Attention Deficit Disorder and Bedwetting
By Lyle D. Danuloff, Ph.D.
Perhaps your child has been misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit
Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADD/ADHD)
when the underlying problem is actually an oxygen-deprived,
deep-sleep disorder.
Bed wetting is caused by an inherited deep-sleep
disorder, causing the bed wetter to spend most of the night
in Stage 4 sleep, which is an oxygen-deprived sleep. Thus,
when a person is deprived of oxygen for extended periods of
time at night--affecting the brain, bloodstream, muscles and
all other organs--the resulting symptoms can be identical
to those of ADD/ADHD, (the inability to concentrate or pay
attention, forgetfulness, failure to complete tasks, distractibility,
etc.). To end bed wetting, you must remove the cause...a serious
sleep disorder. We have discovered that, in most cases, once
the sleep disorder is corrected and the bed wetting stops,
the symptoms associated with ADD/ADHD also disappear. In some
cases where there is a legitimate ADD/ADHD disability, the
symptoms improve enough that medications for ADD/ADHD can
most likely be discontinued.
Inexplicably, the most widely used criteria
for ADD/ADHD diagnosis, (the American Psychiatric Association’s
‘DSM IV’), does not include sleep disorders as
part of the symptomatology. However, research does suggest
that (out of 1822 cases) 48% of those diagnosed with ADD/ADHD
had been or still were bed wetters.
Interesting statistic...there are three times
more male bed wetters than female, and three times more males
diagnosed with ADD/ADHD than females!
Prematurely labeling children as ADD/ADHD and
prescribing a drug may be quick, easy and inexpensive, but
may not be the responsible thing to do. Most ADD/ADHD labeled
children are medicated by doctors on a teacher’s recommendation.
A study in the “Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent
Medicine” reports pediatricians and child psychiatrists
are turning more and more to prescription drugs to treat their
young patients. The study says, “Little research exists
to indicate whether drugs are being prescribed responsibly
or whether they are over-prescribed, in part because health
insurers are reluctant to pay for non-medication treatments.”
Since the overlap of symptoms for ADD/ADHD and enuresis is
so extensive, any child manifesting those symptoms should,
in the initial ADD/ADHD testing situation, be examined regarding
bedwetting. While it is certainly possible that a child may
be suffering from both disorders, the likelihood of such a
duel diagnosis is low. The immediate use of medication to
treat the ADD-like symptoms therefore will not address the
real issue, the deep sleep disorder itself. In addition, if
the enuretic were to outgrow the bedwetting, not only will
the sleep disorder remain and continue to produce symptoms,
but there is no way to treat the sleep disorder.
At the Enuresis Treatment Center, it has been
our experience over the years that addressing the bed wetting
problem is the most productive method to providing relief
of both the sleep disorder and the ADD/ADHD symptoms. Remember,
symptoms almost always disappear when the bed wetting and
the sleep disorder are addressed and ended. If the symptoms
persist after successful treatment of the bed wetting, possible
ADD/ADHD should be further examined and treated accordingly.
Our success rate in correcting the deep-sleep
pattern and ending the bedwetting problem is at least 97%.. We offer a money-back guarantee.
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