“Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) affects children and teens and can continue into adulthood. ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder of children. Children with ADHD may be hyperactive and unable control their impulses. Or they may have trouble paying attention. These behaviors interfere with school and home life.” – https://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd#1

What Goes On in the Brain

Studies show that brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, don’t work the same in children and adults with ADHD. There also tend to be differences in the way nerve pathways work. – neurotransmitters = the brain chemicals that communicate information throughout our brain and body

Certain parts of the brain may be less active or smaller in children with ADHD than those without the disorder.

The brain chemical dopamine may also play a role. It carries signals between nerves in the brain and is linked to movement, sleep, mood, attention, and learning.

How can ADHD affect the family?

• School age children

  Children of school age may have difficulties at home or on outings with their caregivers. Acting up when shopping, out in the park, or visiting other family members tend to become more apparent at this age. Parents of school age children with ADHD have little time to themselves. Whenever the child is awake, the parents have to be watching them. Parents may find that family members refuse to care for the child, and that other children do not invite them to parties or out to play. – http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/En/ResourceCentres/ADHD/TreatmentofADHD/ADHDandtheFamily/Pages/default.aspx

• This (ADHD) often requires that more time, logistics and energy be spent. It is not surprising that these increased demands are frequently associated with more stress in marital and family functioning. The financial burden of treating ADHD and its associated psychiatric disorders can add to these difficulties. – https://www.myvmc.com/lifestyles/the-family-impact-of-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/

 

ADHD has a significant impact on the siblings of children who have the condition. One study found that 10 of the 13 siblings (brothers and sisters) interviewed thought they were “severely and negatively” affected by living with a sibling who had ADHD. This study found the most significant problem identified by siblings was the disruption caused by the behaviour of the child with the condition.Examples of this disruptive behaviour included physical and verbal aggression, out-of-control hyperactivity, emotional and social immaturity, academic underachievement and learning problems, family conflicts, poor peer relationships, and difficult relationships with extended family.

Siblings described their family life as “chaotic”, “exhausting”, and “focused on their sibling”. Siblings described “never knowing what to expect next” and that they did not expect an end point to the impact of ADHD on their lives.

Siblings of children with ADHD experienced the disruptive effects of the condition in three ways: victimisation, caretaking and feelings of sorrow and loss. Siblings reported feeling victimised through physical violence, verbal aggression and manipulative and controlling behaviour. Many siblings felt unprotected by their parents who were perceived as too exhausted or overwhelmed to intervene.

Moving forward, as well as undergo numerous photo shoots, I wish to start the construction of my Personal Study based essay on which I will be focusing on illness and how it inspires people to document their own story or account as a mechanism of healing. Personally, photographing and perhaps writing the ordeals I experienced as a child will help me forgive and forget the different sorts of pain I felt and most importantly, aid Noah’s experience.