ADD

My observations on ADD [or ADHD]:

·Is ADD over- or under-diagnosed
          and -treated?

·The "Real" ADD--Autonomic
          Dysfunction Disorder?

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Is ADD over-diagnosed and over-treated?
or under-diagnosed and under-treated?

I believe it is greatly underdiagnosed
and undertreated.

According to OLD statistics, 3-5%
of school-aged children have ADD or ADHD
(the same disorder with different manifestations.)
 

ADD is an inherited disorder--strongly inherited,
from my observations. Many of my observations
come from personal experience with my own
family: grandmother, parents, siblings, etc.
We all thought it was normal, since we all
 had it! But I learned that just because
 condition is "normal" in my family
does not mean it is normal. (I
thought most people had
acid reflux!)

Other inheritable conditions, such as
diabetes, hypertension, asthma, migraines, etc.,
are much more prevalent than they were 20 years
ago.  I don't hear an outcry against treating those
conditions. Why should there be an outcry against
treating any condition which may be disabling
when untreated? and which is usually not
disabling when treated properly.
 

Now studies indicate that as many as
12-15% of school-aged children may have ADD.
Do we not see a greatly increased incidence
of asthma, allergies, diabetes, and other
conditions? Is it not understandable
that ADD is also increasing?
 

The most helpful medication for ADD is
a stimulant. All stimulants work equally well,
but not for every patient. The key is to get the
right dose of the right medicine. It is usually
trial and error, with about 75% responding well
to the first stimulant tried. Most who don't
do well with the first stimulant do well
with the second. It is important to
START LOW, GO SLOW
with the dosing.

The right dose is the least amount
which does the job with no side effects.
 

Stimulants are not addictive for those who
need them. They get no "jollies" from taking
their medication and usually take less
than they are allowed to take.

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The "Real" ADD--
Autonomic Dysfunction Disorder??
 

As a Family Physician in private practice*,
I treated all ages, from newborns to great-grandparents.
As a physician in a small town, I treated many members of extended families. There I observed some medical conditions which typically accompany ADD--
conditions which often involve symptoms
of a hyper-active or under-active
autonomic nervous system:
high or low blood pressure,
anxiety and/or depression,
diarrhea and/or constipation,
hypersensitivity and/or hyperactivity.
 

The three typical characteristics of ADD are:
a) distractibility
b) impulsivity, and
c) hyperactivity--or,
as I found, hyper-sensitivity.

*I had a full-time Family Practice (minus Obstetrics) in Nashville, GA, [pop. about 5,000] from 1985-1994. In 1994 I opened the ADD/Stress Clinic,  where I treated patients of all ages who had classical symptoms of ADD.

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The autonomic nervous system [ANS]
controls automatic bodily functions, such as
breathing, sweating, digestion, and elimination.
Our ANS continuously makes adjustments
to maintain a delicate balance between
its two components: the sympathetic
nervous system, which regulates
our fight-or-flight response,
and the parasympathetic
nervous system, which regulates
our day-to-day unconscious activities,
such as digestion, breathing, and blood pressure.

Suggestions for students with ADD

CONNECTIONS BETWEEN ADD & FMS

Click here for information on:

Medical Credentials:

MD degree from Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, 1982

Family Practice Residency at Medical Center of Central Georgia, Macon, GA—1982-1985

Board Certified by American Board of Family Medicine—1987-1994, 2006-2013. (Board Eligible 1994-2006)

Family Practice—Nashville, GA, 1985-1994

ADD/Stress Clinic [part-time]—Nashville, GA, 1994-2000

Emergency Medicine—part-time 1994 - present

Urgent Care, Prison Medicine—2005-2006