Kay Allen had just started work, and everything seemed quiet at the Cornerstone Care community health clinic in Burgettstown, Pa. but things didn’t stay quiet for long.

“All the girls, they were yelling at me in the back, ‘You gotta come out here quick. You gotta come out here quick,’ ” said Allen, 59, a nurse from Weirton, W.Va.

Allen rushed out front and knew right away what all the yelling was about. The whole place reeked — like someone had spilled a giant bottle of nail polish remover.

“I told everybody to get outside and get fresh air. so we went outside. and Aggie said, ‘Kay, I’m going to be sick.’ but before I get in, to get something for her to throw up in, she had to go over the railing,” she said.

Nothing like this had ever happened in the 20 years that Allen has been at the clinic. After about 45 minutes, she thought the coast was clear and took everyone back inside.

“It was fine. but the next thing you know, they’re calling me again. there was another gust. well, the one girl, Miranda, she was sitting at the registration place, and you could tell she’d had too much of it. and Miranda got overcome by that and she passed out,” she said.

‘It’s The Unknown I think That’s The Scariest Thing’

This sort of thing has been happening for weeks. Mysterious gusts of fumes keep wafting through the clinic.

In fact, just the day before being interviewed by NPR, Allen suddenly felt like she had been engulfed by one of these big invisible bubbles.

“And all of a sudden your tongue gets this metal taste on it. and it feels like it’s enlarging, and it just feels like you’re not getting enough air in, because your throat gets real ‘burn-y.’ and the next thing I know, I … passed out,” Allen said.

Half a dozen of Allen’s co-workers stopped coming in. One old-timer quit. no one can figure out what’s going on. for doctors and nurses used to taking care of sick people, it’s unnerving to suddenly be the patients.

“It’s the unknown I think that’s the scariest thing,” she said.

Richard Rinehart, who runs the rural clinic, can’t help but wonder whether the natural gas drilling going on all around the area may have something to do with what’s been happening.

“I lay in bed at night thinking all kinds of theories. is something coming through the air from some process that they’re using? I know they use a lot of chemicals and so forth. Certainly that could be a culprit. We’re wondering, is something coming through the ground?” Rinehart said, noting that he’d just noticed a new drill on a hill overlooking the back of the clinic.

Now, no one knows whether the gas drilling has anything to do with the problems at the clinic. it could easily turn out to be something completely unrelated. There’s a smelting plant down the road and old coal mines everywhere.

“Anything could be possible, and we just are trying to get to the root of it,” he said.

Mysterious Symptoms, Lots of Questions

People living near gas well drilling around the country are reporting similar problems, plus headaches, rashes, wheezing, aches and pains and other symptoms.

Doctors like Julie DeRosa, who works at Cornerstone, aren’t sure how to help people with these mysterious symptoms.

“I don’t want to ignore symptoms that may be clues to a serious condition. I also don’t want to order a lot of unnecessary tests. I don’t want to feed any kind of hysteria,” DeRosa said.

To try to figure out what’s going on, the clinic called the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which is investigating. it also started testing the air for chemicals, monitoring wind direction around the clinic and keeping diaries of everyone’s symptoms. in addition, the clinic contacted Raina Rippel, project director for the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project.

The local nonprofit was set up recently to help people in this kind of situation. Her team tested tap water from inside a men’s room and from a stream out back.

Rippel says she knows people in the area have a lot of questions: “Is my water fit to drink? is the air fit to breathe? Am I going to suffer long-term health impacts from this?”

Connecting Experts in Search of Answers

To try to answer these questions, her project is connecting doctors and patients with toxicologists, occupational health doctors, environmental scientists and other experts.

“People go from physician to physician, because ‘nobody seemed to be able to treat this awful rash that I have,’ or ‘nobody seemed to be able to deal with my gastrointestinal pain that I have.’ and so they go from place to place, trying to find someone who can do that,” said David Brown, a toxicologist who helped set up the project.

