Inattention, impulsivity, hyperactivity… ADHD affects 5 to 8% of children worldwide and does not spare young Polynesians. Although figures on the local situation are lacking, health professionals make numerous diagnoses each year. Often misunderstood and stigmatized, this disorder will be at the heart of a meeting at the hospital on October 16 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Objective: raise awareness and discuss with the families concerned.
Difficulty concentrating, impulsivity, hyperactivity… Ailments which affect, according to certain studies, 5 to 8% of children worldwide. And fenua is not spared. Even if no official epidemiological statistical study has been carried out locally, “lots of children” are diagnosed every year in Polynesia as having attention deficit disorder. A neurodevelopmental disorder, therefore linked to brain development, the causes of which still remain unclear. “There are certainly genetic and environmental causes, explains Dr Morgane Even, child psychiatrists at CHPH. We also know that it is something very hereditary because, often, when we look a little, we find the same profiles in one of the two parents. But we don’t really know where it comes from. »
Repercussions on affects
This disorder, which corresponds to “a particular way that the brain works”can have repercussions in the life of the child who suffers from it. This can manifest itself in terms of learning, which can be more complicated, for example. It can also cause difficulties in family and social relationships. “What is most serious is at the level of affects. These are children who, because they are not concentrated, do not sit still, do not listen to anything, are impulsive, cannot stop talking… they are punished a lot, reprimanded, criticized and little praised. They may gradually lose self-confidence and have low self-esteem. And this is the main complication that we, child psychiatrists, are concerned about. »
A disorder still poorly understood
Either way, ADHD is still “too often misunderstood and stigmatized”according to health professionals who want to take advantage of mental health information weeks to open dialogue. They are planning, on October 16, at the hospital amphitheater, a public meeting between people potentially affected, those suffering from the disorder, but also professionals. The objective? “Raise public awareness of this disorder, answer questions or, if necessary, say that we need to meet again in consultation to dig a little deeper. But the idea is also to bring families together, because ultimately, the greatest experts on these disorders are the parents and the adolescents who live with them. We therefore want to have young people who have this type of disorder testify and who are doing well thanks to treatment. »
On the program for this meeting: a presentation of ADHD by professionals from the CHPF child psychiatry unit, testimonies from families sharing their experiences, but also open exchanges between the public and specialists. Entrance is free and requires no registration. More information on 40 48 63 31.
