Is ADHD A Disorder That Can Be Treated or Should It Be Prevented

Some disorders that show up in an individual are curable. However, it is better to prevent a person from developing a disorder in the first place. There are means of prevention that one may have to go through to avoid disorders. The ways through which one may take preventive measures vary considerably and research into prevention of disorders and diseases is an ongoing process. Therefore, it is hoped that with the passage of time there will be more improved means of preventing disorders such as ADHD in adults and children.

Preventive Measures:

Considering the prevention of ADHD in children, it must be said that there is no known way of prevention. This is to say that when a child is born, there is no way of detecting whether s/he has ADHD. There is no such medicine that one could administer to a child, as the child grows older in order to prevent ADHD from developing.

As opposed to consuming medicine or having any kind of therapy that could prevent ADHD, it must be asserted that there are particular things that one needs to be aware of.

This includes looking after the child during the gestation period. One should avoid alcohol, harmful drugs and smoking at this stage because of the fact that a child depends directly on the mother’s system and blood supply for its survival.

Children in the womb do not have a blood supply and a heart beat of their own. Though a woman may not necessarily be responsible for a child getting ADHD it must be asserted that it is better to avoid these substances because they are harmful for a fetus anyway and their complete impacts are not really known.

Along with the above mentioned precautions, there are few more things that women could do to protect their children from developing ADHD.

This includes:

• Having proper medical attention throughout pregnancy
• Understanding and adopting parenting methods and healthy practices during pregnancy
• Learning about pre-school attention techniques.

Treating ADHD:

Once a person is diagnosed with ADHD, there is no question of prevention anymore. However, treatments are available and they also have their levels of success. Some of the forms of treatment include the use of drugs called methylphenidate.

There are various types of actions that can be caused by each of the pills. Ritalin and Focalin, are most common and are known to have lasting effects between 3-5 hrs. There are also other versions of Ritalin that have effects up to greater lengths of time. There have been some reservations regarding the use of Ritalin, its side effects and long term use. Drugs such as Metadate ER, and Methylin ER, are also known to last for long periods and are alternatives to Ritalin.

Aside from the treatment medications mentioned above there are others, but they are not prescribed often. Ritalin and a few others are widely used as physicians feel more confident keeping in view the success rate they have.

The side effects of Ritalin are controversial and are still under examination as its use continues. Along with the use of Ritalin or any other drug used to treat ADHD, one should go for counseling. This is a supportive measure and helps the individual sort his or her problems out.