The project is also starting to educate doctors about what kinds of tests they can try and what kinds of advice to give. in addition, a nurse practitioner visits and counsels people who are sick.

Dr. Sean Porbin, a private doctor who advises the project, gives the project’s nurse practitioner advice when she needs it. but Porbin is skeptical that many people are getting sick from the drilling, which is commonly called “fracking.” there are about 5,000 new wells in Pennsylvania.

“If it’s true, you’d expect people dropping all over the place based on the amount of fracking that’s going on here. You would look around and see people dropping like flies. It’s not the case. I don’t see anybody affected. and it’s not for a lack of looking,” he said.

Porbin, who like a lot of people in the area has leased some of his land for drilling, wants to make sure no one’s missing more mundane explanations — like Lyme disease, sinus infections and migraines.

“We have an old saying in medicine: when you hear hoof beats, you don’t think zebras — you think horses,” he said.

Lots of Anecdotes, little Evidence

The natural gas industry says there’s no evidence the drilling is causing health problems.

Public health experts say the only way anyone is going to really know whether the drilling is making people sick is to do some big studies.

“There’s a lot of anecdotal evidence out there. and so a well-conducted study looking at a number of communities could help us better understand if there’s an impact, what its magnitude [is], how we should avoid having that impact if there is one,” said Christopher J. Portier, director of the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

In the meantime, patients and doctors don’t have a lot of options. in western Pennsylvania, a lot of them are referred to Charles Werntz at West Virginia University. Werntz, an occupational medicine specialist, is used to dealing with chemical exposures. Lately, he’s seeing more people who live near the drilling.

But for now, he says he can’t really do much more than offer basic advice: Drink bottled water, air out the house, leave your shoes outside. If it’s still too bad, move — if possible.

“It is frustrating. as a physician, I like it when somebody can come to me with a problem and I can help them solve the problem. Whether it’s through a specific treatment or, you know, whatever. and this is frustrating, because in this case, the treatment is to get away from the exposure. and that’s hard to do,” Werntz said.

Back at Cornerstone, Rinehart just wants to get back to taking care of patients.

“We are in the business of trying to improve and maintain the public’s health here. and now we are in the throes of it. and we’re trying not to point fingers,” Rinehart said.

The next day, people got sick again, and the clinic had to be evacuated once more. so they’ve moved the clinic to temporary offices until someone figures out what’s going on.

Wednesday on Morning Edition, NPR’s Jon Hamilton will report on researchers who think they have a good shot at answering whether drilling is making people sick.

The audio version of this story was produced by Rebecca Davis.

Well, now I know for sure what my answer will be when my almost 11-year-old daughter‘s pediatrician asks if we want the HPV vaccine at her next check-up: An emphatic “NO.” I was leaning in that direction anyway, for various reasons (more on those in a minute), but the latest news on Gardisil pretty much sealed the deal — and if you have a tween girl, it might do the same for you.

In a study of 900 girls and young women between the ages of 11 and 26 who received the HPV vaccine, it was the 11- to 12-year-old group who experienced the worst side effects, from pain, dizziness, bruising, and swelling at the injection site to (in rare cases) fainting. These symptoms generally showed up about two weeks after the vaccine was administered.

What bothers me about these findings isn’t that any of the side effects are so horrific or life-threatening — though of course it doesn’t help that my daughter happens to be at the riskiest age. what bothers me is that researchers are still in the process of finding out what Gardisil is capable of doing to kids, but the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics are acting like it’s perfectly safe.

Maybe it is perfectly safe. Unfortunately, we don’t know that yet. Unlike all of the other vaccines my kids have gotten so far, the HPV vaccine is new — so new that it’s impossible to tell at this point what the long-term “side effects” could be. and like I said, maybe there aren’t any. But why should I allow my daughter to be a guinea pig?

Are you concerned about Gardisil’s potential side effects?

