Guide to Tweens and Teens with ADHD

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Raising a tween or teen can be a challenge. When the child has ADHD, it can be even more challenging.

A study from Massachusetts General Hospital found that teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are more likely to partake in risky behavior, such as smoking and abusing drugs, than their peers who don’t have the disorder. Other studies have shown that teens with ADHD are not only more likely to experiment with drugs, but more likely to do so at an earlier age, to boot. They are also more prone to depression and suicide.

None of this is inevitable, though. Here is some advice on how to better deal with the issues that parents of tweens and teens, with ADHD, contend with:

  • Educate Yourself: “The first and most important thing I would suggest is that parents educate themselves as much as they can about ADHD and ADHD symptoms,” says Ari Tuckman, PsyD. Knowing what to expect from your child could help to make it easier to deal with issues if and when they arise. If you are better prepared, you will be able to react in ways that will help your child rather than hurt him or her.
  • Educate Your Child: Teens are generally not good at recognizing the consequences of risky behaviors; and for teens with ADHD, they probably are even poorer at understanding cause and effect. Tuckman says, “As a parent, you need to talk to your child about ADHD and about how risky situations are more likely to lead to certain outcomes. That way, your teen may be more likely to understand the consequences of his actions and try to avoid situations that could be riskier.” For example, suppose your teen with ADHD doesn’t get along well with a classmate who takes the same bus to school. Explain that getting in trouble is therefore a lot more likely, if your teen sits near that classmate. Take the time to be clear and thoroughly explain such situations.

Every teenager, with ADHD or not, needs structure and support. As a parent, you can provide the proper support and intervene when necessary. When you know what you are doing and are prepared, you can help your teen with ADHD through this extra-challenging time.

 

Resource: http://www.everydayhealth.com/add-adhd/a-parents-guide-to-adhd-tweens-and-teens.aspx

Headache and Migraine-Proof Your Home

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Home is the place where you can relax and be comfortable. However, if you suffer from migraines, there are triggers in your home that can cause you to have a headache or migraine. Here are four simple ways that you can turn your home into a headache and migraine free zone:

Lower the Lights- Overly bright lights at home can be a big problem if you suffer from migraines. Those who do suffer from them are often extra sensitive to sensory input, such as the glaring light from bulbs or even sunlight.

  • The Fix: Choose dim incandescent bulbs (the lower the wattage, the better) over halogens and fluorescent bulbs because they emit a steadier, more muted light. Install dimmers so you can darken a room when you feel a headache coming on and hang blinds or shades to shield any streaming sunlight.

Ditch Hidden Allergens – Research shows that more than half of all homes have six or more detectable allergens inside. If you are someone who suffers from allergies, those allergens can lead to headaches too. This happens because irritants such as dust mites, inflame your nasal passages, which release a pain-signaling chemical that can trigger a headache.

  • The Fix: Invest in a quality vacuum and an air purifier with HEPA filters. Regularly run a dehumidifier. Wash your bedding weekly in hot water and slip allergen blocking encasements over your bedding.

Eliminate Strong Smells – Due to inadequate ventilation sometimes, levels of about a dozen common pollutants such as formaldehyde can be two to five times higher indoors. Masking odors with scented candles and air fresheners often makes matters worse also.

  • The Fix: Crack your windows regularly, choose unscented, nontoxic cleaners, and trash products that are a few years old since their containers can begin to leak and emit a stink. If there are smells you can’t control, use an air purifier with a carbon filter, which cuts down on headache-causing odors.

Control You Glowing Gadgets – The super bright screens of things such as laptops and tablets have the same hazards as bright lights. Their white glow can overstimulate the brain. Also, sitting at the counter or on the sofa hunched over your iPhone or laptop may bring on muscle-related throbbing, especially in the neck.

  • The Fix: Adjust the brightness setting on your gadgets so they don’t bother you, and get a glare-reducing filter for your monitor. Settle into a seat with good back support and make sure your laptop or e-reader is at eye level.

