ADHD - Is it a Gift or Not?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can impact the whole family, as Dr Quratulain Zaidi of Mind N Life reveals.

Family is an emotional unit that is impacted by the interactions between its members; connectedness and reactivity make the functioning of family members interdependent. Add ADHD to this mix and it impacts the whole family unit and system.

All parents of children with ADHD report that they face the same kinds of struggles. These include the child’s apparent lack of care or regard for the things parents ask them to do – from simple things like getting the bag ready for school tomorrow, to what needs to be completed for homework. This can lead to a constant battle of the wills between the child and the parents, and it can be exhausting for all parties. Recently, an 11-year told me, “I feel I’m such a disappointment to my mum, and I feel I will never make my parents happy.”

The way to parent the children in these situations can be an enormous source of conflict between mums and dads. I’ve been told this kind of thing many times: “Our seven-year-old is the reason my marriage is breaking down”; or, “My wife and I don’t agree on how to handle our ten-year-old, and we fight.”