Mother starts appeal
Standard & Guardian 07/09/2000
BY GUARDIAN REPORTER
Edition Somerset Guardian
Page 10
Record Number 754041 A MOTHER is appealing for help to set up a support group for parents whose children suffer from a condition which affects behaviour. Sally Barrett believes such a group will provide a lifeline for many families in Peasedown St John. The group would help parents whose children have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or attention deficit disorder (ADD). Children who suffer from ADHD become hyperactive and have problems with concentration and motivation, while ADD leads to children becoming withdrawn. Mrs Barrett and her husband Andrew have four children of which one suffers from ADD and one suffers from ADHD. She said: "The reason why I want to set such a group up is that a couple of mums have approached me about this disease. It can make parents very isolated, particularly if they are on their own and they have to give up work and they are a single parent." The ADD/ADHD UK Support Group has told the 33-year-old mum she need to find 12 people to set up a local support group to ensure it runs smoothly. She has already found three or four people who have pledged their support and now needs to build up numbers. The support group would help parents to talk about the problems they faced, she believes. But she attacked the Citizen's Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) established by the Church of Scientology which claims ADHD is a bogus condition. The mother said the disease affected about one in ten children and was angry about the stance taken by the CCHR. A newspaper article reported recently how the CCHR had complained to the General Medical Council about the way a Bath psychiatrist treats children and the proscription of Ritalin which is used to treat the condition. But Dr Patrick Cosgrove, who works in Bristol, has dismissed the criticism saying there were still some cultural barriers about treating children suffering from brain malfunctions with drugs.

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