Image via Adrian Clark/Flickr

Children who suffer from persistent or recurring chronic pain may miss school, withdraw from social activities, and are at risk of developing internalizing symptoms such as anxiety, in response to their pain. In the first comprehensive review of chronic pain in children and adolescents in 20 years, a group of researchers found that more children now are suffering from chronic pain and that girls suffer more frequently from chronic pain than boys.

“We found that persistent and recurrent chronic pain is overwhelmingly prevalent in children and adolescents, with girls generally experiencing more pain than boys and prevalence rates increasing with age,” said lead investigator Sara King, PhD, currently Assistant Professor, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. “Findings such as these argue that researchers and clinicians should be aware of the problem and the long-term consequences of chronic pain in children.”

Researchers from Dalhousie University and the IWK Health Centre, Halifax, systematically examined epidemiological studies of pain to evaluate progress made since the first comprehensive review of pain in children and adolescents, published by Goodman and McGrath in Pain in 1991.1 Additionally, they identified a set of criteria to assess the quality of the studies included in the review. They looked at 32 studies and categorized them according to the type of pain investigated: headache, abdominal pain, back pain, musculoskeletal pain, combined pain, and general pain.

Their findings indicate that most types of pain are more prevalent in girls than in boys, but the factors that influence this gender difference are not entirely clear. Pain prevalence rates tend to increase with age. Psychosocial variables impacting pain prevalence included anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and low socioeconomic status. Headache was found to be the most common studied pain type in youth, with an estimated prevalence rate of 23%. other types of pain, ie, abdominal pain, back pain, musculoskeletal pain, and pain combinations, were less frequently studied than headache, and prevalence rates were variable because of differences in reporting. however, the overall results indicated that these pain types are highly prevalent in children and adolescents, with median prevalence rates ranging from 11% to 38%. “These rates are of great concern, but what is even more concerning is that research suggests that the prevalence rates of childhood pain have increased over the last several decades,” stated Dr. King.

Researchers also found that many studies did not meet quality criteria and there was great variability in prevalence rates across studies due to time periods over which pain was reported. the authors suggest that future epidemiological studies in this area are in need of better operational definitions of pain and better measures of pain intensity, frequency, and duration. such quality criteria across studies would allow for direct comparison.

The review identified several demographic and psychosocial factors associated with high prevalence rates of specific pain types. “By shifting focus to factors associated with chronic and recurrent pain, it may be possible to identify the most salient risk factors, leading to early and intensive interventions for the most at-risk groups,” concluded Dr. King.

More information: the article is, “The epidemiology of chronic pain in children and adolescents revisited: a systematic review,” by S. King, C.T. Chambers, a. Huguet, R.C. MacNevin, P.J. McGrath, L. Parker, a.J. MacDonald (DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2011.07.016). It appears in Pain®, Volume 152, Issue 12 (December 2011)

Provided by Elsevier (news : web)

I read about people who r anorexic stop having periods. my friends has all the signs of anorexia and her periods have been very irregular, and her period is late this month but she still has period symptoms. but do they still have period symptoms if their period has stopped due to this illness?

Yes, periods can be irregular and they can also stop completely when girls have anorexia. if you think your friend has anorexia, I would be less concerned about her periods and more concerned about her health and her life. Talk to her. Talk to a counselor. Encourage her to get some help. People DIE from anorexia!

And yes, she can still have period symptoms and not have a period.

Yea, periods can be irregular and they can stop completely when girls have anorexia. your friend may be anarexic or thats how her periods may just be. A couple of my friends are like that.

I say just talk to her about your concern for her.

maybe she is still not skinny enough to have her period stopped??

i seriously dont know but i know that u should ask a doctor

I just found out that I have high risk HPV on my cervix.

Yes, you totally can. the HPV that would be transmitted to your mouth could one day cause esophageal cancer, so be careful. and since you already have HPV you should have him wear a condom with you so that he doesn't get infected and possibly spread it to other girls.

