healthy: Self-esteem

Showing posts with label Self-esteem. Show all posts

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD in Children

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that robs children of their ability to focus and pay attention. Kids with ADHD are fidgety and easily distracted. This makes it difficult to stay “on task,” whether it’s listening to a teacher or finishing a chore. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates 3% to 5% of kids have ADHD, but some experts believe that figure could be as high as 10%.

ADHD Symptoms:

The child with ADHD who is inattentive will have 6 or more of the following symptoms:

Has difficulty following instructions
Has difficulty keeping attention on work or play activities at school and at home
Loses things needed for activities at school and at home
Appears not to listen
Doesn't pay close attention to details
Seems disorganized
Has trouble with tasks that require planning ahead
Forgets things
Is easily distracted

The child with ADHD who is hyperactive/impulsive will have at least 6 of the following symptoms:

Fidgety
Runs or climbs inappropriately
Can't play quietly
Blurts out answers
Interrupts people
Can't stay in seat
Talks too much
Is always on the go
Has trouble waiting his or her turn

ADHD’s Impact on Daily Life

Without treatment, ADHD can affect a child’s development socially and academically. The inability to focus often leads to poor performance in school. Kids who interrupt or cut in line may have trouble making and keeping friends. These setbacks can lead to low self-esteem and risky behaviors. ADHD also increases the risk of childhood depression and anxiety disorders.

Causes of ADHD

Children with ADHD have less activity in areas of the brain that control attention. They may also have imbalances in brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. It’s unclear what causes these irregularities, but ADHD runs in families, so many experts believe genetics play a role.

Diagnosing ADHD

There are no lab tests to detect ADHD. Instead, doctors rely on the patient’s response to questions, the family’s description of behavior problems, and a school assessment. With ADHD, a child must display some combination of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity for at least six months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with his or her age. Some of the symptoms need to have appeared before age

Types of ADHD

There are three forms of ADHD:

Combined type is the most common and applies to children who display inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness.

In the hyperactive/impulsive type, children are fidgety and can’t control their impulses, but they are able to pay attention.

Kids with the inattentive type, formerly called attention deficit disorder, have trouble focusing. But they are not overly active and usually don’t disrupt the classroom.

Medications for ADHD

Stimulant medications, such as Ritalin, can help increase a child’s attention span while controlling hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. Studies suggest these drugs work in 70% to 80% of patients, although they have some troubling side effects. Non-stimulant medications, including Strattera, are also options for some children.

Counseling for ADHD

Counseling can help a child with ADHD learn to handle frustrations and build self-esteem. It can also provide parents with supportive strategies. A specific type of therapy, called social skills training, can help kids improve at taking turns and sharing. Studies show that long-term treatment with a combination of drugs and behavioral therapy is more effective than medication alone.

Special Education for ADHD

Most children with ADHD are educated in standard classrooms, but some do better in a more structured environment. Special education is a type of schooling that is tailored to meet the specific needs of children with learning disabilities or behavioral disorders. Not all children with ADHD qualify for special education.

The Role of Routine

Parents can give kids more structure at home by laying out clear routines. Posting a daily schedule will remind your child of what he or she is supposed to be doing at any given time. This can help a child with ADHD stay on task. The schedule should include specific times for waking up, eating, playing, homework, chores, activities, and bedtime.

ADHD Diets

Studies on ADHD diets have produced mixed results, but many health experts believe foods that are good for the brain could reduce symptoms of ADHD. High-protein foods, including eggs, meat, beans, and nuts, may improve concentration. It’s also helpful to replace simple carbs, like candy and white bread, with complex carbs, like pears and whole-grain bread. Talk to your pediatrician before making any dramatic changes to your child’s diet.

ADHD and Junk Food

While many kids bounce off the walls after eating junk food, there is no evidence that sugar is a cause of ADHD. The role of food additives is less
certain. Some parents believe preservatives and food colorings worsen the symptoms of ADHD, and the American Academy of Pediatrics says it’s reasonable to avoid these substances. One brain researcher recommends kids with ADHD steer clear of red and yellow food colorings, MSG, and aspartame.