 

Resource: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20567687,00.html

Tips for Overcoming Binge Eating

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Binge eating disorder is characterized by compulsive overeating whereby people consume huge amounts of food and feel powerless to stop. It can be very difficult for a person to overcome binge eating, however if you develop a healthier relationship with food, you can overcome it. Here are some strategies to help overcome binge eating:

  • Manage Stress: It is very important to find alternative ways to handle stress and overwhelming feelings without using food. These can include exercising, meditating, using sensory relaxation strategies, and practicing breathing exercises.
  • Eat 3 Meals a Day plus Healthy Snacks: Eat breakfast to jump start your metabolism, and follow that by a balanced lunch, and then dinner. Eat healthy snacks in between each meal. Be sure to stick to scheduled mealtimes because skipping meals can often lead to binge eating later in the day.
  • Avoid Temptation: If you have junk food, desserts, and unhealthy snacks in the house, you are more likely to overeat. Fix this by clearing out your kitchen of your favorite binge foods.
  • Stop Dieting: Hunger from strict dieting can trigger food cravings and the urge to overeat. Instead of dieting, try focusing on eating in moderation. Find healthy foods that you enjoy and eat them only until you feel content, not uncomfortably stuffed.
  • Exercise: Exercise will help you lose weight in a healthy way, lift depression, improve overall health, and reduce stress. The natural mood-boosting effects of exercise can help put a stop to emotional eating.
  • Fight boredom: Distract yourself instead of snacking when you are bored. Talk a walk, read a book, call a friend or take up a hobby such as drawing.
  • Get Enough Sleep: When you are tired, you may want to keep eating in order to boost your energy. Try taking a nap or going to bed earlier instead.
  • Listen to Your Body: Learn to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger. If you recently ate and your stomach isn’t rumbling, you are probably not actually hungry. Let the craving pass.
  • Keep a Food Diary: Write down what you eat, when, how much and how you are feeling when you are eating. You might be able to see a pattern emerge that could reveal the connection between your moods and binge eating.
  • Get Support: You will likely succumb to your binge eating triggers if you lack a good support network. Lean on family and friends, join a support group and even consult a therapist, in order to get the support you need to overcome your disorder.

Resource: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/binge_eating_disorder.htm

Name Change for Schizophrenia?

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Experts are beginning to think that the term “schizophrenia” is becoming outdated. Many are agreeing that the term schizophrenia tends to bring up negative images with significant stigma, suggesting discrimination, labeling, isolation and social rejection. Discussions have started to emerge about whether or not to change the term “schizophrenia” to something that is less stigmatizing. The most accepted new term, as of now, is salience syndrome. Many experts agree that salience would most accurately convey the actual experience of individuals with schizophrenia because it describes the internal process of reacting to and processing stimuli. Patients have yet to weigh in on this decision. Constantin Tranulis, M.D., Department of Psychiatry at the University of Montreal assessed their opinions.

Researchers asked 161 college students and 19 patients who were in the early stages of psychosis about the acceptability, validity, and impact of both diagnostic terms: schizophrenia and salience syndrome. The findings showed that no matter which name was assigned, the college students already had preconceived beliefs about the stigmatizing characteristics of the illness, including social rejection and discrimination. However, for patients who actually had the disorder, almost unanimously chose the term salience syndrome over schizophrenia. Their reason for their choice was that the change in name could help to protect them from experiencing the stigma associated with the term schizophrenia. They are concerned though that people will eventually know that salience syndrome and schizophrenia were the same disorder, and overtime, they will be subjected to the same negative stigmas. Tranulis added, “future studies with larger samples are warranted in order to clarify the role of labels on self-stigmatizing attitudes.”

 

Resource: http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/05/12/a-new-name-for-schizophrenia/54719.html

Migraines and Children

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People tend to think of migraines as an adult problem, however kids get migraines too. These migraines may be linked in some way to behavior disorders in children. A recent study found that children with migraine headaches had a significantly higher risk for behavior disorders. This finding is similar to results from previous studies which show that children with migraines have a higher risk for depressive disorders, anxiety, and behaviors such as hyperactivity and attention problems. Behavior problems could be a trigger for migraine attacks in children, or they could be a result of migraines.

“It is hard to tease out the link between problems like depression and hyperactivity from migraine because all these conditions are common in children,” says Andrew D. Hershey, MD, PhD, the associate director of neurology research and professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio. “Both behavior problems and headaches need to be checked out. The most important thing to realize is that children do get migraines. In fact, migraines are one of the top five childhood disorders, even more common than childhood asthma.”

Recognizing Migraine Symptoms in Children

Symptoms to keep an eye on:

  • A pounding type of headache- Children may have pain on both sides of the head or across the forehead
  • Pain that limits their activity or worsened due to activity
  • Pain that is moderate to severe
  • A headache that lasts from one to 72 hours
  • A headache that comes with nausea or vomiting
  • A headache becomes worse by sound or light

Since behavioral problems have been linked to migraines in studies, you should watch your child if they have a headache combined with symptoms like irritability, changes in sleep or appetite, trouble at school, mood swings, crying, withdrawing from friends or family, and lack of energy.

