Excellent article. So often I hear parents self-diagnose their children with ADHD and when I ask them about their sleep patterns I am told they can't get them to bed. Overtiredness often mimics some of the behaviours associated with ADHD and other behavioural conditions. Access to thorough assessment needs to be addressed alongside the access to medication.
Thanks Kelly. Most parents I see have no idea what good sleep is in children. I think it's one of the biggest contributors to behavioural, attention and anxiety issues.
Great article, Clare. I’ve often seen that the label ADHD also becomes a “track” - once on it, it’s difficult to get off it, as the diagnosis itself has social and identity impacts for the child and family that are very difficult to undo.
Fantastic article Clare, we need more of these responses to mental health issues to help educate the general public and politicians. Keep up your great contribution to issues of mental health affecting us all- I also appreciate your time spent via television shows I believe it is so important to have ‘ voices of reason’ shared and heard broadly.
Perhaps an accreditation system for GPs should be put in place to allow them to prescribe approved treatments. This is not without precedent for other healthcare professionals - for example pharmacists must be accredited to perform medication reviews, administer covid and other injections etc. A future problem may be misuse of stimulants to treat ADHD such as dexamphetamine and methylphenidate .
I also worry about the influence big pharma might have had in lobbying government and the industry to push for this change- and definitely concerned about what reform could do in terms of over-diagnosis/misdiagnosis...
Excellent article. So often I hear parents self-diagnose their children with ADHD and when I ask them about their sleep patterns I am told they can't get them to bed. Overtiredness often mimics some of the behaviours associated with ADHD and other behavioural conditions. Access to thorough assessment needs to be addressed alongside the access to medication.
Thanks Kelly. Most parents I see have no idea what good sleep is in children. I think it's one of the biggest contributors to behavioural, attention and anxiety issues.
Great article, Clare. I’ve often seen that the label ADHD also becomes a “track” - once on it, it’s difficult to get off it, as the diagnosis itself has social and identity impacts for the child and family that are very difficult to undo.
Fantastic article Clare, we need more of these responses to mental health issues to help educate the general public and politicians. Keep up your great contribution to issues of mental health affecting us all- I also appreciate your time spent via television shows I believe it is so important to have ‘ voices of reason’ shared and heard broadly.
Regards
Grant
Grant Brecht- Psychologist
Perhaps an accreditation system for GPs should be put in place to allow them to prescribe approved treatments. This is not without precedent for other healthcare professionals - for example pharmacists must be accredited to perform medication reviews, administer covid and other injections etc. A future problem may be misuse of stimulants to treat ADHD such as dexamphetamine and methylphenidate .
Great article Clare! you make some good points.
I also worry about the influence big pharma might have had in lobbying government and the industry to push for this change- and definitely concerned about what reform could do in terms of over-diagnosis/misdiagnosis...