Is it ADHD or is it Depression?


During the assessment process it is of great importance for the physician or clinician to consider other possible causes of inattention, impulsivity, or hyperactivity in your child, or teen, or yourself. In fact, this is probably the most important element of a good assessment. There are several possible causes of these behaviors, especially in children, and the clinician must have great certainty that these other possible causes have been ruled out before giving the label of "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" to your child.

In this issue we will discuss the possibility that your child has depression rather than an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, lymbic type.

When one is depressed several of the following symptoms will be noted. Someone with four or five of the following symptoms should probably see a physician or other professional to get a real assessment done.

The common symptoms of depression include:
· Physical Hyperactivity, or Lack of Activity (Hypoactivity)
· Change of Appetite, either Less or More
· Change in Sleeping, either Less or More
· Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities
· Loss of energy, increased fatigue
· Feelings of worthlessness, or inappropriate guilt
· Difficulty concentrating
· Thoughts of death or dying
· In children and teens, depression is shows itself with increased aggression, irritability, or isolation from the family.

Sometimes really out of control emotional behavior is attributed to ADHD, but might really be the result of depression! Depression in children and teens often looks to a clinician, who barely knows your child, as ADHD.

One main difference is that depression has a "starting date" and ADHD has been present to some degree or another since birth.
· Does your child seems very sad, or very grouchy or irritable?
· Does it seem like nothing is fun for him, even things he used to like doing?
· Does he seem bored most of the time and just sit around?
· Has he gained a lot or weight? Or lost a lot of weight?
· Does he seem to be sleeping a lot more than usual, and have lots of trouble waking up in the morning? Or does he have unusual trouble getting to sleep at night?
· Does he seem unusually restless or agitated?
· Is he having more trouble than usual paying attention to school work?
· Is it harder for him to make decisions than usual?
· Has your child/teen talked about suicide, or even make attempts, recently?

If three or four of these are true of your child/teen over the past six months, expecially the one about suicide, then we'd recommend that you have him checked out by a therapist, psychologist, or physician who specializes in depression. It is very common to mis-diagnose depression for ADHD, especially by inexperienced therapists and physicians. Learn more at the ADHD Information Library at http://www.newideas.net.

Douglas Cowan, Psy.D., is a family therapist who has been working with ADHD children and their families since 1986. He is the clinical director of the ADHD Information Library's family of seven web sites, including http://www.newideas.net, helping over 350,000 parents and teachers learn more about ADHD each year. Dr. Cowan also serves on the Medical Advisory Board of VAXA International of Tampa, FL., is President of the Board of Directors for KAXL 88.3 FM in central California, and is President of NewIdeas.net Incorporated.


MORE RESOURCES:

Fox News

Missouri teen killer had troubled family, depression
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Abandoned by her mother and missing a father in prison, Alyssa Bustamante had plunged to the depths of depression before, once overdosing on a large bottle of painkillers, slicing her skin hundreds of times and carving the word "hate" in her arm.

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Surprising drug for severe depression
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ABC30.com

CBS47 Special Report: Fighting Depression
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While progress has been made over the years, there is still a stigma attached that makes sufferers of sever depression feel alone. But there is a new treatment available and the results are promising. The new treatment has nothing to do with medication ...
Magnetic therapy for depression promisingUPI.com
A drug-free way to treat depressionABC30.com
Some Depression Patients Find The Effects Of Magnetic Therapy Really StickNY1
Medical Xpress -eMaxHealth
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Depression and the Elderly
Huffington Post
The recent death of TV pioneer Don Cornelius underscores the growing problem of depression and suicide among our elderly population. Most people don't expect older adults to take their own lives, but this population has the highest suicide rate of any ...



PsychCentral.com

New Study Fails to Tie Antidepressant to Suicide in Kids
PsychCentral.com
The analysis, based on data from 41 trials and more than 9000 patients, also found that fluoxetine and venlafaxine (marketed as Effexor), reduced suicidal behavior and depression symptoms in adult and geriatric patients. The failure to replicate the ...
Antidepressants May Not Raise Suicide Risk in Youth: StudyHealth.com
Antidepressant-suicide link in youths absent in new analysisMedical Xpress
Study finds antidepressant does not increase risk of suicide for kidsWBEZ
Los Angeles Times
all 20 news articles »


Childhood depression
Mansfield News Journal
Jami Kinton/News Journal MANSFIELD -- Bullying remains a key trigger for adolescent depression, but a local psychiatrist said it is not the biggest problem she deals with among those 13 and older. Debbie Panke, child and adolescent psychiatrist for The ...



Evening Standard

One in four UK children facing multiple risks to development, study finds
Medical Xpress
(Medical Xpress) -- More than one in four UK infants is growing up in families facing multiple challenges such as parental depression and financial hardship that can have a damaging effect on children's development, new research suggests.
Warning over multiple family risksThe Press Association
Educational development: One in four children 'at risk'BBC News
Quarter of children performing poorly due to problems at home, study findsThe Guardian
Nursery World (subscription)
all 187 news articles »


Natural cures for depression
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Print Email Share Comments Recommend Tweet One out of every 10 people suffers from depression in the United States, according to estimates. While there are many prescription medications that can alleviate depression symptoms, there are a few natural ...



University of Texas at Austin News

The power of the Internet over depression
University of Texas at Austin News
A number of the older adults to whom she delivered meals suffered from depression and were unable to get help for their illness. They couldn't afford treatment or didn't have transportation to get to a clinic regularly. Namkee Choi, professor in the ...



Study suggests blood test might confirm depression diagnosis
Florida Today
Depression can be a tough condition to diagnose accurately, but new research suggests that someday a blood test might help. It's not clear how much the test might cost, and it needs more stringent validation before it will be ready to be used in ...

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Google News

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