As an adult with ADHD you may have little ones with the same disorder, noted even before they start school. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has just issued guidelines for treating the very little children.*
First is a careful evaluation, to be sure the symptoms are those of ADHD and not of another disorder, [...]
An article in yesterday’s Sunday Times (December 9,2007) caught my eye: “Your Child’s Disorder May be Yours, Too,” by Benedict Carey. The journalist was making the point that a number of psychiatric disorders that are being diagnosed in children make their parents reflect on their life experience. Do they have the problem, too?
One of the [...]
A reader wrote in to ask if girls may be overlooked as having ADHD because they are not hyperactive, just daydreamers. Absolutely! This is a sizable problem because inattentive girls are rarely hyperactive, like boys with ADHD. Now, the occasional girl is hyperactive, too. However, most are just inattentive, unfocused—but not troublesome in the classroom. [...]
A reader asked me for further tips about this combination of problems.Â
The bipolar disorder has to be dealt with first. You need to find a psychiatrist, preferably one who specializes in mood disorders. You are likely to need medicine. The most popular ones today are “mood stabilizers.”  There are several of these and the doctor will [...]
