I have an amazing 10 year old who has been diagnosed with combined ADD (mostly inattentive) and anxiety. We tried the Daytrana patch and while that helped with academics and school anxiety it made him miserable and increased his anxiety in other areas (mostly playing sports). We are on a 2 week break from stimulants and will try something else. He is almost at the point of giving up sports because his anxiety is getting worse. If we let him quit, our concern is what will he quit next? I hate for him to not live his life the way he wants because of his fears. Talk therapy has provided very little help. My question, any of you who suffered from anxiety as a child, do you wish your parents would have provided you with medication to help with it? I am grateful for medications but I just want to make sure I am doing the the right thing for this child. Thank you in advance. I am so grateful for this forum and to those of you who contribute.

I do give my child meds for agitation. They improve the quality of her life.

I am currently taking risperdal for agitation. I don't know if it is working but it's only been 1 week. I'll need to give it more time. I think one thing that you could try is to "teach" him some ways of dealing with the anxieties (when you can) when he is actually anxious. This way he will gain the 'tools' needed to deal with anxiety on a daily basis.

I think My 11 year old may have anxiety. I have had anxiety all of my life and I do wish that someone had addressed it then. I went through years of self-medicating and only in the last 5 or 6 years have I've been taking medication for Anxiety. I try to use a lot of relaxation tools also.

I would suggest to do it now if you are going to because if you try and address it later like when he is a teen he might not be as cooperative.

I'm not treating my son at the moment but I've been thinking about it a lot. It's funny that you posted this. I'm glad you started this thread, it really hits the nail on the head for me

In terms of meds, I hear that zoloft and prozac are the best 2 drugs for children. That doesn't mean either will work for your child. Also, all antidepressants carry a risk of worsened depression/suicidal thoughts, so you and your doctor will have to closely monitor him when first starting the medicine. Best to try non-med methods first before going the med route. Psychotherapy is a great option for people who have anxiety. One great type of psychotherapy that has been used is CBT (cognitive behavior theapy). I wish you all the best and keep us updated on your childs progress...

Andy...

I have wondered the same thing.

My 10 year daughter who has ADHD has always been plagued with anxiety and fears.

When she was younger, she went thru a phase where she thought everything was going to kill her.

She wouldn't go outside because she thought she would get bit by a mosquito and die.

Thankfully she has grown out of most of that. So we thought......

But the other night she was coming down with a virus. She got up in the middle of the night calling out peoples names that were not there. She crawled into bed with us and shivered for a long time while appearing to be asleep.

My husband asked me "what do you think is wrong with her" Her eyes FLEW open wide and she had a look of terror on her face. She asked " Am I Going to die" !!!!!


I've had her in therapy before, but didn't have any luck with finding a good therapist. It's so hard to find one that actually helps and understands what she's going thru.

I have an amazing 10 year old who has been diagnosed with combined ADD (mostly inattentive) and anxiety. We tried the Daytrana patch and while that helped with academics and school anxiety it made him miserable and increased his anxiety in other areas (mostly playing sports). We are on a 2 week break from stimulants and will try something else. He is almost at the point of giving up sports because his anxiety is getting worse. If we let him quit, our concern is what will he quit next? I hate for him to not live his life the way he wants because of his fears. Talk therapy has provided very little help. My question, any of you who suffered from anxiety as a child, do you wish your parents would have provided you with medication to help with it? I am grateful for medications but I just want to make sure I am doing the the right thing for this child. Thank you in advance. I am so grateful for this forum and to those of you who contribute.
FIRST: Take a deep deep breath and relax. Everything will be fine!

I take medication for anxiety. I didn't as a kid--but I'm sure I've had it all my life. Of course, when I was a kid--everything the docs didn't understand was called "growing pains".

Remember, he's only 10. Kids seem to be "older" these days than we recall being at the same age. Especially kids with ADD--because they seem to understand so many things so much younger and faster.