ADHD and Television

The link between television and ADHD is unclear, but the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests limiting young children’s exposure. The group discourages TV viewing for kids under 2 and recommends no more than two hours a day for older kids. To help your child develop attention skills, encourage activities like
games, blocks, puzzles, and reading.

Preventing ADHD

There is no surefire way to prevent ADHD in children, but there are steps you can take to reduce the risk. You can increase your chance of your child not having ADHD by staying healthy during pregnancy. Start by avoiding alcohol, drugs, and tobacco during pregnancy. Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are twice as likely to develop ADHD.

Outlook for Children With ADHD

With treatment, a large majority of children with ADHD improve. They should continue to undergo regular follow-up since many kids grow out of the disorder as they get older. But more than half of patients continue experiencing symptoms once they reach adulthood.

Source:
http://helpguide.org/mental/adhd_add_signs_symptoms.htm
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/behavior/118.html
http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/slideshow-adhd-in-children

Sunday, October 17, 2010

A Self-help Self-improvement book

32 KEYS
A Collection of Ideas About Life
A Self-help Self-improvement book

Start your day here!

Introduction	11 Confidence	22 Revenge
1 Life	12 Relaxation	23 Problems
2 Worry	13 Purpose	24 Love
3 Attitude	14 Past	25 Self-Esteem
4 Anger	15 Appreciation	26 Cooperation
5 Thoughts	16 Kindness	27 Sleep
6 Friendship	17 Fear	28 Faith
7 Today	18 Responsibility	29 Cheerfulness
8 Happiness	19 Values	30 Humility
9 Acceptance	20 Stress	31 Health
10 Despair	21 Future	32 Meditation

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Be a mentor.Build Self-Esteem.

                          You can't touch it, but it affects how you feel.
                          You can't see it, but it's there when you look at yourself in the mirror.
                          You can't hear it, but it's there every time you talk about yourself.
                        What is this important but mysterious thing?
                                             It's your self-esteem!

What Is Self-Esteem
Why it is important
How to increase your esteem and self confidence
Books and Articles you can read about self esteem

Knowing that Self-esteem should be taught to us since we crawl and as we get older we are developing our "self" , i added a more simple familiar text to be understood by all ages.

What Is Self-Esteem ?

            To understand self-esteem, it helps to break the term into two words. Let's take a look at the word esteem (say: ess-teem) first. Esteem is a fancy word for thinking that someone or something is important or valuing that person or thing. For example, if you really admire your friend's dad because he volunteers at the fire department, it means you hold him in high esteem. And the special trophy for the most valuable player on a team is often called an esteemed trophy. This means the trophy stands for an important accomplishment.
     And self means, well, yourself! So put the two words together and it's easier to see what self-esteem is. It's how much you value yourself and how important you think you are. It's how you see yourself and how you feel about your achievements.
     Self-esteem isn't bragging about how great you are. It's more like quietly knowing that you're worth a lot (priceless, in fact!). It's not about thinking you're perfect — because nobody is — but knowing that you're worthy of being loved and accepted.

Watch the Videos to see how Media affects the teenagers :

Self-esteem is a term used in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs (for example, "I am competent" or "I am incompetent") and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame. A person's self-esteem may be reflected in their behavior, such as in assertiveness, shyness, confidence or caution. Self-esteem can apply specifically to a particular dimension (for example, "I believe I am a good writer, and feel proud of that in particular") or have global extent (for example, "I believe I am a good person, and feel proud of myself in general").
Psychologists usually regard self-esteem as an enduring personality characteristic ("trait" self-esteem), though normal, short-term variations ("state" self-esteem) also exist.
Synonyms or near-synonyms of self-esteem include: self-worth, self-regard, self-respect, self-love (which can express overtones of self-promotion), and self-integrity. Self-esteem is distinct from self-confidence and self-efficacy, which involve beliefs about ability and future performance.

Why it is important?

