Raising children, especially young children, can be exasperating. The constant demand for your time and attention, the natural self-centeredness of young children, and the difficulty of being able to get a break all contribute to natural and normal feelings of anger and resentment towards a young child. This is portrayed in a kind and humorous way in the delightful children's book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff. Meant to be read to a child, it is about a mouse's incessant demands. The child can laugh at the mouse's neediness and the parent can smile, knowing that this is not really about mice at all.
Think for a moment about our culture's most commonly sung and enduring lullaby. It's Rock a Bye Baby. What a beautiful, calm and pleasing melody. Now, think about the words. Let's see, we're going to put this little tiny package of 'joy' up into the top branches of a tree, and then sing this beautiful, calming melody about the child and cradle falling out of the tree and crashing to the ground, la,la,la,la, la....It is my speculation that the reason that this lullaby has persisted over time is that it provides an unconscious means for a parent to dissipate her / his negative feelings about the constant demands and needs of an infant. It's not acceptable to say to friends and family "I'm furious with my baby for his/her constant demands and needs" but it is acceptable to sing Rock a Bye Baby.
It's natural and normal to have these negative feelings. It doesn't make you a bad mom or dad. It's healthier to acknowledge the feelings and do all you can to get regular breaks from the constant demands. Of course this is not easy, but it is important nonetheless. For assistance in getting creative about how to do this, in the Chicago area, see one of our mental health professionals at Heritage Professional Associates. Outside of the Chicago area, ask someone you trust for the name of a reputable mental health professional.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
ADD, ADHD and Executive Functions
Attention Deficit Disorder has been called many things over the years. Now, it's all ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It comes in three forms, ADHD-inattentive, ADHD-hyperactive, and ADHD-combined (with both inattention and hyperactivity). To make it more complicated, ADHD inattentive is much more than problems with attention and concentration. It really involves one or more problems with the executive functions (attention, concentration, organization, working memory [which is the human equivalent of RAM memory on a computer], sustained effort, the ability to get started on important but less interesting tasks, and the ability to monitor one's work output for careless mistakes).
Executive function problems can be caused by a number of things such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, learning / processing deficits, motivational problems and even some psychotic disorders. This is why a good, comprehensive evaluation is so important. In the Chicago area, consider seeing one of our providers well versed in the assessment of executive function problems. We're at Heritage Professional Associates. Outside of the Chicago area, ask someone whom you trust for the name of a reputable mental health care provider.
Executive function problems can be caused by a number of things such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, learning / processing deficits, motivational problems and even some psychotic disorders. This is why a good, comprehensive evaluation is so important. In the Chicago area, consider seeing one of our providers well versed in the assessment of executive function problems. We're at Heritage Professional Associates. Outside of the Chicago area, ask someone whom you trust for the name of a reputable mental health care provider.
Exercise as Brain Food
John Ratey, co-author of the very popular books on ADHD, Driven to Distraction, and Delivered From Distraction, has come out with a fascinating new work, Spark. This book looks at the role of regular exercise on the brain. Referring to it as Miraclegrow for the brain, exercise seems to be at least as beneficial to the brain as it is to the cardiovascular system. If you can exercise 4 times per week, for 40 minutes each, at 65% of maximum heart rate (your maximum heart rate is 220 - your age), you can do wonders for your brain. For most, this involves a brisk walk to attain the heart rate target.
Some preliminary studies suggest that this physical exercise regimen can be as beneficial as antidepressant medication for people who are depressed, and may also help reduce ADHD symptoms in people with that diagnosis. Of course, you should consult with your physician first before embarking on an exercise program such as this, to make sure that there are no medical contra-indications for you to do this. And, if you have been advised to take medication for depression and / or ADHD, don't stop the meds because you're going to be exercising. Always work in conjunction with your prescribing physician. But, at least now there is another potent avenue to pursue that's got many positive benefits and doesn't involve more medication.
Some preliminary studies suggest that this physical exercise regimen can be as beneficial as antidepressant medication for people who are depressed, and may also help reduce ADHD symptoms in people with that diagnosis. Of course, you should consult with your physician first before embarking on an exercise program such as this, to make sure that there are no medical contra-indications for you to do this. And, if you have been advised to take medication for depression and / or ADHD, don't stop the meds because you're going to be exercising. Always work in conjunction with your prescribing physician. But, at least now there is another potent avenue to pursue that's got many positive benefits and doesn't involve more medication.
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