Information on Infantile Digital Fibromatosis

Infantile digital fibromatosis (IDF) is a benign asymptomatic nodular proliferation of fibrous tissue occurring almost exclusively on the dorsal and lateral aspects of the fingers or the toes. This lesion has also been referred to as Reye tumor, infantile digital fibroma and recurrent digital fibrous tumour of childhood. Tumors of this type usually occur in infants or young children. Infantile Digital fibromas may be associated with facial pigmentary dysplasia, focal dermal hypoplasia, metacarpal and metatarsal disorganization, and limb malformations. Males and females are equally affected. These lesions generally present as single or multiple nodules involving the extensor surfaces, most commonly the dorsal and lateral aspect of the distal or middle phalanx. Thumbs and great toes are usually spared. Multiple lesions are present in some cases. These have a pronounced tendency to recur, but they are benign. The tumor is composed of a fibrous mass that usually occupies most or all of the dermis. Intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusions within fibroblasts or myofibroblasts are the diagnostic feature. Such structures may be found in an apparent extracellular location, but these may actually be within fibroblasts cut in cross-section. Infantile digital fibromas may develop to a size of 2cm, they are safe and do not usually cause any symptoms if they rub on the neighboring toe or footwear. Pale, hard, poorly circumscribed, nontender nodule with a firm broad-base. The most common treatment is surgical excision. There is a high recurrence rate of about 60%. The tumour in extra digital locations of adults does not seem to recur after excision. Anti-inflammatory agents may induce regression of dermal infiltrative lesions. Intralesional corticosteroids or fluorouracil may prove beneficial.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is the term used for a neurological condition marked by difficulties with attention and concentration and usually difficulties with self-control and overactivity or restlessness. It is also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) because many individuals with ADD are or were overactive and impulsive. About 5% of all people have ADD.

ADD is recognized by mental health professionals as one of the most common disorders of childhood, and was previously thought to resolve in adolescence. Over the past decade there has been a growing awareness that for many if not most individuals with ADD it persists into adulthood. Effective treatment for adult ADD is a relatively new area of study.

ADD affects many aspects of life. It affects academic and vocational success, personal and family relationships, emotions and self-esteem. ADD individuals often share a number of positive qualities such as creativity, spontaneity, inventiveness, and sensitivity to others. But it also leads to disorganization, procrastination, difficulty with task completion, and feeling overwhelmed.

The Nature of ADD

ADD is commonly described as a disorder consisting of chronic difficulties in the areas of attention/concentration, impulsivity, and overactivity. In addition to these “core” symptoms, other symptoms and problems include distractibility, forgetfulness, lack of persistence with tasks, frequent boredom, failure to delay speech or action when appropriate, fidgetiness, restlessness, being “always on the go,” disorganization, difficulty coping with stressful situations, temper outbursts, and frequently changing moods. Not every ADD individual displays all these symptoms. Some ADD individuals have mainly the attentional difficulties and do not have the overactivity and impulsivity. These symptoms frequently lead to low self-esteem, problems with planning and executing tasks, a disorganized lifestyle, poor problem-solving skills, frequent job or relationship changes, social and relationship difficulties, a chronic pattern of underachievement, and/or inconsistency in work production and performance. Children often display problems with behavior, socialization, and school performance. Many individuals with ADD may have a coexisting problem such as anxiety or depression, a learning disability, or drug/alcohol abuse. It may be that they focus on and seek help for this problem, not recognizing its link to ADD.

Causes

ADD is widely recognized among experts as having a biological, neurological basis. It is currently understood as the result of a part or parts of the brain not regulating self-control of attention, impulses, and activity level as it should, likely due in part to a lack of certain neurochemicals. While it is usually an inherited condition, it may be exacerbated by environmental and other factors such as parenting, adversity, or educational environment.