It might be good for him to "take a break from sports" while you sort out the rest.
If he were my son I would encourage him to play out the season and focus only on what he thinks is fun in the game. You have to finish what you start but you should also try to find a way to enjoy it. Then skip a season and see how he feels about playing. I've done this with my kids.

Life at 10 should be simple fun. He should be playing the game for fun so there shouldn't be any pressure on him that would increase any anxiety that might already be there for whatever reason.

When I was 10 we used to play sports in the neighborhood just to have a blast playing. These days it seems like even the "recreational" organized sports are all about winning and competition and parents getting too intense about the whole thing and screaming on the sidelines like they bet big money on the game or something.

It's enough to freak out any kid. Then add the peer pressure and WHOA! Get me outa here!

The other thing I would do is read this book with him a little every night: "What to say when you talk to yourself. "

If it weren't for that book I probably would have lost it in the 90's.

Also remember, kids are resilient. Given lots of love and devoting time to listen to them heals quite a few things and helps them grow to be fantastic adults.

I have an amazing 10 year old who has been diagnosed with combined ADD (mostly inattentive) and anxiety. We tried the Daytrana patch and while that helped with academics and school anxiety it made him miserable and increased his anxiety in other areas (mostly playing sports). We are on a 2 week break from stimulants and will try something else. He is almost at the point of giving up sports because his anxiety is getting worse. If we let him quit, our concern is what will he quit next? I hate for him to not live his life the way he wants because of his fears. Talk therapy has provided very little help. My question, any of you who suffered from anxiety as a child, do you wish your parents would have provided you with medication to help with it? I am grateful for medications but I just want to make sure I am doing the the right thing for this child. Thank you in advance. I am so grateful for this forum and to those of you who contribute.yes yes yes yes yes yes :D

oops, I just read a bit more..I didn't have anxiety, sorry...I just wish my parents got my adhd sorted back then

I wish my parents had been smart enough to get me diagnosed and treated as a kid. I've had panic disorder for my entire life -- I can remember getting panic attacks as early as 1st grade and having by that time figured out ways to deal with them myself. It sure as heck would have been nice if my parents had done something other than call me a sissy and sign me up for a soccer team. How does THAT make any sense??

My 11 year old has anxiety that comes out as anger and rage. Before treatment for her ADHD it was a scary time at our house. With treatment it is much better. Her anxiety has recently started to increase because of teasing at school, so we added risperdal (as well as working with the school to curtail the teasing). She is much happier and does better with friends and in school when the anxiety is under control.

yes, and I wouldn't pressure them about sports either, since education is far more important (IMHO)

My son was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 4, we treated it herbally first, as many medications were not approved for a child of that age. Plus, we were putting off medication for as long as we could. We soon realized that he needed more than just herbal treatments (which did work for a while, then leveled off). He began medication at the age of 5, before kindergarten started.

He is now 8 and appears to many as a good natured, sweet, compassionate kid. I couldn't be prouder! However, he demands alot of attention. I have become a SAHM to help with his needs. He now carries a dual diagnosis of Moderate/severe ADHD and anxiety disorders.

Team sports have always been a struggle for him, we tried and have pretty much let that idea go for now. He has exceeded in karate, boy scouts, and most of all 4-wheeler racing. He races throughout New England and is involved in a very competitive level of racing. By focusing on indidual sports, he has been given the opportunity to feel good about himself and still use his athletics and not feel like a failure. I really could care less if he ever plays team sports, I just want him to feel good about himself and most of all be happy!!!!!

To make a long story short; looking back at these past 3 years and seeing the growth that he has made (we still struggle....don't get me wrong)I think being on meds. has helped incredibly. I do not listen to others who down medication, they are entitled to their opinion. These individuals are usually uninformed about the facts anyways. Medication can be scary to start, but if you have faith in your childs doctor and have educated yourself about the pros and cons. You will make the best decision at the time for your child.

