A child is born and parents hope for perfection.
There’s no concern for a while, but as the child grows, problems arise.
A diagnosis comes—Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Medication helps the issue, but the question becomes, do you stay on meds when you get older?
It’s the choice facing those suffering whether or not to take it.
That is the case for Aaron Isaac, a 22-year-old University of California, Los Angeles student who is living with inattentive ADHD.
“ADHD is negative to me because it’s hard for me to focus. I get distracted a lot,” said Isaac, who was diagnosed with the disorder at the age of 7. “I’m struggling in life with ADHD. It’s hard for me to get my school work done.”
When Isaac found out he had ADHD he didn’t fully understand what it meant. But at 16 he was re-diagnosed.
“It was strange but kind of expected,” he said.
Isaac sees a therapist. He used to take medication but he quit because of the side effects, including depression and loss of appetite.
Inattentive ADHD, (previously known as ADD), is marked by impaired attention and concentration.
It’s hard for Isaac to get a job, and he has a hard time getting his schoolwork done.
A therapist is helping him with his treatment by giving him socialization methods, such as sitting and talking about specific things to get focused when his mind is drifting.
Isaac first got a therapist when he was 7, then at age 16 he started taking the drug Concerta. But he stopped a year later, and he started to see a therapist again.
Having ADHD has some ups and downs. He did a lot better at Pierce College with his condition because schoolwork wasn’t as demanding as it is at UCLA.
Pediatrician Sharon Pollock, who works at Pediatric Care Physicians, said ADHD is not a disease you can catch. She said it’s also difficult to diagnose.
“If the world you are in is chaotic, you can feel fragmented or have jumpy feelings that might make you appear attention challenged, when actually you are scared or disorganized.”
“Think about what are you studying now,” said Pollock. “With four different things going on at once—a computer with Facebook, music playing, the TV with basketball finals on, and you are doing your essay. Doesn’t that look like someone who can’t focus?”
Those properly diagnosed may be given medication, several of which have been proven successful. But Pollock doesn’t rely simply on a pill for treatment.
“There are medications that can cover the symptoms well, but the medicines are not replacing the cause,” Pollock said.
Pollock said it’s important for patients to know how their brain works, and that there is help for the frustration that comes with ADD and ADHD.
She works with her patients on lifestyle changes and coping mechanisms.
Pollock said that about 30 percent of patients will outgrow ADD and ADHD, but those with a chemical imbalance may battle the condition for their entire lives.
Toni Isaac, Aaron Isaacs’s mother, said, “We kind of suspected that my son had ADHD, mostly ADD. But he was in a gifted program, he was able to compensate, and he was able to work in school. So it didn’t affect him academically.”
Toni found out Aaron had ADHD when he was in the fourth grade. Now that he’s an adult, she said treatment options are his decision.
Toni believes ADHD is genetic.
She hasn’t been diagnosed with the condition, but other family members have.
She thinks he will learn different methods to deal with his condition, including being more organized and structured.
Isaac has spent the several weeks in Paris this spring for school and for an internship.
When he returns from his trip, he plans to look for jobs in the film industry or working with various non-profit organizations.