Progression

ADD individuals are generally born with ADD. It usually becomes manifest in early childhood. Often it becomes more apparent during elementary school years because of the demands of school experience. For some individuals it may not become apparent until later in life. During adolescence changes in the ADD manifestation often occur. It may be less outwardly obvious, especially when hyperactivity diminishes. For some individuals, it seems to end. For the majority, it usually continues to impact in many ways throughout adulthood, although greater control may be achieved in various ways.

Diagnosis

ADD is widespread in our society. It seems males are much more likely to be diagnosed with ADD than females. There is no definitive test for ADD, and it is one of the most difficult diagnoses to assess. ADD can only be diagnosed by a mental health or medical clinician trained and experienced in the area of ADD. Comprehensive interviews covering childhood and adult history of academics, relationships, behavior, etc. are necessary to establish a diagnosis. Rating scales and certain tests are often helpful and employed. Because the main symptoms of ADD overlap with other conditions as well as with “normal” experience, a qualified professional is required to rule out other conditions that may produce symptoms resembling ADD. ADD should not be self-diagnosed. If you think you have ADD it is recommended that you consult a professional.

Treatment

ADD is not an all or nothing condition, but occurs in degrees. It is possible to have a mild case that can be relatively easy to manage. Some people have severe symptoms and problems that can impair their functioning greatly. Even severe ADD can, with effort, medication, and support, be managed effectively.

People with moderate to severe problems related to ADD should consider treatment with a professional with training and experience in ADD. Medications can be helpful. Counseling is often indicated to deal not only with the symptoms, but also the resulting issues related to emotions, self-esteem, relationships, work performance, school performance, etc. Parent counseling has been shown to be effective in helping children with ADD. Coaching is another service providing support for ADD. Greater effectiveness and reaching of potential can be had. There is much that can be done to help the individual struggling with ADD.

Learning new ways to gain control of ADD-related problems is an important part of coping with ADD. A first step is to gain insight and understanding of how ADD impacts in your life. This understanding can then be used to identify the challenges and eventually to develop new strategies and skills for dealing with your (or your child’s) ADD symptoms and problems. An ADD coach or therapist specializing in the treatment of ADD can be very helpful in this process.

I was working with a client who had recently been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD). She went on to say that she was happy she had ADHD because now she had a built in excuse to be disorganized. Certainly people with ADHD have trouble being organized but is it an excuse?

I have ADHD, do I have to be disorganized too?

Just because you have ADHD doesn’t mean you have to be disorganized. In fact there are many people with ADHD who are incredibly well organized. Being organized has helped them thrive. However, if you have ADHD it is often more difficult for you to get organized and stay that way.

What does being organized mean?

Being organized is not about putting things away and everything being neat and ready for company. It is about how you function in your environment. It means that you control your environment, your things and your time, instead of your environment controlling you. Organization is how you manage your things, your time, and your tasks.

What about ADHD contributes to disorganization?

ADHD involves your brain’s frontal lobe which acts as the “executive functioning” area of your brain. This is the part of your brain that allows you to make decisions, set rules, prioritize, assign responsibilities, help you focus and remember.

So What?

Getting organized involves several steps that are often done in a specific order.

1. Decision Making — Decide what you need and what you don’t need.

2. Setting Rules — Categorize what you have left.

3. Assigning Responsibilities — Assign a place to keep these things and put them away

4. Focusing and Remembering — Keep everything organized on an on-going basis.

To follow these steps to get organized and then to stay “organized” once you must have systems in place and keep on track while you are performing tasks which are less than stimulating. When you look at it this way it is no wonder that people with ADHD have trouble being organized.

People with ADHD have trouble focusing on routine tasks…is there anything more routine (and boring) than opening mail, paying bills and filing? How about doing laundry and putting away clothes?

People with ADHD have trouble filtering out distractions. Going through old clothes in your closet is just not that exciting. How can you stay focused on the one thing that you are trying to get done when you hear “You’ve got mail!” or the phone rings? Not only do you lose your place on the stack of papers you were working on but you get pulled completely off task. It might be hours, days or even weeks until you get back to that pile.

If it is so hard to be organized why should I bother?