Sorry about your bad news:(

Hell yes!!!!!!!!!
Kissing can transmit the HPV virus…it's sad but true.
HPV is serious and most people over 25 have it….so it is important to eat right, drink lots of water, take care of yourself etc etc.
Garlic and oregano oils help…lots of zinc and vitamin c is important too.
Master cleansing is a good start.
Don't worry, I have it on my lips and my mouth too.

Nearly all ladies comprehend the main pregnancy indicators and indicators and symptoms. Not every single for girls who reside a normal menstrual time period even so, several do. They’re totally conscious when they’re late plus they are fully aware as soon as they should test, particularly if they’re going many days over and above an anticipated time period. Some recognize that feeling fairly tired and/or sickness, all day lengthy or merely at specific occasions throughout the day, also signal that the test must be taken either each at house and within the doctor’s workplace.

People are essentially the most typical pregnancy signs and indicators and signs and symptoms, but you might discover numerous other delicate ones that may perhaps indicate a baby is within route.

When girls are pregnant, all of their figures modifications. Numerous modifications are incredibly little, plus some don’t see them until they’re fully aware they are pregnant. A lady who’s transporting a baby is going to be hotter than normal. This is not in most cases obvious to her immediately, but one more person touching her skin may well discover this. should you don’t display every other pregnancy indicators and indicators and symptoms, that 1 could possibly not be an huge indication, but could be incorporated to other people. in case your spouse or mate comments the pores and skin is essentially warm too as sizzling inside the span of a couple of days or maybe days, the body could possibly be producing a baby.

Alterations within the chest could be prevalent pregnancy signs and signs and symptoms, while not all changes are substantial. Some women barely see the distinction instantly. The chest develop every time a lady in pregnant, and also the pigment within the nipple darkens. having said that, whilst an individual females discover this instantly, together with breast pain, some women end up with modest modifications in this particular area, or these modifications mimic premenstrual breast adjustments. sometimes, these indicators will need to go on for just about any couple of days just before a women realizes these aren’t their typical cyclic breast changes.

It may perhaps seem that urges are a portion of prevalent pregnancy indicators and indicators and signs and symptoms, while not often. we regularly crave foods when our physiques want some thing and also you don’t have to grow to be pregnant to complete this. Some presume urges for such issues as salt or fruit are just common urges and don’t indicate pregnancy. Actually, for additional girls, urges are not for abnormal points. Even individuals which possess a dependable diet plan may possibly crave these issues as fruit when they are pregnant. Considering that this is no unheard of craving, quite a few do not use it as being a pregnancy indication. if you are obtaining urges, give consideration to pregnancy for people who have other signs too.

A different uncommon type of pregnancy indicators and signs and symptoms is aversions to something you consistently like. when you like drinking for enjoyable on friday with friends, you could not be completely adverse, but some thing within you might appear like consuming less or probably none whatsoever, even should you don’t understand that you are expecting. You need to don’t know your body does. You might acquire that you simply don’t drink as much or all of a sudden do not appear like heading out much. You might locate stuff you as soon as cherished repulsive and in addition have no clue why. if that is the situation, feel about this to become a pregnancy symptom too.

An additional common manifestation of being pregnant is weird urges. Considering that pregnancy changes all senses, a woman’s capability to scent is increased, leading to her to want meals she may well not normally want. Some stereotypical desires are probably pickles, frozen goodies, raw meats not to mention peanut butter. there is no issue with involving every single once in awhile, but wonderful dietary is a vital a part of obtaining a proper pregnancy.

Motion is yet one more from the first indicators and signs and symptoms of pregnancy. Feeling motion within your mid-section may well be considered a creating fetus. any motion you are feeling ought to warrant a pay a visit to for the doctor’s office for just about any pregnancy be sure that possible ultrasound to ascertain which may well be leading towards the movement.

