the symptoms include irritability, inability to concentrate, impaired cognitive skills... and a short attention span. Children with ADHD also show symptoms of inability to concentrate and are distracted easily, mimicking a short attention span." (Eat more red meat and veggies to increase your iron.

Also sleep is very important:

"Sleep Disorders:
Although people with ADHD notoriously have difficulty sleeping, they may or may not have a sleep disorder. The inability to get a good night’s sleep interferes with many daytime activities. People that lack sleep can have a hard time concentrating, communicating, following directions, and may suffer decreased short-term memory...." (9 hours of sleep is ideal I've heard http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/related-conditions-40570-5.html

Another personal thought on ADD and ADHD; whatever you believe about a child they will become.  If you believe and treat them like they are a little monster, they will act like one.  If you believe and treat them like they are an angel, they will act like one.  If you believe them to be smart they most likely will be.  If you believe them to be not smart, they most likely will become not smart.  We create self-fulfilling prophecies with our kids.  Whatever we think about ourselves we ourselves become, and whatever we think about our kids, they themselves become. 

If you tell someone something long enough, they will start to believe it, no matter what it is.  The power of suggestion is very powerful.  Thoughts are very powerful.  We can dictate the lives of others just based on how we treat them and what we say about them.  We are always influencing everyone around us, either for good or bad.  "Life and death are in the power of the tongue."


More research:

"This is where hyperactivity enters the picture, a failure to apply the brakes. You almost automatically act on your distracting thought. No red tape, no delay.
 
But wait, I hear you protesting. Isn’t this hypomania? Funny you should ask. Check out this DSM-IV symptom for hypomania:
 
Distractibility (i.e., attention too easily drawn to unimportant or irrelevant external stimuli), as reported or observed.
 
Now compare it to this symptom for ADD:
 
Is often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.
 
The interchangeability doesn’t stop there. Can you tell which of the symptoms below belongs to which diagnosis?
 

• “Is often ‘on the go’ or often acts as if ‘driven by a motor.’”
• “... persistently increased activity or energy ...” (from the DSM-5 proposed revision).
• “Increase in goal-directed activity ...”
• “Flight of ideas or subjective experience that thoughts are racing.”
• “... subjective feelings of restlessness.”
• “Often talks excessively.”
• “More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking.”
• “Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities.”
• “... makes careless mistakes ...”

http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/c/15/154724/connection-hypomania


To me all of that just sounds like anxiety, nervousness, fear etc.