A thoughtful and interested analysis. I'm a pediatrician/prescriber in the US. I've seen all types of ADHD and offered support for families for nearly 20 years -- and I'm still not sure if I'm doing it right! Especially with younger kids, the brain and environment are so drastically changing from year to year, treatment plans require flexibility and routine evaluation. I've seen kids' lives change with ADHD meds, but I also know that meds aren't a 'set-it-and-forget-it" solution. As kids grow and learn how their brain and body work, I find many (not all!) can decrease or remove medication support over time.
I'm so grateful that there are doctors like you out there! I like to think that most mental health professionals and prescribers are thoughtful, and just want to help people, but they get stuck thinking about mental illnesses and medications in ways that don't actually match reality. The medical system itself throws up immense barriers to going about things differently.
Yes yes yes! I’m a family nurse practitioner who has worked with some of the most traumatized, vulnerable patients in the US. Even their physical problems are over medicalized, not to mention their mental health. I went back to school to study psychiatry and my favorite thing to tell people is - it’s complicated! Certainly medications can and do help. But if we only focus on the biological, we are missing so much rich information that might really help to inform treatment.
And while we don’t have nearly the resources we should in mental healthcare, when care providers like you have this mindset, there are so many positive treatment paths that open up!
Such a great perspective! Appreciate all of that. I keep wondering what the data will look like for changes that happened during and post pandemic. Seems like there are so many more people being diagnosed or self diagnosing ADD and/or suffering from greater anxiety and feeling that their world and the people they encounter are “not safe”. The isolation played a role too. Think it would be so helpful for people to learn how important it really is to build back their resiliency muscles aside from medication options.
Thank you, Claudia! I think you’re right to call out the post-covid diagnostic expansion and the role that feelings of unsafety/uncertainty play in this.
A thoughtful and interested analysis. I'm a pediatrician/prescriber in the US. I've seen all types of ADHD and offered support for families for nearly 20 years -- and I'm still not sure if I'm doing it right! Especially with younger kids, the brain and environment are so drastically changing from year to year, treatment plans require flexibility and routine evaluation. I've seen kids' lives change with ADHD meds, but I also know that meds aren't a 'set-it-and-forget-it" solution. As kids grow and learn how their brain and body work, I find many (not all!) can decrease or remove medication support over time.
I'm so grateful that there are doctors like you out there! I like to think that most mental health professionals and prescribers are thoughtful, and just want to help people, but they get stuck thinking about mental illnesses and medications in ways that don't actually match reality. The medical system itself throws up immense barriers to going about things differently.
Thank you for your comment!
Yes yes yes! I’m a family nurse practitioner who has worked with some of the most traumatized, vulnerable patients in the US. Even their physical problems are over medicalized, not to mention their mental health. I went back to school to study psychiatry and my favorite thing to tell people is - it’s complicated! Certainly medications can and do help. But if we only focus on the biological, we are missing so much rich information that might really help to inform treatment.
And while we don’t have nearly the resources we should in mental healthcare, when care providers like you have this mindset, there are so many positive treatment paths that open up!
So glad you’re out there, helping people!!!
Such a great perspective! Appreciate all of that. I keep wondering what the data will look like for changes that happened during and post pandemic. Seems like there are so many more people being diagnosed or self diagnosing ADD and/or suffering from greater anxiety and feeling that their world and the people they encounter are “not safe”. The isolation played a role too. Think it would be so helpful for people to learn how important it really is to build back their resiliency muscles aside from medication options.
Thank you, Claudia! I think you’re right to call out the post-covid diagnostic expansion and the role that feelings of unsafety/uncertainty play in this.