Moving Beyond the Attention
Deficit Disorder Epidemic:
A Call for Common Sense and Reason
by Dr. Rita Kirsch-Debroitner, R-CSW, Ph.D.

     Is it not time to hold a new consciousness and perspective on Attention Deficit Disorder? Let's stop and think about what is happening to the next generation of children (our most precious resource), and many millions of adults.
     There has been a dramatic rise in Attention Deficit Disorder, A.D.D./A.D.H.D. (the "H" in the second term stands for "hyperactivity"), reaching epidemic proportions. Ten million children have been diagnosed. Millions of adults too. Most of these people are on an amphetamine such as Ritalin.
     Is there another way? We think so, and have seen with our own eyes dramatic results without the use of Ritalin or related drugs. Did you know that Ritalin use is mostly here in the US? Did you know that it is banned in Sweden? Did you know that it falls in the same FDA classification as cocaine?
     Putting children on a medication, or adults for that matter, gives a strong message to their inner selves that there is something wrong with them. Most people who carry the label have very low self-esteem.
Besides the side effects of Ritalin, taking a quick-fix answer from the outside is just that. All power comes from within ourselves! A child or adult on medication learns nothing about his needs, behaviors and motivations. He doesn't learn how to shift from being ineffective, with a lot of bad habits and reactive behaviors, to a calm, organized SELF located within. He has to always rely on the medication to make him effective outside himself. Is this not an addiction?
     Did you know that there is no definitive test for A.D.D./A.D.H.D.? No one really knows what it is and what causes it. That it has always been around.
     Let's stop, and pause, and think. How come when a child or adult is really interested in a task she or he can stay focused on it for long periods of time and get the job done. Where does the ADD go?
We have seen hundreds of children and adults take back their power and move beyond the state of Attention Deficit without medication.
How? The first thing we say to a client, adult or child, "There is Nothing Wrong with YOU!" There is nothing wrong with your brain, your chemistry, genetic makeup. You are A-OK. You do have trouble directing your conscious attention to the present moment and job at hand.
     You have missing connections from within. Your own inner SELF map is not in place. You are like a car whose battery gives out too little juice (A.D.D.) or too much (A.D.H.D.) You are like a car who has no driver. A.D.D.-designated people hang out in the back seat
of power. They are stuck waiting for someone (parent/ teacher) to take charge to get them moving (co-dependency).
     This ADD, co-dependent position is always a reactive and negative one, causing anxiety and negative feelings from within. When there is anxiety, one goes into a fight or flight mode. The inner organizing self gets derailed and breathing shuts down (poor oxygen supply to the brain). As a result, one cannot think clearly. This reactive state becomes a rigid ADD/ADHD Roadmap.

The Way out of the Trap-A Step by Step Process
     In our alternative non-drug approach, the client's worth is first validated. He or she is taught practical tools and techniques to use in school or at work to reorganize and strengthen the mind/body. Children learn that growing up is knowing how to take charge of themselves. Getting chores and homework done on time is a result of our program.
Our clients learn to use their five senses more appropriately. Most ADD people make poor eye contact. Their breathing is shallow and they lack a receptive, listening position. With our training, they learn how to control themselves from within and become more responsible for their own lives.
     Adults learn to control negative self-talk, quiet the mind and ground the body energy. Parents too learn how to reposition themselves-to stay calm and centered and not get caught up in the child's negative and ineffective behaviors. Parents learn to connect in the present moment to their child's needs and deliver training and structure in a loving but firm manner.
     Children, parents and adults can learn to take back their own SELF power and to start to move beyond Attention Deficit Disorder-Without Medication!

Dr. Rita Kirsch Debroitner is the creator and founder of the Rhinecliff Non-drug A.D.D./A.D.H.D. Program with offices in Rhinecliff, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. She is co-author of Moving Beyond ADD/ADHD, An Effective Holistic Mind/Body Approach. She is also author of two books due late Fall 2001, There Is Nothing Wrong with YOU, Adam. And PLEASE, Don't Eat the Crayons, Harry!, the story of Harry the Bichon Frise pet who assists Dr. Rita in her practice. Dr. R. Kirsch Debroitner can be reached at 1-800-958-4-ADD or locally at (845) 876-3657 or at www.addnondrug.com.