Find out much more concerning the particulars on pregnancy along with other typical pregnancy symptoms that you may well experience.

What is autism?

Autism – or more precisely the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) – represent a broad group of developmental disorders characterized by impaired social interactions, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors or severely limited activities and interests.

The ASDs include a variety of medical autism diagnoses, which vary in the severity of the individual symptoms and include autistic disorder (sometimes called classical autism), Asperger’s syndrome and a general diagnostic category called Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD).

Autism has become the most commonly diagnosed childhood developmental disorder. according to the Centers for Disease Control Prevention in 2007, autism spectrum disorders now affect 1 in every 150 children in the United States. Statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and other government agencies indicate that autism diagnoses are increasing at the rate of 10 to 17 percent per year.

Autism can affect any individual and is not based on ethnic, racial or social background. The incidence of autism is the same all around the world. it is four times more common in boys than in girls.

What are the symptoms of autism?

Autism usually develops before 3 years of age and affects each individual differently and to varying degrees. it ranges in severity from relatively mild social and communicative impairments to a severe disability requiring lifelong parental, school and societal support.

The hallmark symptom of autism is impaired social interaction. Children with autism may fail to respond to their name and often avoid eye contact with other people. they have difficulty interpreting what others are thinking or feeling because they don’t understand social cues provided by tone of voice or facial expressions and they don’t watch other people’s faces to pick up on these cues.

Many children with autism engage in repetitive movements such as rocking, spinning, twirling or jumping, or in self-abusive behavior such as hand biting or head-banging.

Of children being diagnosed now with an autism spectrum disorder, about half will have mental retardation defined by nonverbal IQ testing and 25 percent will also develop seizures. Though most children show signs of autism in the first year of life, about 30 percent will seem fine and then regress in both their language and social interactions at around 18 months of age.

About 30 percent of children with autism have physical signs of some alteration in early development such as physical features that differ from their parents (sometimes called dysmorphic features), small head size (microcephaly) or structural brain malformations.

How is autism diagnosed?

Diagnosis of autism is based on standardized testing plus a clinical evaluation by an autism specialist. These professionals are usually psychologists, psychiatrists, developmental pediatricians, pediatric neurologists or medical geneticists.

The diagnosis of autism is made when there are a specific number of symptoms as defined by the Diagnostic and Standard Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). some commonly used diagnostic tests are the CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale), the ABC (Autism Behavior Checklist) and the GARS (Gilliam Autism Rating Scale). Formal diagnosis by an autism specialist usually depends on completing the ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale), and ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised). The CHAT (Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) is often used in pediatrican’s offices to screen for autism symptoms.

When physical features, small head size or brain malformations are present or there is a family history of relatives with autism, genetic testing such as chromosome analysis and single-gene testing is done.

What is the treatment for autism?

There is currently no cure for autism. however, autism can be managed and shaped at a young age, even as early as pre-school. Early intensive therapy can have a positive effect on development later in life.

Treatment of autism involves medical and behavioral therapies to help children with conversational language and social interactions. Treatment also involves helping children decrease their repetitive, self-stimulatory behaviors, tantrums and self-injurious behavior.

Medications can help treat specific symptoms such as aggressive or self-injurious behavior, inattention, poor sleep and repetitive behaviors. however, no medications are autism specific and medications should be used in conjunction with a family-centered, behavioral and educational program.

Is autism inherited?

Scientists are not certain what causes autism, but it’s likely that both genetics and environment play a role.

The causes of autism may be divided into ‘idiopathic’, (of unknown cause) which is the majority of cases, and ’secondary,’ in which a chromosome abnormality, single-gene disorder or environmental agent can be identified. Approximately 15 percent of individuals with autism can be diagnosed with secondary autism; the remaining 85 percent have idiopathic autism.

Exposure during pregnancy to rubella (German measles), valproic acid, and thalidomide, are recognized causes of secondary autism; however, it remains unclear whether those who develop autism after such an exposure are also genetically predisposed.