Self-esteem isn't like a cool pair of sneakers that you'd love to have but don't have to have. A kid needs to have self-esteem. Good self-esteem is important because it helps you to hold your head high and feel proud of yourself and what you can do. It gives you the courage to try new things and the power to believe in yourself. It lets you respect yourself, even when you make mistakes. And when you respect yourself, adults and other kids usually respect you, too.
Having good self-esteem is also the ticket to making good choices about your mind and body. If you think you're important, you'll be less likely to follow the crowd if your friends are doing something dumb or dangerous. If you have good self-esteem, you know that you're smart enough to make your own decisions. You value your safety, your feelings, your health — your whole self! Good self-esteem helps you know that every part of you is worth caring for and protecting.
Mental Health (bbc.com)

A Little on Low Self-Esteem

For the purposes of empirical research, psychologists typically assess self-esteem by a self-report inventory yielding a quantitative result. They establish the validity and reliability of the questionnaire prior to its use. Researchers are becoming more interested in measures of implicit self-esteem.

Whereas popular lore recognizes just "high" self-esteem and "low" self-esteem, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (1965) and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (1967/1981) both quantify it in more detail, and feature among the most widely used systems for measuring self-esteem.
-The Rosenberg test usually uses a ten-question battery scored on a four-point response system that requires participants to indicate their level of agreement with a series of statements about themselves.
-The Coopersmith Inventory uses a 50-question battery over a variety of topics and asks subjects whether they rate someone as similar or dissimilar to themselves.

Test your Self-esteem (discovery.health.com)

Maybe you know kids with low self-esteem who don't think very highly of themselves or seem to criticize themselves too much. Or maybe you have low self-esteem and don't always feel very good about yourself or think you're important.
Sometimes a kid will have low self-esteem if his mother or father doesn't encourage him enough or if there is a lot of yelling at home. Other times, a kid's self-esteem can be hurt in the classroom. A teacher may make a kid feel dumb or perhaps there is a bully who says hurtful things.
For some kids, classes at school can seem so hard that they can't keep up or get the grades they'd hoped for. This can make them feel bad about themselves and hurt their self-esteem. Their self-esteem will improve when a teacher, tutor, or counselor encourages them, is patient, and helps them get back on track with learning. When they start to do well, their self-esteem will skyrocket!

And some kids have good self-esteem but then something happens to change that. For example:

If a kid moves and doesn't make friends right away at the new school, he or she might start to feel bad.
Kids whose parents divorce also may find that this can affect self-esteem. They may feel unlovable or to blame for the divorce.
A kid who feels too fat or too thin may start thinking that means he or she isn't good enough.
A kid who's dealing with an illness, such as cancer, diabetes, or asthma, might feel different and less confident than before.
Even going through the body changes of puberty — something that everybody does — can affect a kid's self-esteem.

How to Increase Your Self-Esteem?

Of course it's OK to have ups and downs in your feelings, but having low self-esteem isn't OK. Feeling like you're not important can make you sad and can keep you from trying new things. It can keep you from making friends or hurt how you do at school.
Having strong self-esteem is also a very big part of growing up. As you get older and face tough decisions — especially under peer pressure — the more self-esteem you have, the better. It's important to know you're worth a lot.
If you think you might have low self-esteem, try talking to an adult you trust about it. He or she may be able to help you come up with some good ideas for building your self-esteem.
In the meantime, here are a few things that you can try to increase your self-esteem:

Make a list of the stuff you're good at. It can be anything from drawing or singing to playing a sport or telling a good joke. If you're having trouble with your list, ask your mom or dad to help you with it. Then add a few things to the list that you'd like to be good at. Your mom or dad can help you plan a way to work on those skills or talents.
Give yourself three compliments every day. Don't just say, "I'm so great." Be specific about something good about yourself, like, "I was a good friend to Jill today" or "I did better on that test than I thought I would." While you're at it, before you go to bed every night, list three things in your day that really made you happy.
Remember that your body is your own, no matter what shape, size, or color it is. If you are worried about your weight or size, you can check with your doctor to make sure that things are OK. Remind yourself of things about your body that are cool, like, "My legs are strong and I can skate really well."
Remember that there are things about yourself you can't change. You should accept and love these things — such as skin color and shoe size — because they are part of you.
When you hear negative comments in your head, tell yourself to stop. When you do this, you take the power away from the voice inside that discourages you.

By focusing on the good things you do and all your great qualities, you learn to love and accept yourself — the main ingredients for strong self-esteem! Even if you've got room for improvement (and who doesn't?) , realizing that you're valuable and important helps your self-esteem to shine.

[The Dove Self-Esteem Fund - A Campaign for real beauty ]