There’s a possibility of undiagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Read on to learn more about these conditions, and what you can do about them.

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What’s the difference?

You might be asking yourself, “What’s the difference between ADD and ADHD?”

In a nutshell, ADD is a term used to describe people with ADHD, but minus the hyperactivity and impulsiveness. ADHD is the official name used by the American Psychiatric Association. Individuals with this condition display hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattention.

Childhood vs. Adolescent ADHD (ADD)

ADHD (ADD) tends to present itself differently in children and teenagers. Young children with ADHD (ADD) often appear very hyperactive, a behavior that minimizes during adolescence. The same can be said for impulsiveness. In a nutshell, the symptoms of ADHD (ADD) are the same between children and teenagers, only not as severe during adolescence.

Girls with ADHD (ADD)

If your teenage daughter has ADHD (ADD), she might display extreme moodiness, especially during menstruation. Other symptoms include overreactions, disorganization, an inability to cope with stress, and mild rebelliousness.

What should parents do?

If you suspect your teen daughter struggles with ADHD (ADD), get help from your doctor. There is no cure, but with proper diagnosis and treatment, it can become manageable. Treatments vary based upon a patient’s needs, as well as family and medical histories, but medication is generally prescribed.

Summary

If you suspect your teen daughter struggles with ADHD (ADD), don’t wait to seek professional help. The sooner your daughter learns life coping skills, the better prepared she will be for adulthood. With proper care, life with ADHD (ADD) can be easy and enjoyable.

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Angie Woodward is a Registered Nurse in Wyoming and is the founder and owner/director of Trinity Teen Solutions, Inc. TTS is a licensed boarding school for troubled teens. Call 307-645-3384 for a free consultation.



        

Every human person has a yearning inside of them for something that is greater than themselves, something that in their mind will fulfill them.  This is the current human condition, this is the life we all experience, but as Christians we know that this was not always so.  Before the fall of Adam and Eve, we as humans experienced this happiness, we lived in paradise, and we had peace, because we were one with God.  But in typical human fashion we got in the way of God’s divine plan and we separated ourselves from God and the one thing that can truly bring us happiness.  So it makes sense that there is an insatiable longing or desire for happiness in our lives, because that one thing that we were meant to possess has been lost.  Because of this we will continue to search for happiness in our lives until we find it.  Unknown to some, is that we, as the pinnacle of creation, cannot be satisfied with those created things below us, but only by the Creator himself.  In the famous words of St. Augustine, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.””

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So what does all this mean for the person who seeks counseling and for the counselor as well?  As counselors we are taught that dysfunction is often caused in our lives by irrational beliefs, faulty thinking, or self-defeating behaviors.  Throughout the course of our development we form beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world around us.  Ideally, these beliefs would be truthful, healthy, and rational. Unfortunately, through events and unfortunate circumstances we often begin to believe false, unhealthy, and irrational things about ourselves, others, and the world.  This shift from healthy to unhealthy, or from truth to falsehood can often come from the events in our lives or traumas.

Some of us as children may experience a moment in which our healthy beliefs are shattered or broken.  In this moment we no longer can believe that we are safe, good, or loveable, and this may be instilled through someone’s actions, words, or even random events or accidents.  From that point on we begin to believe this new “truth” that we have found, and these beliefs may be reinforced many times throughout our lives, even to the point of every interaction with others becoming a reinforcement of this false belief.

Our work as counselors is to help our clients come to a realization of the lies that they have been telling themselves or the false truths they have believed.  We attempt to bring the irrational into the rational or to dispute the lie with the truth.  So to echo the words of Pontius Pilot, “What is truth?”  For many, truth is just a factual reality or some even argue that truth is relative to the individual (Relativism), but as Christians we know truth is a person, the person of Jesus Christ.  Christ speaks to Thomas and to all humanity when he says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”  (John 14:6)  So we know Christ, we know truth–end of story, right?  If only it were that easy.  The fullness of truth does lie in the person of Jesus Christ but it is our duty to continuously seek that truth in our lives– through prayer, meditation, scriptural or spiritual reading, and the sacraments.

As Christian Counselors we have the amazing opportunity to bring the truth into our work through the person of Jesus Christ.  If much of our pain and suffering comes from a separation from the truth it makes sense to work to reunite ourselves as close as humanly possible to that truth, to Jesus Christ.  What an amazing gift it is to have a God who is so ready to heal and pour His grace upon us if we just seek Him.  So we as Christian counselors have the immense duty to bring the Truth into our sessions, to help our clients find this Truth, and to assist in bringing healing into their lives through the person of Jesus Christ.

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By Patrick Metts, MA, LPC, Counselor Trinity Teen Solutions, Inc. a boarding school for troubled teen girls.

        

But millions of people (an estimated 15% of the population) suffer from devastating and constant anxiety that severely affects their lives, sometimes resulting in living in highly restricted ways. These people experience panic attacks, phobias, extreme shyness, obsessive thoughts, and compulsive behaviors. The feeling of anxiety is a constant and dominating force that disrupts their lives. Some become prisoners in their own homes, unable to leave to work, drive, or visit the grocery store. For these people, anxiety is much more than just an occasional wave of apprehension.

