OBJECTIVES: The use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) is increasing in the general population. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition that has a major impact on children's functioning and has no cure, therefore many families may try CAM at some stage. We aimed to determine (i) the lifetime incidence of CAM use in a clinical sample of children with ADHD; (ii) parents' perceptions of the effectiveness of CAM for ADHD; and (iii) the proportion who informed their paediatrician. METHODS: The sample was drawn from patients aged 5-17 years with ADHD attending Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne outpatient clinics from May to September 2003. A 20-item survey was posted to consenting families. RESULTS: From 105 surveys, 75 were returned (response rate 71.4%). Mean child age was 11.1 (SD 2.9, range 5.0-16.9) years; 65 (86.7%) were boys. Fifty (67.6%) families reported current or past CAM use. Of the 23 different therapies reported, the most common were modified diet (33 families), vitamins and/or minerals (16), dietary supplements (12), aromatherapy (12) and chiropractics (10). Reported effectiveness was variable. The factors most frequently rated as important in choosing CAM were minimizing symptoms (40 families), adding to the benefit of conventional treatment (30) and avoiding side-effects (29). Thirty-two (64%) of 50 families reported that they informed their paediatrician of their CAM use. CONCLUSION: Complementary and alternative medicines are commonly used in children with ADHD. Paediatricians should inquire about the use of CAM, and use available resources to help guide families in their therapeutic choices.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Children in homeless families in Melbourne: health status and use of health services.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of health and behaviour problems in a sample of children in homeless families and of psychological problems in their parents, and to assess the use of health services by homeless families. DESIGN: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based prevalence survey. SETTING: Supported accommodation provided by a welfare service in Melbourne between May 1994 and June 1995. SUBJECTS: 51 children from 31 families soon after housing crises. RESULTS: More than one-third of all children had total behaviour problems scores in the "deviant" range (i.e., requiring mental health referral). Intellectual disability/developmental delay, skin problems, vision problems, recurrent headache, and asthma or other breathing problems were more prevalent in these homeless children than in a large Australian normative population. Their mothers scored higher than a large normative sample on the mental health questionnaire, most markedly for "anxiety-insomnia", "severe depression" and total score. Cost of treatment and transport difficulties were seen as barriers to using health care services. RECOMMENDATIONS: Australian health-care practitioners should be aware of the health and health service access problems of children in homeless families, and work to minimise their physical, emotional, developmental and academic disadvantages. Psychological support services should be available for homeless families, particularly for mothers.

Adult↗