We only can do our best as parents, which does not mean we will not make mistakes along the way. I am glad that I gave it a try, many were trying to persuade me otherwise.

Just try to take one day at a time, be positive around your child (of course you will be scared to death), try not to let them see your apprehension. Just my 2 cents:D

Good Luck to you!! PM me anytime;)

Kim

Exercise (daily hard cardio of 30 mins+) is one of the best tools in helping to cope with anxiety (and it's common companion, depression).

Sad to hear that your son is finding sports interpersonally difficult and will quit them DUE to anxiety.

I often find, BTW, that people with Anxiety will get better (self manage), if you

(a) teach them to learn their Triggers,
(b) teach them somatic awareness ('when I'm getting stressed, I get a lump in my throat'), so they can identify anxiety and start their
(c) self-care interventions (grounding exercises, sensorimotor stuff) before they are at a LEVEL 10 freakout.
Sudden, out of the blue, Bottom up hijacking is the big problem in anxiety. And, unlike Top down processes, it is not verbalizable.

Another common problem is also:

(d) alexithymia. It has been shown over and over again that anxious, depressed, panickey, and dissociated people are Alexithymic. Often seriously so...
(e) they also don't always read faces properly. (e.g Depressed people overread others facial expressions, and overinterpret emotion. This can be a trigger.)

Very interested to read this thread as didn't know there was such a thing as anxiety disorder. My son is diagnosed severly dyslexic with signs of ADHD and dyspraxia, also previously wrongly diagnosed with mild Asperger's and Tourette's syndrome but never anxiety disorder. I thought his anxiety, mood swings, occaisional rages, occaisional panic attacks and depression were due to rock bottom self esteem from having the above. I'm now wondering if the regular fainting attacks which seem to be triggered by talking about (not seeing) blood, as in Biology lessons, and hearing about violent attack as in Literary lessons (poems etc), may be due to high anxiety.

Does anyone else have problems with fainting. Epilepsy has been ruled out by medical tests. He's also almost 13 - hormones abounding - which further complicates everything but the fainting started when he was 3 and he has always been an anxious child.

He has been on the Dore program for almost a year for dyslexia and Dyspraxia and they claim to be able to help ADHD and emotional issues. It has worked a treat for dyslexia but currently emotions are still volatile. We still have between 6 and 12 months on the program so things could improve in this area too.

He's very hard on himself, often says he should never have been born, from about the age of six has suffered what I can only describe as depression and between ages 7 - 10 used to self-harm. Very interested tp read that people like this can misinterpret facial expressions as this seems to be an isssue too. Think this is why he was diagnosed with aspergers. It doesn't really fit in most ways though.

Be grateful for any words of wisdom.

I would never medicate my child but that's just a personal thing, things don't sound quite bad enough yet for trying that Becky.

I think it's important for kids to grow up WITH the problems they have because it generally makes them stronger in the long run...I guess it depends how bad it is though.

Medication can really **** a child up if you're not careful and they may even hold it against you when they grow up.

Is he going to school and passing?
Is he able to enjoy some activity's?
Does he have a few friends?


Please try cognitive behavior therapy before the medications.

Medication can really **** a child up if you're not careful and they may even hold it against you when they grow up.



Although prudence is called for you may also save your child's life by medicating. Talk therphy has already been tried probably among other things. I have a bi-polar daughter who was started on Depokote at 13. I was raked over the coals by some other parents. It is now eight years later, and their are current studies indicating allowing bi-polar mood swing to go untreated may actually decrease the ability in the brain to remain pliable and able to learn. . . . naturally in 1995 that information was not known.

How bad is "that bad" any way??? Should the parents wait until he drops out of school ?? Anxiety in a 10 year old that prevents him from enjoying activities he once enjoyed is a sign some thing some where is wrong. I do not advocate throwing pills at every little problem however it does look like the parents have already tried other non-medicating ways of coping with this issue without success.

talking therapy is not the same as CBT.

I just believe medication should be the last resort and perhaps I'm a little naive to think i would never medicate my child.

