ADHD and mental health in children: From today parents can get Oli help

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I wanted to wait until World Mental Health Day to launch Oli help, the app created to empower parents of kids with ADHD. After months and months of hyper-focus (alas, without methylphenidate, which is still hard to come by here…), it has finally arrived today!

ADHD, short for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is a neurodevelopmental disorder. But let's cut to the chase: what does it mean in practice?

ADHD explains why people cannot stop, concentrate and control themselves. It is a condition – a set of characteristics – and not a disease to be cured.

ADHD explains why people cannot stop, concentrate and control themselves. It is a condition – a set of characteristics – and not a disease to be cured.

The symptoms, which are observed to different degrees in individuals of all genders and ages, depend on a different brain functioning that impacts self-regulation and has nothing to do with intelligence.

In fact it’s even more complex than that.

When we talk about ‘not being able to stop’, it’s not just physical hyperactivity that’s the issue. It would seem that many individuals with ADHD operate in a state of constant emotional hyperarousal – they are unable to relax, for example – and that they experience emotions in a more intense way, both highs and lows. 

As far as concentration is concerned, this is not a ‘deficit’ in attention, but an activation only under certain circumstances, which is why these same individuals can complete tasks that seem almost impossible to most people.

A central element of ADHD is the seeming inability to exercise self-control; there seems to be a theme of extreme emotional sensitivity in some cases, which impacts self-perception and interpersonal relationships. The technical term is ‘rejection-sensitive dysphoria’, i.e. even the fear of rejection triggers mechanisms that the person does not control.

So what does ADHD have to do with mental health? Why is there even talk of disability in some cases? 

In too many cases, individuals with ADHD suffer – mentally, emotionally and physically. Their day-to-day lives and happiness are impaired, and children find their opportunities limited.

In too many cases, individuals with ADHD suffer – mentally, emotionally and physically. Their day-to-day lives and happiness are impaired, and children find their opportunities limited.

ADHD is accompanied, in most cases, by so-called ‘comorbidities’ – in other words, a long list of other ‘disorders’. These range from learning disorders such as dyslexia to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which we still struggle to understand but which affects one in seventy-seven people (and up to 70% of them also have ADHD). There is also the so-called oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), which, let's face it, makes parents‘ and teachers’ lives hell. And the list goes on and on. 

Have you ever had to deal with a child with an additional diagnosis of anxiety or depression? I have, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. More and more studies confirm the correlation between these diagnoses and the eating and substance abuse disorders that are on the rise among adolescents. That’s not to mention the possibility of dropping out of school, the development of conduct disorder… Add to the list sleep disorders and other ‘trivial’ medical disorders such as obesity, to name just a couple more.

Recently, in the UK, they have started screening for ADHD in prisons . . . just a coincidence, do you think? 

I forgot, there is also something called ‘stigma’, which often unintentionally clouds minds, and another called ‘discrimination’, which intentionally wants to annihilate.

Let's call these sets of things ‘challenges’, but not emotions.

That is what mental health has to do with it.  

Estimates vary across the world, but global scientific evidence gives us reason to estimate that ADHD occurs in about one in twenty children (that translates to at least one per class).

And today's scientific knowledge could make it possible not only to live serenely with ADHD, but to thrive with it.

ADHD, if managed using the recommended therapeutic approaches, both pharmacological and otherwise, does not have to be debilitating; every child should be able to grow up into an adult free of the ‘D’ that stands for disorder.

ADHD, if managed using the recommended therapeutic approaches, both pharmacological and otherwise, does not have to be debilitating; every child should be able to grow up into an adult free of the ‘D’ that stands for disorder.

Evidence shows that individuals with ADHD develop adaptive characteristics, meaning they learn to adjust and thrive by using their unique strengths, such as creativity, curiosity, problem-solving skills and high energy levels. Have you ever heard of cognitive dynamism, for example? This refers to the rapid and flexible thinking that allows people with ADHD to generate new ideas, make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts and approach problems in creative ways.

That is why from today there is extra help for parents on the market.

Oli help is a concrete tool, for all those parents of kids with ADHD or for parents who suspect their kids have it, and who not only care about the wellbeing of their children, but also want to open up for them a future of possibilities.

Oli help is a concrete tool, for all those parents of kids with ADHD or for parents who suspect their kids have it, and who not only care about the wellbeing of their children, but also want to open up for them a future of possibilities.

We will do our best to improve the quality of life for these families, but also to contribute, over time, to learning more about these fascinating, diverse minds.

You can download the app on the App Store and Google Play – initially in Italy only, though it will become available more widely soon! 

Mums and dads, are you ready for a companion app for ADHD that’s Made in Italy? 

Unlike fashion, parenting help need not be a luxury and certainly not expensive!

We want to give everyone the chance to show the world that our children with ADHD are not defined only by their symptoms and deficits. 

With the right support, their potential is boundless!

Valeria

Founder & CEO, Oli help

Photo taken by Sara Luzzati in January 2023 to mark the beginning of this crazy, totalising adventure of mine.