The Leader • Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020 • Page 1B
Residents discuss experiences with ADHD By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
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Ella Lee Forest resident Leah Salinas was in middle school when attention-deficit disorder really started impacting her life, though she wouldn’t be diagnosed with it for more than 20 years. “I could not read (large) amounts of text and absorb it,” she said. “I was in honors classes and had to be moved. I just thought I was not as smart as (other students).” When her daughter, LilliAnne, was discovered to have dyslexia in elementary school, Salinas wondered if ADHD -- which stands for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder -- was also a possibility. However, because misbehavior in the classroom was not an issue, there was no diagnosis. It was not until Salinas spent a lot of time with LilliAnne this spring and summer during the pandemic that she saw a vision of her “day-dreaming” middle school self. “I saw an inability to focus, (of) being able to start work,” Salinas said. Upon reevaluation, LilliAnne was diagnosed with ADHD, too. October is ADHD Awareness Month. According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), an estimated 5 percent of children and 2.5 percent of adults in the United States have ADHD. It can run in families, and studies indicate that genes may play a role. Dr. Cristina Marchesano, a pediatrician with THINK Neurology for Kids Katy and Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center, said there are three types of ADHD: predominant inattentive, predominant hyperactive/impulsive, and a combined type. Marchesano said there has been a greater recognition of ADHD, rather than a greater prevalence. She said many people are skilled at developing coping mechanisms over the years that at some point – whether that be in middle school, high school, college or graduate school – become difficult to maintain. About 50 percent of adults with ADHD also suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. That was certainly the case for Salinas. “You are working so hard to compensate (for it),” she said. “There are a lot of triggers.”
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Once she got on the right medication for her ADD, she no longer felt the same panic. School psychologist and Oak Forest resident Emily Zihlman was diagnosed with ADHD in high school and said her reliance on structure, a coping mechanism, was also the cause of her stress. “There was the thought, ‘I have to do this the same way,’ ” she said. Causes and treatments Although ADHD is one of the most researched areas in child and adolescent mental health, the exact cause of the disorder is still unknown, according to John Hopkins Medicine. Even so, brain imaging studies show that brain metabolism in children with ADHD is lower in the areas of the brain that control attention, social judgment and movement. Marchesano said once she makes a diagnosis through detailed behavior histories, observations and testing, she does not necessarily recommend medication right off the bat. For those with severe learning difficulties, she will do an electroencephalogram (EEG) to
evaluate the electrical activity in the brain and see if there is an underlying cause, like epilepsy, for the disorder. For others, she counsels starting with lifestyle changes, such as adequate sleep and a low-sugar, high-protein diet as well as Omega 3 supplementation. If medication is warranted, Marchesano said these days, the choices extend far beyond just Ritalin and Adderall. “There are a lot of options, 30plus medications,” she said. Marchesano said they fall into two main classes — stimulants and non-stimulants. She said in her experience the stimulants are best for the inattentive type of ADHD and the non-stimulants are better for the hyperactive/impulsive type. Regardless, she recommends pursuing special accommodations for kids through their school district, even for mild cases. Zihlman was not medicated for her ADHD as a teen, but she and her husband have made the decision to treat their elementary school son, also diagnosed with ADHD, with medication. “It evens the playing field,” she
said. “You just have to find the right balance.” Anissa Dwiggins said medication was initially a boon to her son, Stephen, when he was diagnosed in fourth grade. But the weight loss that was a side effect as well as what she describes as a heightening of the other senses, causing lack of sleep among other things, made her rethink medication. Right now, in middle school, Stephen is medication free. “He’s happier but it’s a full-time job for me,” Dwiggins said. Heights resident Heather Golden has a high school daughter with ADHD, diagnosed in elementary school, and says she often tells parents to try the unmedicated route for a while to see how other adjustments work. She also says they shouldn’t be afraid to medicate. “The evidence that it is needed may not be just academic performance,” Golden said. “Kids with ADHD are often very smart and many can maintain their grades for several years, particularly in elementary school, without much See ADHD P. 8B
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City, Harris County partnering to build homeless rehab center amidst pandemic By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
The City of Houston and Harris County are making an effort to help a community that has become one of their most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. An Oct. 1 news release from the city said it is partnering with Harris County for a new COVID-19 Homeless Respite and Rehabilitation Center. The city and county will each invest $5 million toward the facility, which will provide care for those who are homeless and suffer from mental illnesses. “Without proper care, support and stable housing, vulnerable communities often cycle in and out of emergency rooms, hospitals, psychiatric centers and detoxification programs,” Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis said in a news release. “These revolving doors result in increased costs to the public and poor health outcomes.” According to the Coalition for the Homeless, which supports the initiative, there are an estimated 3,753 homeless people in Harris County, an increase of more than 200 from 2019. There are an estimated 198 homeless people
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in the six zip codes served by The Leader -- 77007, 77008, 77009, 77018, 77091 and 77092. Mike Nichols, president and CEO of the coalition, said about one-third of the 9,000 people released each year by the Harris Psychiatric Center are released into homelessness. He also said about half of the inmates in Harris County Jail selfidentify as having mental health or substance abuse issues, with more than a third identifying as having experienced homelessness before being incarcerated. “The new respite center represents a much-needed new component for the local homelessness response
system because it will help these individuals move out of the traumatic cycle of hospitalization, jail and homelessness and onto a path to recovery,” Nichols said. The city estimates that 15-25 percent of homeless people throughout Harris County and the Greater Houston region suffer from severe mental health issues – making it difficult for city, county and local partners to assist and house them safely. Especially with social distancing measures during the pandemic also reducing capacity of the area’s homeless shelters, city officials say the center is needed to bridge that gap for assis-
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tance and rehabilitation. The center will be operated by The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD. “Individuals suffering from severe mental health issues while experiencing homelessness are some of our most vulnerable during the pandemic. They are someone’s child, parent and family member,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “This groundbreaking facility will enable mental health experts to connect with them, so they are permanently housed and out of harm’s way.”
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