I wish I had had the opportunity to take medication when I was ten years old. Too late for me. I often wonder what I might have achieved on meds.

My son wishes he had been taking medication when he was ten years old. I don't feel guilty about not giving my son medication when he was a child because we didn't know about ADHD or how meds make his life easier.

My mother wishes she had been taking medication when she was ten years old.

It's never to late to try and accomplish something that you could of when you were 10 years old.

I'm not sure what problems your family have but the OP's child has ADHD and by the sounds of it mild anxiety. She's worried about him dropping out of sports which is a very common thing parents go though as their children get older. It sounds quite normal to me.

Why wouldn't someone try CBT before medication? I just don't understand it. I guess a pill is always easier.

I just think kids shouldn't have to use a medication to feel normal unless it's something serious. Let them have their 'normal' years where they can just be themselves (unless it's serious obviously..)

Please don't think I'm trying to act like I'm 'better' than you. This is just my opinion.

Why wouldn't someone try CBT before medication?Because it doesn't work for children with ADHD.

It's never to late to try and accomplish something that you could of when you were 10 years old.Where do I begin? Ozchris, the problems and challenges of having ADHD in the classroom is that it interferes with your learning. If we don't have a comorbid learning disablility, we can usually get by, but we do not live up to our potential - if we did, there wouldn't be any disorder and therefore it couldn't be ADHD. If we continue on into adulthood without the benefit of diagnosis or treatment, we do not accomplish or achieve what we should have based on our aptitude and abilities. There are lots of ADHDers with very high IQs who are high school dropouts.

Ozchris, check out the med forums and really listen to what adults have to say about how meds have improved their lives. A young child does not have the experience or vocabulary to articulate in detail what the meds can do. A young child may say "it makes my brain smarter", but that doesn't really tell you a whole lot, does it? Hundreds of adults post on these forums. You can choose to learn from them or continue holding on to an uniformed opinion - it's a free country.

I just think kids shouldn't have to use a medication to feel normal unless it's something serious. Let them have their 'normal' years where they can just be themselves (unless it's serious obviously..)
Ozchris, do you have children? Do you have ADHD, or anxiety disorder? Did you grow up struggling, fighting against an unseen enemy that caused you pain and grief?

Struggling against any disorder that wreaks havoc upon attention, when it is the nature of schooling to require that one pays attention, IS serious. To medicate under such circumstances is not changing them into something "not themselves"...its leveling the playing field to allow them to be the best "themselves" that they can be.

Many children are quite relieved that medications can set them free from symptoms that are beyond thier control and that hold them back in some way.

I'm not trying to downplay Anxiety and ADHD because I've had problems with both. These are not the worst disorders in the world (depending on severity) In the OP's case I thought it would be wise to throw a different opinion out there because I don't believe the severity is high enough for use of medications quite yet.

A lot of people don't live up to their potential for a whole host of reasons and this isn't the worst thing in the world.

These are not the worst disorders in the world (depending on severity)OK...and in your opinion, what ARE the worst disorders in the world?

It's never to late to try and accomplish something that you could of when you were 10 years old. And how many of us get to go back and redo elementary school?

A lot of people don't live up to their potential for a whole host of reasons and this isn't the worst thing in the world. Maybe in your opinion it is not. Perhaps to others this is a terribly important and vital issue. I don't believe its for any of us to judge what is or is not a crucial issue for another.

OK...and in your opinion, what ARE the worst disorders in the world?

And how many of us get to go back and redo elementary school?
Maybe in your opinion it is not. Perhaps to others this is a terribly important and vital issue. I don't believe its for any of us to judge what is or is not a crucial issue for another. I would say schizophrenia, down-syndrome, cancer etc. to be much worse than ADD and mild anxiety. This is the point I'm getting at.


All my posts are opinions, please don't think I'm judging you.

re: #1

Stimulants can worsen anxiety for some. I wonder if this is happening?

