ADHD

ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

What Is it?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder [ADHD] is one of the most common disorders among young people. It affects attention span and concentration and can also affect how impulsive and active the person is.

Most psychologists, psychiatrists, and pediatricians diagnose ADHD based on a set of inattention and hyperactivity symptoms along with other criteria in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders- Fifth Edition (DSM-V).

For someone to be diagnosed with ADHD, the behaviors must have lasted for at least six months, and symptoms must be present in school and in other aspects of the individual's life.

What are the Causes?

What are the Symptoms?

Can ADHD be Treated?

Although there is no "cure" for ADHD, Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) can help build self-esteem, reduce negative thoughts, and improve problem-solving skills. CBT can also help people learn self-control and improve their social skills.

Stimulant drugs, if prescribed by a professional, can also be used to treat ADHD symptoms.

Are there Different Types of ADHD?

ADHD is Classified into three subcategories based upon the clustering of the three core symptoms.

• Children and adults who only have hyperactive and impulsive symptoms are diagnosed as: "ADHD, primarily hyperactive-impulsive subtype." (Very rare)

• Those who display significant impairment in attention are reffered to as: "ADHD. primarily inattentive subtype." (formerly known as ADD)

• Those who display all three symptom clusters are referred to as: "ADHD, combined subtype." (the most common)

ADHD may coexist with one or more disorders. The most common disorders to occur with ADHD are:

• Disruptive behaviour disorders
• Mood disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Tics and Tourette Syndrome
• Learning disabilities

DID YOU KNOW...?

Boys are three times more likely to develop ADHD than girls.

Symptoms of ADHD usually arise between the ages of three and five but are typically most prominent in the elementary school grades and ofent persist throughout childhood

Approximately 75% of cases will continue to have diagnoses through adolescene, and over half of the cases continue into childhood

Severity of childhood ADHD and treatment of ADHD in childhood has been found to predict adult ADHD.

Studies in the US show that:

Jim Carrey

Ryan Gosling

Paris Hilton

Solange Knowles

Adam Levine

Michael Phelps

& Michelle Rodriguez

What does ADHD feel like?

Thank You!

Imagine sitting at a desk trying to focus on your school work, but every time you gain focus, you feel your phone going off, or the table moving. Nothing is actually happening, but in your mind it is. This stress is only partial to what somebody with ADHD may have to go through.

STOP THE STIGMA!

When it comes to ADHD, many prejudices and misconceptions float about. It is important that we educate ourselves about ADHD, and understand that people who have been diagnosed with ADHD are just as 'normal' as anybody else.

Common misconecptions about ADHD include the beliefs that people who live with ADHD:

• Are constantly disruptive
• Don't 'want' to focus or complete tasks
• Don't 'care' about consequences

However, people with ADHD are as well-mannered as anybody else. A person with ADHD can train themselves to help control urges, whereas the ability to focus is not a choice given to those with ADHD. Also, those with ADHD have a conscience just like we all do. A person's opinions remain up to them, and cannot be determined by or blamed on ADHD.

The most common symptoms of ADHD are:

• Impulsiveness

• Hyperactivity

• Inattention

By Age:

• 2.1 million children between the ages of 5 to 11 have ADHD (7.6%)

• 3 million children between the ages of 12 to 17 have ADHD (12.2%)

By Ethnic Background:

• 4.1 million (8.7%) of white children have ADHD

• 904,000 (9.8%) of black children have ADHD

By Family Structure:

• Mother and father: 3.1 million children have ADHD (7.3 %)

• Mother, no father: 1.7 million children have ADHD (11.1 %)

• Father, no mother: 178,000 children have ADHD (8.7 %)

• Neither mother nor father: 316,000 children have ADHD (15.37 %)

• 659, 000 (5%) of Hisplanic children have ADHD

all live with ADHD

Scientists are not sure what causes ADHD, although many studies suggest that genes play a large role. Like many other illnesses, ADHD probably results from a combination of factors.

Genes:

Inherited from our parents, genes are "blueprints" for who we are. Results from several international studies of twins show that ADHD often runs in families.

Environmental Factors:

Studies Suggest a potential link between cigarette smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy and ADHD in children.

Brain Injuries:

Children who have suffered a brain injury may show some behaviours similar to those of ADHD. However, only a small percentage of children with ADHD have suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Thank You!