The search for new environmental causes of secondary autism has centered primarily on childhood immunizations given around the time that regressive-onset autism is recognized. both childhood immunizations and mercury in thimerosal, which was used as a preservative in some routine immunizations until 2001, have both been under scrutiny; however, no scientific evidence for a relationship between vaccines and autism has been identified.

Researchers have identified a number of genes associated with autism. Studies of people with autism have found irregularities in several regions of the brain. other studies suggest that people with autism have abnormal levels of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain. These abnormalities indicate that autism usually results from the disruption of normal brain development early in fetal development caused by defects in genes that control brain growth and that regulate how neurons communicate with each other. These are preliminary findings and require further study.

The risk that a brother or sister of an individual who has idiopathic autism will also develop autism is around 4 percent, plus an additional 4 to 6 percent risk for a milder condition that includes language, social or behavioral symptoms. Brothers have a higher risk (about 7 percent) of developing autism, plus the additional 7 percent risk of milder autism spectrum symptoms, over sisters whose risk is only about 1 to 2 percent.

When the cause of autism is a chromosome abnormality or a single-gene alteration, the risk that other brothers and sisters will also have autism depends on the specific genetic cause.

It is important to be aware of what are the common symptoms for children suffering from ADHD if you are a parent. If a child has ADHD, that something must be done about it and qualified medical needs to seek professional help. Your child will be a disadvantage in school life and, if you are looking for help for them to learn to cope with the disorder. many parents, is easily deceived by the symptoms of this disorder. Since then, the average child behaviour appears more often the same as the symptoms of ordinary child. Watch the behavior of the child over time, and then became the best thing a parent can do. Read three symptoms of ADHD, then read the following information. For example, if you purchase a product to gain muscle, you will find many other hidden ingrediants that are not mentioned on the label. Similarly, there may be hidden symptoms you need to monitor.

Common symptoms of ADHD There may be problems with attention, and this manifests with homework very slowly. This is because the child may be inattentive Type ADHD is one of the three types. This type occurs most frequently among girls and very often goes undetected, because the signs are not obvious that. Which is often accompanied by daydreaming and be spaced and not hear instructions and so forth.

But first examine us the symptoms of ADHD in the most common to see if your child fits these. we must remember that, very often, common symptoms of ADHD imitate about thirty other childhood conditions. When and if you go first to the diagnosis, it is very important that they are viewed as opportunities, rather than physician jump to draw conclusions about ADHD. Conditions which can ape ADHD aspects ranging from depression, sight problems, hearing and anxiety, the shortcomings of the thyroid. allergies and so forth.

Of course, all children forget things. An incredible symptom type it is. Occasionally we all forget. Companies and institutions are not exempted from this.

You will likely observe that an ADHD child is most often forget. as a parent, you can better gauge whether forgetting your child is more frequent than normal. course, the parent can evaluate if the frequency of forgetfulness appear normal or abnormal. Compared to children without ADHD, you’ll see that an ADHD child more often forgotten. When you notice this pattern, begin to record the time that happens. what task take you, if it’s failure or anything else, it is necessary that you make sure that it is finished.

If you do not find that, after a correct diagnosis, which should arrange at least some and in consultation with teachers and parents that ADHD is in fact confirmed, you should try and find out as much as possible about medication options. The key to treatment must be therapy behavioral pills can teach. They can only relieve the symptoms to a certain extent. They are never able to teach behaviour at all.

Several factors are involved in determining whether a child is ADHD. only a professional will know what needs to be watched. However, in the field of relationships or interactions with other people, another common symptom is that the ADHD child will be the source of problems for the relationship. Adults or children can be affected hereby. Then, behaviour that is several months may be considered for ADHD. For an accurate diagnosis, it is best to take your child to a specialist. Your doctor can help in diagnosing your child as well as help you when you learn to live with it. For future treatment your doctor can you feel need to see a specialist. But you’ll find that your doctor will want to make a general balance just in case where there may be other issues. For instance, if you run a business to get your ex back, you would not the best approach to make it successful? Why not take the best approach for teat ADHD too?

please i need to know the symptoms of an STD for girls. that dont include bumps or sores… Do they cause blood after sex?