There are lots of ADHDers with very high IQs who are high school dropouts.

I know this because I am a high school drop out with a very high IQ and with ADHD. I may not have accomplished everything i wanted to but i can always try again. I'm happy for the years i could just be a space cadet without having to worry about medication.

re: #15
-------------

I had extreme Separation Anxiety and Social Anxiety as a child, and symptoms of withdrawal (and hyperactivity until age 5). It seemed to be PTSD-related. PTSD and ADHD can travel together.

At times, it interfered with my Mother's ability to work and my ability to attend school.

Like many of us here, though, I was bright and could stand to miss the odd day, so I would get scheduled "days off" {mental health play days?} and take home lessons on those days.

A lot more is known about childhood 'social anxiety' now, than was back then. (Thank goodness.)

I wonder if smaller classes would help?

Taking a kid out of school tends to be a last resort, and often only serves to isolate the child more from their peers.

Also, if he is NOT an only child, you may want to schedule a kid/parent fun date with him each week to do stuff with him 1:1.

He needs to know he is valued and special to his main Caretaker. Even if a kid has that ONE PERSON in their life that invests in them and is crazy about them, this adds to their "resiliency" in dealing with life's challenges.

-----

You write a bit about Dyspraxia, etc. (e.g. neurologically-based movement and motor incoordination issues)

- Did he have a birth injury (e.g. Cerebral Palsy)?

- Anoxia (e.g. placenta issues/reduced oxygen to brain/blue baby/long labour&delivery)?

- Are there Cerebellar issues?

---------

Just asking b/c 'Lack of coordination' and 'Dyspraxia' (movement disorders and motor challenges) are not really ADD/ADHD things: if anything, some of us were Good Athletes, etc. in school.

Because it doesn't work for children with ADHD.
This is fairly ridiculous in my opinion. Do you have a source to support this?

Are you saying OCD never works for people with ADHD???

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I have 2 kids in Primary School. I would only use medication as a last resort, I have long conversations with my daughter (who is very like me) about dealing with exclusion and the fickleness of friends. I know that lots of suff goes on at school that she doesn't talk about, so I and my partner only get a tiny bit of the story, always filtered through my daughters mind.

As I see my kids develop I can see the changes in their peers as well. sports is a very fraught area, what were once "games" become competitive with team bonding and "conformity" to the teams ideals. For those without the "first team" mentality it means being excluded and participating in the team becomes increasingly difficult as no matter how well you do its never good enough, other factors are in play. In this situation is it any wonder the activity becomes less enjoyable.

Schools are terrible for "ranking" sport by "competitiveness" with traditional team sports at the top, individual sports, mental competitive sport (eg chess, bridge) then individual "leisure activity" at the bottom.

I hated school sports with untempered passion and loathing (i still feel uncomfortable with people who were in school rugby teams), and truanted/faked asthma attacks etc etc. but found hillwalking and skiing wonderful meeting a group of people I could be with easily, as we were all individualists, even the teachers/leaders....who appeared to dislike traditional school sport as much as we did.

Groups are often defined by exclusion, ie they use dislike of a person or thing as a mark of belonging to the group. the hillwalking/skiing bunch were not like that you could be quiet and wear a bobble hat without being picked on.......I suppose being in the mountains here was dangerous and subliminally we knew it.....so we knew that our life could depend on anyone else in the group........you don't get that in traditional team sports.....you only lose the inter school cup....not quite so important.

This is from my experience as a kid, an outsider, first by circumstance (i moved primary school several times) and then by world view as I became aware that I was thinking differently to the rest of my peers.

Now I wish that I had known about ADD and that I had had someplace like this forum to understand that it wasn't about being strange and unique and scary to others, but about having strengths and weaknesses like everyone else and building on the strengths and finding my own coping strategies.

I would say that a finding well informed, wise and friendly person to mentor and advise either a professional (eg a therapist) or lay (but great care required there) would be my first choice for my children before medication.