One of the ironies of ADHD life is that the more organized you are and the more routines you have in your schedule and life, the easier it will be for you to function. What organization does is allow you to NOT have to focus on this minutia. Once organizing becomes routine you don’t have to think about where something goes or where to find something that you put away. Once you have a schedule for getting up and out of the house in the morning you don’t have to worry about what to do 1st, 2nd and 3rd or whether or not you will make it to work on time. Once you have schedules and routines you don’t have to hunt all over the house for your bills and when you finally track them all down pay them — late.

So how do I get organized?

• Realize that you are NOT perfect. You don’t have to have a perfect system and there are no set rules to follow. The system you create only needs to make sense to you.

• Be yourself. Don’t try to fit someone else’s mold. Instead, create systems and routines that reflect your personality and make them fun. Remember that one great thing about ADHD is the ability to be creative and brainstorm. Come up with the wackiest way to organize your environment. That will probably the way it will work best for you.

• Learn to say “NO”. Before deciding to take on a new responsibility make sure you have the time and ability to add it to your current schedule. If you don’t have the time decide which activity from your current schedule you will stop.

• Use broad categories for filing and organizing. Depending on how you think you can file all banking things together and all credit cards together. They don’t need individual files unless that would help you.

• Label everything. Remember people with ADHD tend not to remember “unimportant” details like which drawer they put their bank statements in or which refrigerator drawer holds the fruit or which list is for phone calls. Labeling helps you to find things and put them away.

• Create Mini-Tasks. Break up all tasks into mini-tasks that take 10 ‘ 15 minutes each. Smaller tasks are easier to do and to schedule.

• Manage organization energy bursts. Work for 5, 10 or 20 minutes and then, even if you aren’t done, stop. If you have a list of mini-tasks set up you should have a list of things you can accomplish fairly quickly.

• If it works stick with it. When you are faced with organizing something new, look at the systems you have that work and try to figure out why it works. Build onto these systems or create new ones that are similar.

• Use memory tricks. Don’t just try to remember things, use multiple senses. Say it aloud to yourself, tell someone, sing it, write it down and keep the note somewhere that you will really see. If it is a routine or habit you are trying to create make a rhyme out of the sequence of things you want to accomplish, create a sign and post the new habit where you will be doing it.

• Ask for help. Often having someone to keep you company is enough to get many people moving and stay on task. Maybe you can volunteer to keep a friend company if they keep you company?

• Get your kids help. Tell your kids what you are going to do. They love catching parents “misbehaving.” Most people will do anything to avoid being caught by their children.

• Be Flexible. Remember life happens. Sometimes despite your best planning things don’t always work out the way you want them to. There are many ways to be organized — you just need to find the way that works for you.

For some people, life is relatively simple and there is rarely any real stress involved, other than the occasional move, the addition of a child or a sudden change of career. For others, however, life can be a little more complicated, high stress is an every day occurrence and panic thrives as deadlines and meeting times seem to pop out of nowhere. Life can seem extremely hectic, especially if a person lives in a city where they have to deal with bumper to bumper traffic and rude people that only make the day worse. Monday to Friday continues to be filled with eight to nine hours a day of the person wishing they were home, locked away in their room and completely hidden from the world. It is hectic and complicated lives like this that have people praying for the end of Friday’s workday to come to an end, so that they can leave work behind and return home to what feels safe and comfortable. Of course, the home can also be a stressful place for those who have families, so escape for that individual can seem impossible.

Many individuals struggle with a life that always seems to have them rushing and out of time. There is never any time for themselves, barely any time for their families and it seems like work is always getting in the way. Not only that, they always seem to be late for important dates and times and the traffic they have to deal with on a daily basis does not help matters. In many of these cases, organization could be what the person needs. People who continue to exist with stress and disorganization increase their chances of heart problems and/or depression. Too much stress is unhealthy and eventually takes its toll on an individual who does not take time out for themselves. These people’s lives are often shortened due to the resulting medical problems of stress.