Minimizing Migraines in Children

Have your child follow these steps to help prevent migraines and possibly help prevent behavior problems related to migraines.

  • Drink fluids
  • Avoid caffeine
  • Eat healthy foods regularly
  • Get enough exercise
  • Get enough sleep

By helping your child identify and avoid stress, depression and anxiety, you can also help to reduce his or her migraines and behavior problems.

Until more is known about this link between behavior and migraine, the best thing for you to do is to be aware of how your child is feeling. Speak with your child’s doctor if your child is experiencing any symptoms of migraines or behavior problems.

 

Resource: http://www.everydayhealth.com/headache-and-migraine/effect-of-migraines-in-children.aspx

Coping with Depression Setbacks

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As you are on your way to overcoming your depression, it is not uncommon for your depression symptoms to flare up again. You might experience a few bad days, sometimes referred to as setbacks, which are common hurdles in depression treatment that can slow a patient’s progress, says David Blackburn, PhD, a psychologist at Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Texas. Setbacks can unfortunately cause a vicious cycle, since they can often worsen a person’s depression symptoms. “They might get even more discouraged than they already are,” Blackburn explains.“  Try some of these strategies when you feel yourself slipping back into your depression:

  • Use Coping Techniques: Try to remember the strategies that you learned during your treatment of depression, such as avoiding thoughts that tend toward the absolute- “I can never do anything right.” Blackburn says that people who suffer from depression should try to take stressful events in stride and stop fixating on situations they have no influence over. “It’s important to recognize that you, as an individual, cannot control a situation or people in it,” Blackburn says. “The only thing you can control is how you respond.”
  • Improve Dietary and Exercise Habits: If you take care of your body, you will feel better, both mentally and physically. Even just a small amount of physical activity will improve your outlook. Try to eat plenty of fruits and vegetable per day, as well as plenty of whole grains and low-fat dairy products.
  • Ask About Adjusting Your Medication: If you are taking medicine for your depression, setbacks can occur if the medication becomes less effective. Sometimes a simple switch is all that is needed to move forward. If you feel that your medicine is causing your setbacks, speak with your doctor.
  • Consider Psychotherapy: If you have been managing your depression with medication alone, you might find that adding psychotherapy to your treatment regimen might be beneficial. “Medication can improve your mood to the point where psychotherapy can be more successful,” Blackburn says.

 

Resource: http://www.everydayhealth.com/depression/depression-help-coping-with-setbacks.aspx

Foods to Avoid if you have Bipolar Disorder

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Do certain foods play a role in triggering your bipolar mood swings? Apparently it does! Recent research shows that certain foods can even make bipolar disorder harder to manage overall. While it might be hard to eliminate certain bipolar-offending foods from your diet, especially if they are your favorites, in the end it will be very beneficial for you. Not only will it help you keep mood swings in check and reduce periods of mania, you will also improve your heart health as well. To help your bipolar symptoms, you should avoid these snacks:

  • Caffeine: Stimulants should be avoided because they can trigger mania. It can additionally impair sleep and sleep deprivation, which are notorious triggers for bipolar mood swings and mania. Caffeine can also worsen anxiety and might counteract any drugs you are taking.
  • Alcohol: Together, alcohol and bipolar disorder make a very bad combination. Alcohol can negatively affect bipolar mood swings and also may interact negatively with your medications.
  • Sugar: If you have bipolar disorder, you are at a greater risk for metabolic syndrome, which is a pre-diabetes condition that can make it hard to manage your blood sugar levels. Also the highs and lows that come with the sugar roller coaster could add to your bipolar mood swings. If you really want a sweet treat, grab some fruit instead of candy.
  • Salt: If you are taking lithium, moderating your salt intake can be tricky because a change in salt intake can affect your lithium levels. So be sure to talk with your doctor to manage your salt intake.
  • Fat: In your diet, you should opt for lean protein and low-fat dairy products when choosing your meats. Eating a lot of fried, fatty foods just isn’t good for your health!

