CCC Understanding ADHD Impulsivity, Distraction, and Social Impacts Discussion

Peer Responses:

Peer response to Charma Lou

• When I started my clinical rotation and started working with my preceptor, I observed that everyday we have cases of ADHD, from teen population, mostly for evaluation and adjustment of meds, new diagnosis, and wellness check. I am surprised at how prevalent ADHD is, and how it affects daily lives of individuals dealing with it, as well as family members who have to take care and support of these people. According to CDC, there is a prevalence rate of 12-<15% of children aged 3-17 y/o who were diagnosed with ADHD in the state of Georgia.

To describe ADHD, it is a form of developmental disorder associated with pattern of distraction, hyperactivity, impulsivity that interferes with normal daily functioning (Bjerrum et al.,2017). Individuals with this condition find it difficult to focus, listen attentively, and wait. These behaviors often impact school performance, social life, and the ability to control emotions.

Management of ADHD is a journey and treatment remains multimodal. Currently, pharmacological approaches yield positive benefits in helping patient’s cope with difficulties. However, the ultimate goal is to minimize the impact of ADHD symptoms and putting into perspective the long-term outcomes with the treatment in combination with specialized services that will monitor improvement/worsen ADHD symptoms.

One of the barrier in maintaining long-term consistency with treatment is access to care and the availability of ADHD specialists. In the facility where I am doing my rotation, I was surprised that it is the only clinic that specializes in ADHD. Many patients are put on waitlist and some tried to find another facility in other cities but did not work out due to traveling issues.

When care is initiated, engagement effort should begin with measuring personal goals and scheduling routine visits to assess medication response, with family members being involved in the process (Baweja et al., 2021). Part of the assessment is the family members’ level of motivation in the treatment process especially during stressful times. It is essential to understand that caregivers also have needs that have to be addressed and fulfilling these would increase sense of control in taking care of their child with ADHD (Pahlavanzadeh et al., 2018).

References:

Baweja, R., Soutullo, C., Waxmonsky, J. (2021). Review of barriers and interventions to promote treatment engagement for pediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder care. World Journal of Psychiatry, 11(12), 1206-1227. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i12.1206. 

Bjerrum, M., Pedersen, P., Larsen, P. (2017). Living with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adulthood: a systematic review of qualitative evidence. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implement Reports, 15(4), 1080-1153. doi: 10.11124/JBISRIR-2017-003357. 

Center for Disease Control. State-based Prevalence of ADHD Diagnosis and Treatment 2016-2019. Retrieved in https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data/diagnosis-tre…

Pahlavanzadeh, S., Mousavi, S., Maghsoudi, J. (2018). Exploring the needs of family caregivers of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a qualitative study. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 23(2), 149-154. doi: 10.4103/ijnmr.IJNMR_16_17.