You are too stupid to be having sex, honestly.
There are many different STIs and they all have different symptoms, retard. we can't just say 'these are the symptoms of all STIs.'
Blood after sex could easily be a matter of your ill-advised partner humping too hard. but I'd recommend you go to a doctor anyway so that you might actually get yourself educated. someone as ignorant as you has no business doing anything that could result in a baby.

Any kind of pus discharge or foul odor could be a symptom of an STD. you really should get checked out because some STD's don't have immediate symptoms. I've never heard of blood after sex but does it hurt during sex? Check with your gynecologist as soon as you can. the sooner you get checked, the better you'll feel.

Most STDs have no symptoms for months or even years after someone gets infected. you can not tell if someone has an STD just by looking at them. the only way to find out if you have an STD is to get tested for STDs.

If shes too easy shes got cheesy

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common reasons children are referred for mental health services. it affects as many as one in every 20 children. Although boys are three to four times more likely than girls to experience ADHD, the disorder affects both genders.

There are three main types of ADHD. one type is characterized by inattentiveness, one type is characterized by hyperactive or impulsive behavior, and the third type is combined — when children exhibit signs of both types. Symptoms are often unnoticed until a child enters school.

To be diagnosed with ADHD, a child must show symptoms in at least two settings, such as home and school, and the symptoms must interfere with the child’s ability to function at home or school for at least six months. Specialists have agreed that at least six symptoms from the following lists must be present for an accurate diagnosis, and symptoms must begin by age 7.

n Signs of inattentive behavior: has difficulty following instructions; has difficulty focusing on tasks; loses things at school and at home; forgets things often; becomes easily distracted or has difficulty listening; lacks attention to detail, makes careless mistakes or is disorganized; fails to complete homework or tasks.

n Signs of hyperactive behavior: is fidgety; leaves seat when should not; runs or climbs inappropriately; talks excessively; has difficulty playing quietly; is always on the go; blurts out answers; has trouble waiting turn; interrupts.

The presence of some symptoms, however, does not confirm a diagnosis of ADHD. just because a child has a lot of energy or difficulty paying attention in school does not mean the child has ADHD. An accurate diagnosis relies on the presence of a range of symptoms and difficulties that prevent the child from performing at an appropriate level for his or her age and intelligence level. Teachers often first observe these issues, and their input should be considered seriously.

Children and adolescents with ADHD are more likely than children without the disorder to suffer from other mental disorders. About half of all young people with ADHD have oppositional defiant disorder; about a quarter have an anxiety disorder; as many as one-third have depression; and one-fifth have bipolar disorder. Adolescents with untreated ADHD are at higher risk for substance abuse disorders.

Children with symptoms of ADHD should be referred to and evaluated by a mental health professional who specializes in treating children, unless your primary care doctor has experience in treating this disorder. The diagnostic evaluation should include behavioral observation in the classroom and at home. a comprehensive treatment plan should be developed with the family, and, whenever possible, the child should be involved in making treatment decisions. Educational testing should be performed when learning disabilities are present.

Treatment for ADHD is effective for most children. Early identification, diagnosis and treatment help children reach their full potential.

If your child or a child you know is diagnosed with ADHD, be patient. even with treatment, symptoms may take time to improve. Instill a sense of competence in the child or adolescent. Promote his or her strengths, talents and feelings of self-worth.

Remember that the side effects of untreated ADHD (such as failure, frustration, discouragement, social isolation, low self-esteem and depression) may cause more problems than the disorder itself.

For more information, contact the professionals at Acadia Abilene at 325-698-6600 or AcadiaAbilene.com.