What is ADHD?
ADHD is generally classified as a mental or behavioral disorder. It is extremely common affecting between 3% and 5% of the world’s total population.It is characterised by symptoms of hyperactivity, forgetfulness, mood swings, irritability, disruptive behavior, impulsiveness and the inability to focus or concentrate on tasks, particularly tasks that require patience and an organised approach.
ADHD is generally diagnosed during childhood, but it is actually very prevalent amongst adults too. About 70% of adults diagnosed as having ADHD as children will still have symptoms of ADHD as adults. The signs of ADHD usually appear between the ages of 4 and 6. Early diagnosis is important and can lead to more effective treatment.
Although there are many effective treatments for ADHD there is no single definitive cure. The causes of ADHD are still not particularly well understood but are probably a combination of several factors such as heredity (ADHD may run in families), environment and diet. The cause of ADHD type behavior may be different for different people. Breast fed babies have a lower incidence of ADHD possibly because breast milk is rich in omega 3 oils.
Symptoms & Types of ADHD
ADHD symptoms are often put into two groups: Inattentive and Hyperactive. Someone diagnosed with ADHD might have mainly inattentive symptoms, mainly hyperactive symptoms or a mixture of the two. The 3 main types of ADHD relate to this and are called:
- predominantly inattentive ADHD
- predominantly hyperactive-impulsive ADHD
- combined type ADHD
The term ADD is often used to refer to predominantly inattentive ADHD.
When considering whether a child has ADHD a health-care professional will consider the following symptoms:
Inattentive ADHD Symptoms:
- Failing to pay close attention to details or making careless mistakes when doing schoolwork or other activities
- Trouble keeping attention focused during play or tasks
- Appearing not to listen when spoken to
- Failing to follow instructions or finish tasks
- Avoiding tasks that require a high amount of mental effort and organization, such as school projects
- Frequently losing items required to facilitate tasks or activities, such as school supplies
- Excessive distractibility
- Forgetfulness
Hyperactivity ADHD Symptoms:
- Fidgeting with hands or feet or squirming in seat
- Leaving seat often, even when inappropriate
- Running or climbing at inappropriate times
- Difficulty in quiet play
- Frequently feeling restless
- Excessive speech
- Answering a question before the speaker has finished
- Failing to await one’s turn
- Interrupting the activities of others at inappropriate times
Just to complicate matters children with ADHD may actually become absorbed and highly focused on certain activities such as computer games or watching TV. They may also show extraordinary talent in certain activities which they enjoy.
A large percentage of children may exhibit these symptoms in varying degrees at one time or another so it is important to consider the following factors:
- Does the behavior occur in a wide variety of settings and situations? E.g. at school, at home, playing with other children, talking to parents and adults.
- How severe is the behavior? Is it happening all the time or just an occasional problem.
Unfortunately it is sometimes very hard to draw the line between what is ADHD and what is ‘normal’. The severity of the problem is normally the deciding factor. It is also very important to distinguish between ADHD and other mental health/behavioral problems which could have similar symptoms and in some cases similar causes such as depression, dyspraxia, bi-polar disorder or chronic fatigue syndrome.
The advice of a qualified health care professional should always be sought if you believe yourself or your child may have any of these problems.
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