Sorry for the ramble......the questions on this board and the response get my brain going.......a bit addictive it seems.....but its the only place where I've found myself reflected in others posts.....

kilted_scotsman, I can't remember, do you take medication yourself?

Great post about explaining the sports thing kilt I agree with you 100% and have had very similar experiences.

Hi imnapl......no i do not take medication yet as I have yet to get a formal diagnosis. in Scotland Adult ADD is not well understood so I have sought a consultation referral in England. Even if diagnosed, a thing i feel is almost certain, I would be wary of taking meds as the doctors up here would have no experience of the apparently complex business of getting the correct meds and dosages. Given the rest of the s**t going on in my life right now I often pray that an Adult ADD specialist would drop from the sky and offer me a box of pills just to buy me time to sort things out. In addition i have been diagnosed with Angina, which might make a doctor wary of prescribing simulants!

If it were MY KID:



I would treat the anxiety first. I would ask to try my child on Paxil or Zoloft or Prozac. Anxiety disorders are best treated overall with an SSRI anti-depressant. (I understand this is current best practice: anxiety and depression are often two sides of the same coin.)

Anxiety can be extremely crippling, and can cause or increase, learning/attentional/attendance problems.

(Personal Opinions.)

re: #18

Huh?

re: #18

Huh?I take it that Huh was directed at me.

If you'd like to learn more about CBT (Cognitive behavioral therapy) follow this link and read.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_behavioral_therapy



"CBT is widely accepted as an evidence-based, cost-effective psychotherapy for many disorders. It is sometimes used with groups of people as well as individuals, and the techniques are also commonly adapted for self-help manuals and, increasingly, for self-help software packages."

I have an amazing 10 year old who has been diagnosed with combined ADD (mostly inattentive) and anxiety. We tried the Daytrana patch and while that helped with academics and school anxiety it made him miserable and increased his anxiety in other areas (mostly playing sports). We are on a 2 week break from stimulants and will try something else. He is almost at the point of giving up sports because his anxiety is getting worse. If we let him quit, our concern is what will he quit next? I hate for him to not live his life the way he wants because of his fears. Talk therapy has provided very little help. My question, any of you who suffered from anxiety as a child, do you wish your parents would have provided you with medication to help with it? I am grateful for medications but I just want to make sure I am doing the the right thing for this child. Thank you in advance. I am so grateful for this forum and to those of you who contribute.
I would have liked my parents to medicate me when I was a child (they didn't). I had ADHD then (at age 7). After I became non hyper they thought It was gone, but It wasn't. I have been just re-diagnosed with ADD and I am starting medication.

I have lived my life with it and I think I have done fairly well for myself but I wish I would have been medicated through highschool especially. I was always very smart, i would understand everything first then get bored and never do homework and such... I just wish I had more focus durring highschool, I most likely would have went to college then instead of joining the military (whick was also a great thing for me) but I never applied myself as much as I could have if I was medicated..

and now I cant help but think about what I could have done.. by the way I am finally starting college now in 2 weeks which is exciting!!!...

My suggestion.. try to get the right medication for him.. let him live up to his full potential. If it doesnt work out, keep trying other things, just because you dont notice the syptoms doesnt mean they are gone.. I have gotten realy good at hiding mine..

I have an amazing 10 year old who has been diagnosed with combined ADD (mostly inattentive) and anxiety. We tried the Daytrana patch and while that helped ......He is almost at the point of giving up sports ...If we let him quit, our concern is what will he quit next? ....My question, any of you who suffered from anxiety as a child, do you wish your parents would have provided you with medication to help with it?

I suffered from ADHD and anxiety as a kid, but I did not know that's what it was. No one did.

Now, I'm an adult and medicated. I am grateful to have been diagnosed and to have meds that help me function so much better and help me be so much happier.

I don't know anything about Daytrana, but I know there are all kinds of meds and some work better for some people than others. Maybe there are some other options approved for kids that you could try?

