Over 220,000 children in Romania may be affected with ADHD, national program is launched

Social involvement

“Accept me, understand me, teach me” is a partnership developed by the Ministry of Education (Ministerul Educatiei, Cercetarii, Tineretului si Sportului – MECTS) and the National Center for Mental Health and Anti-Drug Battle (CNSMLA – Centrul National de Sanatate Mintala si Lupta Antidrog), with the support of the private environment for the better information on the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD / ADD). Through this partnership, teachers will gain access to information on ADHD, so as to understand the causes of this disorder affecting an estimate of five percent of the total pupils reaching in Romania, an estimate of 220,000 with this affection.

Compared to children not suffering from ADHD, less graduate from high school, university and more have learning difficulties, get suspensions or expulsions and may eventually resort to drugs or even suicide. In the recent years, ADHD has registered an increasing number of cases both in Romania and throughout the world. The reason for this, as neuropsychiatrist Mircea Tiberiu explained, lies in the unhealthy foods existent nowadays, the lack pf physical activity, genetic factors or the overly rigid behavior imposed by some families.   

Doctor Ileana Botezat Antonescu, CNSMLA director explained some of the issues connected with this disorder in Romania. “Problems related with ADHD are sometimes under-evaluated in medical cabinets and usually ignored in schools, this is why ADHD children are stigmatized most of the time, especially because there isn’t, at this moment, an efficient means for their recognition and integration in the learning community. Most children suffering from this disorder are mislabeled, often moved from one class to the other or even risk expulsion”. Thus, most Romanian children suffering from ADHD are discriminated and considered “rude”, “poorly educated” or “unintelligent”, becoming isolated by teachers, colleagues and even family.

Basically, in its incipient stage, the program will consist in meetings organized at the headquarters of locals institutions subordinated to the ministry of education, in which specialist psychologists and psychiatrists from CNSMLA centers in every county will offer information concerning ADHD to teachers and school counselors. The purpose of these meetings is to establish set of work procedures to be later applied at school children and to improve communication and awareness with their families.

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Besides Bucharest, the program will also be available in Constanta, Galati, Iasi, Mures, Brasov, Cluj, Timis, Arad, Alba, Prahova, Arges, Bacau, Dolj. If successful, the project may be extended in other areas across Romanian where there are CNSMLA centers, in the 2011-2012 period.

The program will be developed for a year and is starting today, but will hopefully be developed further, as stated the specialists (psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors and ministry of education representatives) present at the press conference.

Corina Dumitrescu