While ADD has climbed to near-epidemic proportions, there is good news.
Attention deficit disorder (ADD) has climbed to near-epidemic proportions in the last 20 years. Some of the causes are environmental—such as heavily increased amounts of sugar and other additives in food and the impact of television and other technologies on neurotransmitters—but other times the cause is hereditary.
Girls often suffer more severely from ADD because a diagnosis is not always easily made. According to Dr. Patricia Quinn, girls can hide their lack of attention longer than boys are able to restrain their outbursts. Girls tend to hold in their frustration about poor achievement in school rather than act out, which causes a tendency toward depression and anxiety (Mary Bridgman, "Girls With ADD Often Struggle in Silence," The Columbus Dispatch , April 3).
The good news is that ADD is highly treatable, not only by medications, but also with behavioral therapy that boils down to organizational strategies to support the development of a longer attention span and better grades in school.
