Attention Deficit Disorder and
Bed Wetting
by Shelly Morris & Bob Walden
Perhaps your child has been misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD)
when the underlying problem is actually an inherited, oxygen-deprived, deep-sleep
disorder.
Bedwetting is caused by an inherited deep-sleep disorder, causing the bedwetter 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 bedwetting, you must remove the
cause...a serious sleep disorder. We have discovered that, in most cases, once the sleep
disorder is corrected and the bedwetting 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 had been 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 bedwetters.
NOTE: Interesting statistic...there are 3 times more male bedwetters than female, and 3
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 may not
address the real issue, the deep sleep disorder itself. In addition, if the enuretic were
to outgrow the bedwetting, the underlying sleep disorder remains active, frequently
continuing to produce the symptoms.
At the Enuresis Treatment Clinic, it has been our experience over the years that
addressing the bedwetting is often the most productive method to providing relief of both
the sleep disorder and the ADD/ADHD symptoms. Remember, symptoms almost always disappear
when the bedwetting and the sleep disorder are addressed and ended. If the symptoms
persist after successful treatment of the bedwetting, possible ADD/ADHD should be further
examined and treated accordingly.
Our success rate in correcting the deep-sleep pattern and ending the bedwetting is 95%. It has been our experience that many, if not all of the symptoms associated
with ADD/ADHD, disappear with the reconditioning of this disorder.
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