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Types of Anxiety Disorders

An anxiety disorder affects a person’s behavior, thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. The most common anxiety disorders include the following:
Social anxiety or social phobia is a fear of being around other people. People who suffer from this disorder always feel self-conscious around others. They have the feeling that everyone is watching them and staring at them, being critical in some way. Because the anxiety is so painful, they learn to stay away from social situations and avoid other people. Some eventually need to be alone at all times, in a room with the door closed. The feeling is pervasive and constant and even happens with people they know.

People who have social anxiety know that their thoughts and fears are not rational. They are aware that others are not actually judging or evaluating them at every moment. But this knowledge does not make the feelings disappear.

Panic disorder is a condition where a person has panic attacks without warning. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, about 5% of the adult American population suffers from panic attacks. Some experts say that this number is actually higher, since many people experience panic attacks but never receive treatment.
Common symptoms of panic include:

• Racing or pounding heart
• Trembling
• Sweaty palms
• Feelings of terror
• Chest pains or heaviness in the chest
• Dizziness and lightheadedness
• Fear of dying
• Fear of going crazy
• Fear of losing control
• Feeling unable to catch one’s breath
• Tingling in the hands, feet, legs, or arms

A panic attack typically lasts several minutes and is extremely upsetting and frightening. In some cases, panic attacks last longer than a few minutes or strike several times in a short time period.

A panic attack is often followed by feelings of depression and helplessness. Most people who have experienced panic say that the greatest fear is that the panic attack will happen again.
Many times, the person who has a panic attack doesn’t know what caused it. It seems to have come “out of the blue.” At other times, people report that they were feeling extreme stress or had encountered difficult times and weren’t surprised that they had a panic attack.
Generalized anxiety disorder is quite common, affecting an estimated 3 to 4% of the population. This disorder fills a person’s life with worry, anxiety, and fear. People who have this disorder are always thinking and dwelling on the “what ifs” of every situation. It feels like there is no way out of the vicious cycle of anxiety and worry. The person often becomes depressed about life and their inability to stop worrying.

People who have generalized anxiety usually do not avoid situations, and they don’t generally have panic attacks. They can become incapacitated by an inability to shut the mind off, and are overcome with feelings of worry, dread, fatigue, and a loss of interest in life. The person usually realizes these feelings are irrational, but the feelings are also very real. The person’s mood can change from day to day, or even hour to hour. Feelings of anxiety and mood swings become a pattern that severely disrupts the quality of life.
People with generalized anxiety disorder often have physical symptoms including headaches, irritability, frustration, trembling, inability to concentrate, and sleep disturbances. They may also have symptoms of social phobia and panic disorder.
Other types of anxiety disorders include:

Phobia, fearing a specific object or situation.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a system of ritualized behaviors or obsessions that are driven by anxious thoughts.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), severe anxiety that is triggered by memories of a past traumatic experience.

Agoraphobia, disabling fear that prevents one from leaving home or another safe place.

Treatment Options

Most people who suffer from anxiety disorders begin to feel better when they receive the proper treatment. It can be difficult to identify the correct treatment, however, because each person’s anxiety is caused by a unique set of factors. It can be frustrating for the client when treatment is not immediately successful or takes longer than hoped for. Some clients feel better after a few weeks or months of treatment, while others may need a year or more. If a person has an anxiety disorder in combination with another disorder (such as alcoholism and depression), treatment is more complicated and takes longer.

While a treatment plan must be specifically designed for each individual, there are a number of standard approaches. Mental health professionals who specialize in treating anxiety most often use a combination of the following treatments. There is no single correct approach.

Cognitive Therapy

The client learns how to identify and change unproductive thought patterns by observing his or her feelings and learning to separate realistic from unrealistic thoughts.

Behavior Therapy

This treatment helps the client alter and control unwanted behavior. Systematic desensitization, a type of behavior therapy, is often used to help people with phobias and OCD. The client is exposed to anxiety-producing stimuli one small step at a time, gradually increasing his or her tolerance to situations that have produced disabling anxiety.

Relaxation Training

Many people with anxiety disorders benefit from self-hypnosis, guided visualization, and biofeedback. Relaxation training is often part of psychotherapy.

Medication

Antidepressant and antianxiety medications can help restore chemical imbalances that cause symptoms of anxiety. This is an effective treatment for many people, especially in combination with psychotherapy.

The treatment for an anxiety disorder depends on the severity and length of the problem. The client’s willingness to actively participate in treatment is also an important factor. When a person with panic is motivated to try new behaviors and practice new skills and techniques, he or she can learn to change the way the brain responds to familiar thoughts and feelings that have previously caused anxiety.

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Angie Woodward is a Registered Nurse in Wyoming and is the founder and owner/director of Trinity Teen Solutions, Inc. TTS is a licensed Christian Residential Treatment Center for at risk teen girls and their families. Call 307-645-3384 for a free consultation.