 

Resource: http://www.everydayhealth.com/bipolar-disorder/the-five-worst-foods-for-bipolar-disorder.aspx

Schizophrenia Tips to Help Family Members and Friends

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Those who suffer from schizophrenia often encounter challenges with their family and friends. Their family often tries to cope with them, but then might become frustrated by their seeming lack of progress in treatment. Some families may reduce their level of emotional support and others may end up cutting off all contact with their family member with the disorder. Friends can also quickly lose interest in continuing the friendship when the person with schizophrenia deteriorates or drops out of treatment. The most common complaint amongst friends and family members of a person with schizophrenia is not understanding how to help them, or give them continued, long-term support. Here are helpful tips to support a close friend or family member with schizophrenia:

  • Become an advocate for the person with schizophrenia: Sometimes only family or friends will be aware of their strange behaviors; therefore, they should be able to assist in the process of evaluating the person with schizophrenia, so that relevant information can be taken into account.
  • Offer strong emotional encouragement and support for continuing treatment: Encouraging and assisting them throughout the treatment process can positively influence their medical care and recovery.
  • Know how to respond to bizarre statements or beliefs: Learn how to respond to strange or false remarks; for the person with schizophrenia, the bizarre beliefs or hallucinations seem real. So, instead of going along with the delusions, acknowledge that things might appear otherwise to them. It is important not to challenge those beliefs and try to move the conversation along to more agreeable topics.
  • Help the person set attainable, simple goals in his or her life: Support and encourage the person with schizophrenia to regain their abilities. Make attainable goals with them and be sure to tell them when they are doing things right. Positivity will work better than criticism.

 

Resource: http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/helpful-hints-about-schizophrenia-for-family-members-and-others/

Headaches that Need Emergency Attention

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While a bad migraine might make you wish for the end of everything, headaches and migraines are usually not life threatening. However, a severe headache can signal something more serious, requiring emergency attention, such as a stroke, aneurysm and meningitis. Here are some signs that you should watch out for:

  • Neck Pain and Fever: If you are experiencing a stiff neck and fever, they could be signs of meningitis. It is an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the central nervous system, which can quickly become critical.
  • Nausea: Severe nausea or vomiting and any symptoms of neuro-deficit, such as difficulty speaking or walking, could be signs of a hemorrhagic stroke.
  • The Worst Headache Ever: “The thing we’re taught to look for is someone claiming to have ‘the worst headache of their life,’” says Adam Wilkes, MD, an ER specialist at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. “It may mean that they have an aneurysm in the brain that has begun to leak a little blood, but could turn into a catastrophic full bleed. And that can be life threatening.”

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms you should see your doctor or go to the emergency room as soon as possible. Whether or not it is just a bad migraine, you should always get checked out first just in case.

 

Resource: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20538984_5,00.html

Mutations and Migraines

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Over 30 million Americans suffer from migraines, and unfortunately, scientists aren’t exactly sure what causes them. However, there is new research from the University of California, San Francisco that has identified a genetic mutation that is linked to migraines. The mutation occurs in a gene called casein kinase I delta (CKIdelta), and the study’s senior investigator, Louis J Ptacek, said that this is the first time that researchers have linked a genetic mutation to common migraines. “It’s our initial glimpse into a black box that we don’t yet understand,” says Ptacek, an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of California, San Francisco, in a news release.

The researchers discovered the gene by looking at the genetics of two families with a history of migraines. From the genetics, they saw that a large portion of the migraine sufferers either had the mutated gene or had a parent who carried the mutated gene. In the lab, the researchers were able to show how the mutation affected production of the gene, which has many important functions throughout the brain and body. “This tells us that the mutation has real biochemical consequences,” Ptacek added.

The researchers then looked at the effects of the mutated gene in a line of mice. They found that the mice that had the mutated gene had a lower pain threshold for nitroglycerin-induced pain versus the mice that did not have the mutation. They also mimicked the sensation of a migraine aura in the mice and saw that the mice with the genetic mutation had less tolerance for this as well. Lastly, the researchers found that astrocytes, which are cells that are essential for neuronal functioning and health, in the brains of the genetically-mutated mice showed an increase in calcium-signaling, compared to the astrocytes in the brains of the normal mice. “This is significant because we think astrocyte functioning is very, very relevant to migraine,” Ptacek said. “This is an enzyme, and so it modifies proteins. The question is, which protein or proteins does it modify that is relevant to migraine? How does it change astrocyte activity?” All this research “puts us one step closer to understanding the molecular pathway to pain in migraine,” says Ptacek, and it could help researchers devise better therapies for migraines.

 

Resource: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/01/genetic-mutation-associated-with-migraines/