How to Support a Loved One Going to Therapy

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, is a diagnosis that most have heard of, and is characterized by a difficulty to concentrate, a high propensity to distractions, and high impulsivity. Although ADHD is commonly diagnosed in childhood, adults can also be diagnosed with this disorder later in life. So what makes ADHD increasingly interesting, as of the last several years? There has been a drastic increase in the amount of individuals, adults and children, who have been diagnosed in the last decade. As many researchers and mental health professionals review the aforementioned diagnostic trends, there is still a heavy debate as to what is causing the recent increase. Some propose that ADHD is simply more widely recognized than in the past, thus increasing to the annual number of diagnoses. Others suggest that a change in various lifestyle factors are contributing to the increase in diagnoses. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, I have the opportunity of working with many children and families. Over the last years, I’ve noticed an increase in the amount of attention that parents are paying to ADHD. Many parents are observing that their children are quick to get bored, jumping from activity to activity, or struggling to focus when given a task. Additionally, parents are hearing from their children’s teachers that their children are not able to get their schoolwork done due to an inability to concentrate or sit still. So what has changed? Why the sudden increase in ADHD over the last few decades? Or is it simply an overdiagnosis of the disorder? Let’s take a step back and remind ourselves of the many changes that have also occurred in the last several years. Older generations are quick to remind us that “back in the day” they used to play outside for entertainment. They often reflect back on the fact that they would join with other neighborhood kids and create games at the park or build forts in their backyards using sticks from nearby trees. Additionally, previous generations comment that whilst at home, they typically had a fair amount of structure and fewer options of toys and activities to occupy them in evening hours. They didn’t have phones. They didn’t have iPads. And even if some had TVs, shows were often watched as a family for select moments of the week. On the contrary, the current and younger generations have experienced a more technologically advanced society, often making electronics very accessible to children and teens of all ages. Engaging with these electronics, also known as “screen time”, has dramatically increased in the last 20 years, where it’s far more common to see children on their electronics whilst at a park, rather than using their physical bodies to run, jump, and play with other children. I’m not the first one to make this observation; there have been many research studies conducted on this very topic. And these studies have yielded the expected results: increased screen time is correlated with a variety of negative developmental outcomes, including symptoms that are present in a diagnosis of ADHD. For example, a study that explored screen time in preschoolers found that those who engaged in more than two hours of screen time per day had elevated inattention and hyperactivity, increased emotional dysregulation, and increased behavioral problems, to name a few. From these observations, it is easy to believe that many of these children were likely diagnosed with ADHD. But is this diagnosis an accurate one? Or are these symptoms of too much screen time and not enough human interaction and discipline? It’s my belief that prior to diagnosing a child (or anyone) with ADHD, that we must look at the whole context. I believe that many individuals are diagnosed with ADHD and therefore put on medication that won’t cure any problem. More often than not, changing a few basic lifestyle areas will decrease the symptoms of ADHD and in turn, help support a more fulfilling, healthy life. References: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0163638320301120 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022395623001310