ADHD Expert Dr. Ballas shares ADHD management news and commentary at ADHDCentral.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930 http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930 http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/27985/adhd-syndrome Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:17:00 -0400 Dr. Ballas Once the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is suggested in a child, many parents scrutinize the 18 DSM-IV criteria and reflect that many of these symptoms could be describing ordinary childhood behavior.  A common discussion I have with parents involves explaining why symptoms of ADHD are different than ordinary childhood behaviors. This is an important discussion.  I need to have very good justification for... http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/27985/adhd-syndrome http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/23979/adhds-history-effects Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:52:00 -0400 Dr. Ballas For over 100 years, the symptoms that constitute ADHD have been continuously refined by the scientific community. Many researchers note that one of the earliest scholarly papers on symptoms consistent with ADHD was written in 1902 by George Still, in which he described a series of children who exhibited impulsivity, inattentiveness and restlessness, and showed intense emotional and behavioral problems. At the time it was commonly thought that... http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/23979/adhds-history-effects http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/20157/acute-stress-asd-adhd Thu, 07 Feb 2008 18:14:00 -0500 Dr. Ballas When children come to a child psychiatrist for the first time, very often it is right after some major trauma or change that has happened in the child's life. Sometimes what has happened to the child is something that most adults would agree is a tragedy like the death of a parent or the child's home being destroyed by a fire. Sometimes what a child perceives as an extremely stressful event may not be thought of as a major... http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/20157/acute-stress-asd-adhd http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/19161/children-adhd-expect Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:51:00 -0500 Dr. Ballas Sometimes parents are confused by the way that pediatric psychiatrists interview their children for the first time. It can be puzzling to see a psychiatrist playing checkers for an hour with a child while asking seemingly random questions. This is particularly confusing to parents who have received psychiatric care themselves, and had a much different experience of what it means to receive therapy. I believe that part of the confusion... http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/19161/children-adhd-expect http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/15693/aacap-54th-annual Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:58:00 -0400 Dr. Ballas The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) is one of the largest national medical associations devoted to childhood mental health concerns. They just concluded their 54th meeting in Boston, Massachusetts this Saturday, in which a great deal of new initiatives and research were presented.  AACAP is a non-profit organization with over 7500 physicians as members, most of whom are child and adolescent psychiatrists. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/15693/aacap-54th-annual http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/15377/violent-tv-part-2 Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:20:00 -0400 Dr. Ballas In my last blog, I discussed TV violence and aggression in children. Violent media has a small but real effect on the psychiatric health of children. Kids who watch violent media get aggressive immediately after watching it, overall in their childhood, and there is some research that shows prolonged exposure to violent TV as a child increases aggression throughout a person's life. In this blog, I'd like to discuss some other... http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/15377/violent-tv-part-2 http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/15375/children-violent-tv Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:04:00 -0400 Dr. Ballas Research shows that although aggressive kids enjoy watching violent TV, violent TV does increase aggressive tendencies in children of many different temperaments. This increase in aggressiveness is a small effect, but I think enough to let parents know that the V chip is there for them to use to block the most violent media, if they want to.   There's lots of good research to support keeping small kids away from violent TV. The... http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/15375/children-violent-tv http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/15637/violent-tv-part-1 Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:54:00 -0400 Dr. Ballas A problem I often encounter in treating children with ADHD is that of aggressive behavior. Parents ask me what they can do to help their kids act out less in school and at home. One piece of advice I give to practically every parent is to use the V-chip. The V- is a device that allows parents to control the kind of TV children can watch, and is standard in every TV 13" or larger, manufactured since 2000. It can block the vast majority... http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/15637/violent-tv-part-1 http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/12656/adhd-sleepiness Thu, 23 Aug 2007 16:40:00 -0400 Dr. Ballas In continuation of the discussion of the frustration in diagnosing a child with ADHD, I'd like to comment on the topic of sleepiness. Studies show that close to half of children with ADHD also have problems with sleep. A curious observation repeatedly made when observing how children behave when they haven't slept well is that kids tend to act in ways that are opposite of the ways adults act when they are tired. Specifically,... http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/12656/adhd-sleepiness http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/12062/children-adhd Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:14:01 -0400 Dr. Ballas When a child comes to a doctor's office with problems with attention, whether it's due to ADHD or something else, usually the child has had a lot of negative feedback from the world because they aren't finishing tests on time, doing homework well, or get into arguments with their peers or parents. This negative feedback can come in a variety of ways. A boy repeatedly told that he needs to shape up in school, even if he is very... http://www.healthcentral.com/adhd/c/7930/12062/children-adhd