There is help through online counseling with an online therapist and online counselor who work with people to help them sort out their hectic lives. The goal for online therapy is to help find a way to make the patient’s life less hectic and reduce the stress in their lives. In fact, counseling online is a popular form of counseling that many people are using in an effort to get help to improve their lifestyle. The patient consults the online therapist and the therapist works with the patient to find better ways for the patient to live their life. The online therapist can help the patient to work out a schedule in order to organize their time, which will ensure that they have a chance to take time out for themselves and their family, and can even make their lives a little easier.

Seeking help when life starts to close in on a person can help that individual avoid future problems that can make their life even more complicated. The chances of depression can become less and they also greatly reduce the chances of heart problems that are often caused by too much stress. This kind of therapy can go a long way in helping to reduce the stress in the individual’s life, make life a lot simpler and have better management of their time so that they can take time out to slow down and have some fun.

Dr. Jennifer Baxt, DMFT, NCC,DCC is the owner of CompleteCounselingSolutions.com which offers a variety of online counseling services. If you would like to know more about Jennifer or any of our online therapists, visit our website.

Did you know that your chaotic routine and cluttered physical and mental environments may be making you sick or keeping you sick? Everyone can benefit from a more organized lifestyle which will help your days run more smoothly. Taking care of ourselves, our careers and our relationships can leave us with little time to relax or to do some of the things that are really important in life. Eliminating clutter from our homes, offices and lifestyles will help eliminate undesirable stresses on our bodies. An improved living and working environment will elevate one’s overall well-being. We didn’t learn organizing skills at school and many of us didn’t get an organized model from our parents or guardians so getting organized has to be a more concerted effort. Consider what improved organizing skills can do your you.

1. Reduce stress. Do you regularly spend a great deal of time trying to find things? If each day starts with a mad dash for keys, home work, your purse or brief case think about the undo stress this puts on you and how there could be more pleasant ways to begin you day. It can often become a down hill cycle that leads to increased procrastination and anxiety. Are you chronically late for appointments or do you miss them all together? At work disorganization costs employees and employers over an hour a day in productivity and labour costs by attempting to locate something in your filing system, not finding the number to call someone back and a general lack of skills to get projects and work completed. The costs on the health side equal missed work though stress, high blood pressure, lack of sleep and much more. When you’re organized, you give your mind, body and soul the best chance to be relaxed and reenergized to approach the next day. You prepare for the next day and get to bed at a time and a pace that will give you the rejuvenation you need.

2. Improves relationships. Don’t think that you are the only one affected by disorganization. Improper scheduling and routines affect those closest to you– friends, families and colleagues. It not only is an aggravation but in the worst case scenarios can actually terminate relationships. Friends don’t want to meet you for a coffee because you are always late or constantly canceling, your boss has had it with your work never being on time. At home there can be embarrassment for your children and spousal relationships are often severely strained. Getting organized not only allows you to follow through on the commitments you make to the people in your lives but it also lets you create the quality space required to nurture such relationships. Research shows people live longer that socialize more –keep your network of friends.

3. Breathe better. Ninety percent of the average Canadian’s time is spent indoors, and air pollution is often two to five times greater indoors. Dust, dust mites, molds and contaminants from many of our household products trigger adverse reactions in varying degrees for most of us. A cluttered environment makes it difficult to rid our homes of certain irritants and a simplified and back to basics approach will often help to create a healthier home. Start with your bedroom because this is where we spend most of our time. Declutter, have soft furnishings that are easily washed and think carefully about what you allow to be in this very important space.

4. Exercise more. Being disorganized is exhausting but the trouble is it often doesn’t burn any extra calories or have much aerobic value. Studies show that extra stress could actually lead to holding on to some of those calories in storage. Organizing your daily events allows you to plan when an exercise routine will best suit your schedule. Don’t try to haphazardly fit your walk, sports activity or gym visit into your schedule. To set yourself up for success, take the time to plan your weekly work out schedule. Keep your workout time written down on your calendar so that you stop procrastinating or assume you will just squeeze your workout in.

