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ADHD and ADD are both similar conditions, they both mean that the sufferer has either a short attention span, or a tendency for impulsive behaviour. When the condition is diagnosed as ADHD there is also a certain level of hyper-activity. ADD and ADHD are commonly recognised in children, but can also occur in adults, and generally occur more often in males than females.
Symptoms Someone who has either ADD or ADHD present with the following signs and symptoms: often fails to give close attention to details makes careless mistakes in schoolwork or other activities often has difficulty staying focused on tasks may not seem to listen when spoken to directly frequently does not follow instructions fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties at work has difficulty organising tasks and activities avoids or dislikes tasks that require mental effort, such as schoolwork or homework frequently loses things like schoolbooks and assignments is easily distracted by things happening around him or her forgets to do important daily activities often fidgets with hands or feet has trouble sitting still for very long frequently runs around or climbs on things has difficulty playing or working quietly acts as if driven by a motor talks too much frequently blurts out answers before a question is finished has difficulty waiting to take a turn often interrupts people, or butts into conversations or games
Causes The causes of ADD and ADHD are uncertain and unknown, although some factors that have shown to be present in ADD and ADHD people are: - exposure to alcohol while still a foetus
- exposure to lead
- a family history of either ADD or ADHD
Treatments Diagnosis of ADD and ADHD usually involves the sufferer, family members, friends, co-workers or teachers completing a questionnaire about you and your behaviours. Symptoms generally have to occur in more than one situation, eg. home and work, and cause a problem if ADD and ADHD are to be diagnosed.
It is very important for ADD and ADHD to be recognised, diagnosed and treated. Early diagnosis and treatment may prevent long term effects that can last well into adulthood. If ADD or ADHD are left untreated then people suffering may have a tendency to: - leave school early
- believe they are a "bad" person
- turn to alcohol and drugs
- have difficulty keeping a job
- have more frequent car accidents
- find relationships difficult
- have more failed marriages
- attempt suicide more often
- more likely to get in trouble with the law
Treatment for ADD and ADHD is available in both medicated therapy and psychotherapy. Education of both the sufferer, family, friends, co-workers and teachers is another important factor.
This type of education will enable the suffer to be better placed and supported in school, work and family. Medicated therapy usually involved the use of stimulant type drugs, such as Ritalin, but may also involve some antidepressants. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Statistics:
- ADD does not appear in the DSMIV (the diagnostic manual describing all mental disorders used by professionals) separately from ADHD
- Most medical and psychological literature relates to child ADHD, not adult
- Much debate in the literature about techniques of diagnosis
- Symptoms include inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, difficulty in persisting at a task, production of messy or careless work, easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli such as a car honking, forgetfulness
- In adults there may be shifts in conversation, not following details of rules of games, not listening to others
- For a diagnosis of ADHD, the problems should have been present before the age of 7
- For a diagnosis there must be clear evidence of interference with developmentally appropriate social, academic or occupational functioning
- Impairment must be in at least 2 settings of school, home, work
- Many cases are diagnosed after the symptoms have been present for many years
- ADHD often coexists with other mental disorders such as depression or mania
- There may be cultural differences in the expression of symptoms in ADHD
- Mood disorders and ADHD co-occur in 20-30% of children and adolescents
- Women with a history of ADHD have more depressive symptoms in adulthood
- Substance abuse and dependence are often associated with ADHD
- ADHD is associated with higher rates and earlier onset of smoking
- One review looked at gender differences and found no difference in impulsivity, academic performance, social functioning, fine motor skills, parental education, or parental depression, but girls displayed greater intellectual impairment and lower rates of hyperactivity
- Treatment has included the use of drugs like methylphenidate and amphetamines (stimulants)
- The anti-depressant drug venlafaxine (Efexor) has been associated with significant reductions in hyperactivity and impulsivity (study sample was small, however)
Setting up reward systems for appropriate behaviour and skills training are other forms of treatment
The cause of ADHD remains unknown but there are many theories:
- One theory is that the frontal lobe is dysfunctional - similar behavioural problems are seen in people with frontal lobe damage
- One researcher argued that many of the research studies reported in the literature can be criticised for lack of consistency in diagnosis and assessment, small sample size, lack of a control group for comparison One study reported the use of EEG biofeedback training : although the EEG showed a change this did not translate into behaviour
Reference:
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The Facts 
2008
