In pharmacology, learners need to identify various disease causes and treatment methods to ensure that they can offer the correct drugs to relieve and solve the situation when they become medical officers. In this research paper, I decided to formulate an article about the causes and treatment of ADHD as a condition rising at a high rate in the USA and, in most cases affecting children. According to research by Additude Editors, this condition is a threat in the US since 11% of children are diagnosed with the disorder, and 5% of adults have this problem (ADDitude Editors, 2017). I chose this article to familiarize myself with it since it is not a common ailment. Therefore it has affected people in our country without many realizations from the medical teams and the guardians. I need to familiarize myself and get the knowledge and fact on how to treat this ailment. I also need to understand the causes to teach the public about what causes this condition to help them avoid avoidable causes and sensitize them about the symptoms to submit their children for treatment at earlier stages for fruitful treatment.
I created this project by reviewing several medical databases and articles containing information on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. I also interviewed and got information from some experts in this field who were very resourceful. These experts gave me the anatomy of this condition and helped the affected children and adults recover from it. This topic is significant since it offers information on what causes the disease and how we, as pharmacologists, can provide treatment. It also exposes this condition hence gaining experience on the same. I will use this information to educate parents who have children and individuals suffering from this condition. It will also be helpful to teach parents how they can avoid this ailment and how they can ensure their children are free from the infection.
According to my research, in many medical organs, the primary cause of this disease is a person’s genetic makeup. It is mainly transferred to the child from the parent through inherited genes. In the genes during the child’s conception, the cells of this condition are attached to the genes. Therefore, these ailments divide together during cell division with the other cells, resulting in this condition. These genes would run through families wherein the children will likely develop ADHD if the mother or the father had the disease. Many infected people have a history of members of the family suffering from the state. The parents need to take caution and subject their children to a screening of this condition if there is such a condition and take the children for early medication.
Another major cause of this condition is poor condition during pregnancy. For example, stress, tobacco, and alcohol conditions may alter the fetus’s brain’s development, causing harm to the required development. Child and this may lead to ADHD on the child. Poor nutrition during pregnancy, for example, may deny the child the required nutrients. Chronic stress during pregnancy will alter the hormones, leading to poor development of some parts of the child’s body (Bhargava, 2021). The child may also fail to develop some essential organs like the kidney, the heart, or the brain, leading to more complications in later stages in life. Brain injury during young childhood may also result in such an effect leading to the development of this condition to the child. Brain injury may also result from brain surgery, and where the brain’s frontal lobe gets injured, parents should handle children with care at an early age. Mothers should avoid a poor environment that would subject children to this ailment.
Exposure to harmful substances and chemicals such as mercury and lead may also lead to ADHD since it affects brain development. These may be due to unhealthy environments with these chemicals. Lead may attack the brain cells during a child’s development and affect the emotions and pulses reception in the brain (Dryden-Edwards, 2019). Chronic drug abuse may also cause brain infection, causing this mental disorder. Some hard drugs like marijuana may affect the development process and lead to the brain change causing this condition. Premature birth may also cause this condition in children born without complete development of the brain cells. The mental disorder is caused by biological and environmental factors that guardians should note and avoid. They can protect the child from pollutants and toxins and ensure caution during pregnancy to ensure proper fetus development, avoiding this havoc.
ADHD can be treated using various approaches such as medication, multimodal approach, psychotherapy, and training. The symptoms of ADHD are manageable when different parties work together to provide therapy, primarily to children. Teachers, parents, doctors, and therapists can ensure that the child fights this condition. The process of behavior therapy requires that all parties associated with the child suffering the condition work as a team to ensure that the child recovers from the condition. The teachers and parents, for example, can counsel the child and also provide them with social skills training where they train the child on how to interact with other children suitably socially. They can also offer exceptional education and also modify the children’s behavior. This form of medication does not involve drugs, but it only causes the child to receive therapy, developing their social life.
Treatment in hospitals mainly involves non-stimulants and stimulants medications. The CNS stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin are primarily prescribed for these medications. The stimulants increase the amount of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain, helping the individual focus (Bhargava, 2021). These stimulants are primarily for usage in cases where attention is deficient. The stimulants may have side effects that can cause heart failure due to overworking the heart and the brain. Other stimulants used in the medication include Dexedrine and Vyvanse. Non-stimulants are also helpful in treating this condition though they work slower than stimulants. The antidepressants such as bupropion, venlafaxine, and clonidine can be widely used to rectify this condition. The medication is the most improvised manner to deal with this condition, providing therapy to individuals with such ailments.
ADHD is caused by genetic and environmental factors and can be treated through medication and non-medication methods. Medication involves using stimulants and non-stimulants to treat the diseases. ADHD is, therefore, a condition that doctors working with the parents, teachers, and therapists can correct and save the children and individuals from the anguish.