Are There Certain Personalities Tied To ADD/ADHD?

I just talked with my brother the other day and he told me about going to parent teacher conferences for his son. The teacher informed him and his wife that she thought their son needed medication. This came as such a shock for them because they had heard nothing from the teacher until that point that there had been problems. He asked her if they could work on doing different things to help their son focus better before tying medication. They found out he needed glasses and worked on some behaviors and studied together at home and now he is getting top grades.

This along with other articles I've been reading has sparked me to talk about ADD/ADHD and how this "epidemic" is being misdiagnosed and mistreated. The answer to my question at the top is yes, but not in the way you might think. Certain types aren't predisposed to ADD/ADHD, but there are certain types often misdiagnosed with ADD/ADHD. In this post I'm going to talk about the misdiagnosis and overmedication of children today when it comes to ADD/ADHD. I will also be talking about how certain personality types are misdiagnosed, how other problems mimic ADD/ADHD, and how to treat these behaviors with combination therapies or without medication.

Misdiagnosis
In an article by Dr. Monika Buerger D.C., she states some of the common signs of ADD and ADHD. " Perhaps the child is more energetic, lethargic, or lacks concentration compared to his/her “normal” peers"
Children are hastily assigned the title of ADD or ADHD by schools and parents. Schools get paid for each diagnosed student (source). It is also of note to show that students with this diagnosis have "mental disorder" on their permanent records (Buerger). Parents are often trusting of those suggesting this diagnosis. But parents need to be more informed. Not only do they need to know about the things stated above, but also what else could be the problem and ways to treat it.

With the diagnosis of ADD/ADHD usually comes a prescription. Some other information parents need to know is that one of the common medications (Ritalin) can cause serious medical complications. "One of the dangers with this drug is that it causes constriction of the veins and arteries; thus, causing the heart to work harder leading to irreversible damage. Increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and irregular heart beat, along with other cardiac disorders can be the result. There have also been studies that suggest exposure to Ritalin and other stimulant (psychotropic) prescription drugs makes the brain more susceptible to addictive drugs such as cocaine and doubles the risk of cocaine abuse. The increased risk of suicide and depression has also been linked to the use of Ritalin and other such stimulants." (Source)

This is why I worry about misdiagnosis and mistreatment. There are many other problems that can manifest the same issues as ADD/ADHD. Some of these are allergies, nutrition deficiencies, hypoglycemia, diabetes, needing glasses, hearing problems, emotional events, sensory disorders, undiagnosed learning disorders, biopolar disorder, or even just boredom. Here are some links to other resources explaining more in depth about these problems and treatments. Pathways To Family Wellness, Healthline, Misdiagnosis: Conditions that Mimic, Alternative Treatment. 

ADD/ADHD and Personality Types
Coming back to personality, there are certain types that are more prone to misdiagnosis. All types could be diagnosed with ADD/ADHD, but there are two that especially are. These are the Player and the Thinker. The Player is easily bored, needs stimulation, movement, and excitement. This can lead them to show signs of ADD/ADHD in the classroom. This is where knowing how they learn best will help them to be involved and focused. If your child is having problems in school and they are this type, discuss with their teacher possible ways that could help them in school and what you can do to work on it at home.

The other type, the Thinker, is usually hyper-focused.  They like to learn and when they hear something new and interesting, they will become introspective. They will make connections between what they know to this new information and start making hypotheses and think of ways to explore it further. Once they come back from their introspection, they have been left behind and may have missed more of the lesson. This will cause frustration and cause them to feel lost. This is why having resources for them to research and learn from allows them thinking time and the ability to learn at their own pace instead of being left behind. Work with your child or their teacher to figure out ways to help this personality type. 

As a teacher I would often have parents apologize for their children missing their medications. I usually didn't even notice that there had been a change. At this time I was using my personality studies and was trying to use what worked for them. We also did a lot of movement, self directed learning, exercise, and we even sat on exercise balls instead of chairs.

Treatments
Now if your child has been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD know there are other treatments to try. There has been a lot of success with combination treatments (medication and behavioral therapy) or just trying behavior therapy, IEP's, diet, exercise, and supplements (Source 1, source 2).  Behavior therapy has shown huge success with helping students.

How behavior therapy works: "A behavior therapy regimen can be developed by a pediatrician or a school psychologist or another mental-health worker. Based on a structured system of rewards and consequences — such as increased or decreased TV privileges — the program also includes changes in a child’s environment to minimize distractions. Parents also receive training in giving commands and reacting when a child obeys or disobeys.The goal is to incrementally teach children new ways of behaving by rewarding desired behavior, such as following directions, and eliminating undesired actions... Experiencing success reinforces the desired behavior." (Source)

My hope is that parents can be informed about ADD/ADHD and what other problems can be misdiagnosed as it. Use this information to help your children in the way they need. Look for other options before jumping into using medication. There is so much that can be done. I hope this helps and if anyone has other information, you can put it below. Thanks!