A Look At Adhd In Children

By William Sullivan


The abbreviation ADHD is used widely for the term attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. As a mental disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is categorized under neurodevelopment. Patients are often unable to control their behavior and find it hard to pay attention. The disease is also characterized by excessive activity. ADHD is the most prevalent mental disorder in children, because most kids are diagnosed with it worldwide. ADHD in children has become a global problem as opposed to being a menace in developed countries alone as before.

It is a requirement for symptoms to have been existing for a minimum of six months for a diagnosis to be made. Symptoms must also be the cause for inability to function in more than one setting such as work, home, school, or social settings. Some people have trouble to cope in all the settings mentioned above. It is mandatory to have attained the criteria for being diagnosed with the condition by the time one reaches the age of twelve.

Children suffering from ADHD exhibit several different symptoms. The symptoms usually occur together at the same time, but not in all the cases. Patients often forget things, keep switching activities, miss details, and get easily distracted. They find it difficult to maintain focus on a single task, and they become bored with a task after a few minutes. They have trouble following instructions and understanding minor details. They often daydream, move slowly, and seem confused.

In about two thirds of the time, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder occurs together with other conditions. Some of the associated conditions include learning disability, Tourette syndrome, oppositional defiant disorder, primary disorder of vigilance, mood disorder, and anxiety disorder. Others include obsessive-compulsive disorder, substance use disorder, restless legs syndrome, and sleep disorder.

Other disorders that this condition has been linked with include language delay, persistent bed wetting, and developmental coordination disorder. Many disorders are consisted in language delays including hardship following instructions, hardship in listening in distracting environments, short term hearing memory weakness, and slow processing of spoken messages. Diagnosis is often made difficult because it is hard to tell when the level of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention is out of the normal range. That makes most diagnoses to be made rather late in life.

Low intelligence quotient has often been linked to attention deficient hyperactivity disorder. IQ score of patients are usually very low. The cause of the low IQ scores has drawn controversy among researchers. It is argued that the cause of low IQ scores could be distractibility as opposed to intellectual inability. Further research is in progress to reach a consensus about the significance of the link between attention deficient hyperactivity disorder and low IQ.

There are three main subtypes of ADHD, that is, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, predominantly inattentive, and the type that combines the first two. The main cause of this condition is often unknown in most cases. However, interactions between environmental and genetic factors are believed to be strong causes. Infection and brain trauma have also been associated with the condition.

Physicians aim to manage attention deficient hyperactivity disorder because it cannot be treated. Medications and counseling are some of the approaches used to manage it. Management efforts often cause outcomes to improve in the long run, but it is not possible to alleviate them completely. Stimulants, alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonists, atomoxetine, and antidepressants are some of the medications used.




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