Hyderabad: More than 70 per cent of young parents are now seeking medical aid for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for their children, a survey revealed. In some cases the child does not have ADHD, but over-anxious parents have brought them in for counselling.
In fact, even if there are mild changes in behaviour patterns, young parents, usually in the age group of 25-35, are queuing up outside the psychologist’s door.
In 200 cases recorded at psychological wellness centre Dhriti Enabling Psychological Wellness, parents had demanded medication for their kids (0-6 years) for ADHD, even though they were found to be without ADHD. Instead, the parents had to be counselled to convince them that their child is fine.
“Most of the parents are IT professionals or doctors and work the full day. Their child has either been in a creche, with a maid, or with her/his grandparents all day. Once the parents are home, all that the child wants from them is attention. For that, kids start doing things like yelling or dropping things to get attention.
This happens because children do not understand a normal love relationship. Since the children are already spending less time with parents, they don’t mind a spank or a shout from their parents,” said Purnima Nagaraja, consultant psychiatrist, Dhriti Enabling Psychological Wellness.
One such couple rushed from a wedding directly to the counselling centre because their child had pulled out a decoration and they were embarrassed. “They came to the conclusion that their daughter had a serious problem because all the other children were peacefully playing and not running around like their daughter.
They insisted on medication and the mother told me that they give their child some form of sedative so that the mother is not woken up at night and does not get late for work next morning. Now the child is addicted to it and has withdrawal symptoms because it was stopped,” Ms Nagaraja said.
“Some children are given medication that is not meant for them. The continuous dosage makes children irritable in some cases, whereas some become very quiet and lose appetite,” she said.
Ms Nagaraja says that in the quest for perfect behaviour, parents are only making the children vulnerable to other disorders.
Meanwhile, Many parents have something that psychologists call “Wikipedia sickness”. Parents worried about symptoms they think are abnormal in their children are reading online literature, coming up with their own diagnosis and sometimes even trying medication that is prescribed online.
“We suddenly have more of these Wikipedia doctors or Net doctors. They look for every possible information online. A lot of parents who come to me are disappointed when they are told that their children are completely fine because the Internet does not say so. They are continuously running to doctors, showing video of their children and insist that their children should be treated,” says Purnima Nagaraja, consultant psychiatrist.
A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the US, said that thousands of children between the ages of two and three are given stimulant medications to control ADHD symptoms inappropriately without proper consultation. Following this, the American Academy of Paediatrics restricted ADHD treatment to children under the age of four.
“The Internet is beneficial only in some cases where people are alerted and learn about an illness, but they must consult a doctor before prescribing. They must only read and investigate it further with a doctor. Those who do not confirm with a doctor end up suffering and sometimes it might be lethal,” said P.K.N. Choudary, consultant psychiatrist, Chetana Psychological Hospital.
