ADHD - Reintroducing Curiosity and Respect to Diagnosis and Intervention

About

More and more children—and adults—are being diagnosed with attention deficiency disorders. The prevailing trend for dealing with ADHD is treatment through medication such as Ritalin. Avigail Gimpel, ADHD coach and founder of Hyper Healing, advocates a more holistic approach to diagnosis and intervention, based on curiosity and respect—an approach that in her experience is safer and far more effective. The causes of ADHD are as yet unknown. It is suggested that ADHD is hereditary and associated with a brain chemical imbalance. “However,” Avigail points out, “causality is quite murky. Despite enormous efforts by psychiatry andpharmaceutical companies, the brain chemical imbalance theory remains a theory—it has yet to be scientifically proven.” Every week, Avigail is contacted by parents who are unsatisfied with medication or are concerned about side effects. Indeed, Ritalin does not seem to “fix” these kids. At best, stimulants act as a bandage covering up “bleeding” from ADHD symptoms, while sometimes causing extensive side effects. And although many children initially get a major boost from the medication, the progress often fades over time. A Holistic Approach ADHD is not a stand-alone disorder, but a list of neatly-packaged symptoms tied together by the American Psychiatric Association. It does not have one simple cause. Rather, symptoms occur due to many complex factors, including environmental, physiological, social, and emotional stress. We all deserve the respect and patience to discover the root causes of our challenges and the tools to overcome them. Avigail’s assessment of a new client begins with the assumption that she is meeting a healthy person who is struggling. The question she asks is “why is he or she suffering?” and not “what is his or her disorder/diagnosis?” By listening carefully to each client’s personal story, Avigail is able to peel back the layers of complexity and provide a more accurate and holistic diagnosis. She investigates by asking qu