What Is ADHD

your brain

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neuropsychiatric disorder and is one of the most common disorders among children. It affects millions of children and can continue throughout adulthood. Researchers are currently studying risk factors and possible causes of ADHD in hopes to find a way to reduce the chances of a person having ADHD. Causes and risks are unknown but researchers have shown that genetics does have an important part. Researchers are studying possible risk factors like environmental, premature birth, significantly low birth weight, and brain injury. Another possible cause being studied is recreational drug use, alcohol, and tobacco use during pregnancy. It is thought that certain factors may make symptoms worse like chaos within the family, environmental factors, and poverty. Consuming too much sugar is thought to make symptoms worse.

ADHD is more common in boys than in girls and affects about three to five percent of American children. ADHD usually requires or has symptoms that are present before the age of seven. In order to be diagnosed with adult attention deficit disorder a physician must thoroughly examine their complete medical history. To be diagnosed with ADHD a child must display around six or more symptoms. There must be interference with the child’s functioning abilities for over a six month period. Approximately, sixty percent of the children diagnosed with ADHD with have symptoms that carry on throughout adulthood. ADHD has a seriously impact on employment, relationships, and education.

Children with ADHD get easily distracted and tend to procrastinate. They have trouble being self-motivated and are disorganized. Parts of the brain that are responsible for executing functions are affected by ADHD. This causes problems with impulse control and decision making. Difficulties can vary from person to person. Learning disabilities have been associated with ADHD which can make learning more difficult.
keep calm and carry on There are three subtypes of ADHD. The inattentive type tend to be easily distracted, unresponsive to their name being called, makes careless errors, and fails to complete tasks. This can make it difficult to do chores, homework, and lose items that have importance like their favorite toy or their homework. In hyperactive types children may be unable to sit still and fidget constantly. They may talk, run, or climb excessively and constantly seem on the go. They may appear impatient and unable to wait their turn or blurt out in conversations.

Medication, behavioral therapy, and cognitive therapy are treatments to help children with ADHD. Medication is usually the first step of treatment. However, treatment alone will not teach them the skills they need to be successful as an adult. If you’re concerned that your child may have ADHD then schedule a doctor’s appointment so a medical evaluation can be performed. Making a diagnosis can be difficult because other health conditions have to be ruled out. This is to make sure that there is not any condition present. There is no single test available to help with the diagnosis of ADHD. Talking with family members and the patient is very crucial to determining if a patient has ADHD. The doctor can figure out a lot of things just by talking with the patient. It gives the doctor an idea about the patient’s mood, their lifestyle habits, and their behaviors. A physical exam allows the doctor to know what kind of health the patient is in. The man in goal of the doctor is to find out what specific signs and symptoms that the patient has. This is so the doctor can successfully diagnosis and treat the patient with ADHD. The doctor also performs an evaluation of learning disabilities and psychological testing.