5. Eat better. When we start to eliminate toxins and irritants in our homes it is easy to continue this pattern by looking at the foods we eat. Education is key- reading labels show you what additional additives are in your food and also makes you more aware of calories, fat and fiber. The fuel we feed our bodies determines how it will operate. Providing our bodies with the proper nutrients, unprocessed food and variety in food sources allows us to function more productively. Getting organized allows improved purchase, preparation and meal planning – the key ingredients to a healthier diet.

6. Reduce accidents. An organized home is a safer home. Lessen minor accidents like spills and drops caused by rushing or not having cleared spaces. More dangerous can be a fall, especially for seniors, and the consequences of too much stuff can create the inability to quickly get out in the occurence of a fire. Also, massive clutter can actually be the root cause of such a deadly event. Car accidents are increased from hurrying because of being late. Studies are also showing the lack of focus while driving and being overtired can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence.

7. Handle loss and emergency. Loss of a loved one or pet, divorce and separation can throw havoc into anyone’s lifestyle. If you are already maxed to the hilt and living in chaos this can become more than one can bear. Being able to access relevant paperwork and important documents is crucial. Also important is emergency planning for storm related consequences like power outages.

8. See clearly. A simplified life allows you see what is really important to you. By eliminating the physical and mental clutter you can focus more, spend more quality time with those you care about and accomplish what might once have only been a dream. No longer will clutter run your life but you will live your life with intent. By organizing and decluttering your living spaces and simplifying your lifestyle you can create a new, improved, healthier you.

Approximately 5% of the population suffers from ADD, with majority of them being children. However, it is possible for ADD to carry on into adulthood due to a lack of treatment. Whilst there is insufficient research to support the causes of ADD, it can be due to genetics, prenatal conditions or neurological damage.

ADD is a condition whereby the reticular activating system is impaired, reducing the amount of norepinephrine in the brain, which causes difficulty in communication within different regions of the brain. The symptoms of ADD are similar for children and adults, although adults are seldom diagnosed as they have a better ability to cover up their reactions. There are many forms of ADD as well, ranging from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Attention Deficit Behavior Disorder (ADBD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) to Conduct Disorder (CD).

In general, the symptoms such as inability to focus and agitation are known to carry over into adulthood. For our purposes, we will be identifying the various symptoms without distinction towards adults or children. This is due to the likelihood of symptoms carrying over as the children mature.

Inability to Focus

Due to the short attention span of individuals suffering from ADD, they find it difficult to focus on any one task or thought process at a time. This causes them to appear as bored, and they tend to be forgetful. Misplacing items or having wandering thoughts during discussions are very common for them.

Disorganization

For individuals who suffer from ADD, they tend to be restless and inattentive, making it difficult for them to focus on one task at a time. Hence, they tend to be more disorganized as they jump from one object to another, and most of the times they are unaware of their environment, giving them the appearance of being highly disorganized and flighty.

Hyperactivity

Especially for children, it is easy to observe symptoms of hyperactivity. These is usually reflected in their ability to remain in the same position for more than a few seconds. For children, there is a tendency to ignore instructions and be immersed in playing or running around the room. For adults, it may be subtle signs such as fidgeting in the seat continuously, or playing with their hands and feet.

Impulsiveness

This could be manifested in the need to talk excessively, or cutting into conversations before the other party has finished. For children who are playing, it could be sudden actions or a stubborn streak to halt playtime activities. In the classroom, they tend to speak out of turn without waiting for the teacher to call on them, or even before the teacher has finished asking a question. In adults, there is a dangerous tendency to indulge in dangerous activities without careful considerations of the risks or consequences.

Low Self Confidence

Adults and children alike who suffer from ADD tend to have low self confidence due to self directed frustration at their inability to focus and complete tasks at hand. They also suffer from the social stigma and the fear that they are not good enough due to comments from people around them.