You said "If we let him quit, our concern is what will he quit next?"
While I understand your concerns (I have kids too), I think there are times when quitting is actually the best thing to do. You don't want him to feel so compelled to live up to expectations that he subjects himself to misery! Or that there is no way out of a bad situation. What a desperate position that would be for anyone to be in.

Also, consider how the message you send him now regarding meds will reverberate through the rest of his life. Let's say he continues to need medication to control his ADD and anxiety as a young man. Do you want him going off his meds his freshman year in college? After he starts his first job? During his first year of marriage? After he starts a family? Or will you impress upon him now that he needs to use ALL the tools at his disposal to manage his symptoms.

I will have ADHD for the rest of my life. Because I want to control it, not let it control me, I will take meds the rest of my life. If (more likely, when) it becomes obvious that my child needs meds, I will not hesitate.

Ultimately, it's between you and your son and no one needs to judge you. Good luck to you!

This is fairly ridiculous in my opinion. Do you have a source to support this?

Are you saying OCD never works for people with ADHD???Ozchris, did you mean CBT? Research shows that medication and behaviour management work best for kids. Adults are a different story.

Hi imnapl......no i do not take medication yet as I have yet to get a formal diagnosis.Right. The reason I asked is it must be very difficult for a parent who has not experienced the benefit of the right med to take the step of medicating their child. My diagnosis and success with Ritalin led to my son's diagnosis rather than the other way around.

Ozchris, did you mean CBT? Research shows that medication and behaviour management work best for kids. Adults are a different story. Yup ,sorry I meant CBT.

You said it didn't work for children and I know quite a few that have benefited from it, that's the only reason I got a bit angry.

Behavior management and medication may work best(I'd like to read the source though if possible) but that's no reason to rule out CBT and I personally would rather try this compared to using medication.

This is the parents choice and I'm only posting about alternatives to medication because I think pills are prescribed too quickly these days.

Stimulant medication can cause more anxiety and then the child may require another medication on top of the stimulant. Not an ideal situation.

You said it didn't work for children and I know quite a few that have benefited from it, that's the only reason I got a bit angry.This was a discussion forum the last time I looked. :D

Behavior management and medication may work best(I'd like to read the source though if possible) but that's no reason to rule out CBThttp://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=267382&highlight=cbt#post267382

I'm a board certified Diplomate in Psychotherapy by the National Board of Cognitive Behavioral Therapists.

I don't use CBT for hyperactive children because it doesn't work.

Only a rewards based behavior management program/home token economy works for that population.

I therefore use Family therapy as a means of teaching the parents how to establish and consistently maintain it.

I have an 8 year old son with ADHD/Anxiety. He has been on medication since he was 5 and entering kindergarten.

Prior to that tx.; we tried Chiropractic care and herbal supplements (BeCalmed...etc.) That tx. did work for a while, however as he grew the behavioral and emotional needs were ever increasing.

It was a difficult decision to put him on medication. Our 2 closest friends are Chiropractors and they put FEAR into us. I did my research and found a Child Psychiatrist that was suitable to our family needs.

He is now going into 3rd grade; being on meds. has been a positive experience. The dosage routine can sometimes be tricky. We started low and went slow. First starting with a non-stimulant; Strattera.

I am ADD myself and just recently have been medicated. My mother has made the comments that I probably would have benefited from tx. as a child.

I don't want to paint this perfect picture, because believe me......this is the hardest job I have ever had; raising my son. He still is very challenging and emotionally needy. However, I cannot even think about how he would be not on medication.

He is a wonderful child with compassion and sensitivity! He is a good friend to others and never mean. Our children may have needs unlike many others around them day to day; but I would not change it for the World. ADHD is a blessing in disguise and it is our job as parents to educate and raise them to the best of our abilities so they are capable to make good choices as adults. Untreated issues can explode when entering adulthood or later.

Do your homework! You are going to hear horror stories and success stories, every situation is different.