Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may also be known as “ADHD,” is one of the most common neuro developmental disorders in today's society. Although it is usually first diagnosed in early childhood, often will last throughout adulthood. ADHD is a brain disorder marked by an ongoing pattern of inattentive and impulsive hyperactivity that interferes with the functioning and development of ones everyday life. To be diagnosed requires a set of comprehensive evaluations, done by a licensed clinician with expertise ADHD. Other conditions, such as learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, conduct disorders, depression, and substance abuse are highly common in people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (Science News ADHD March …show more content…
For children sixteen and under, six or more symptoms have to be present in either inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsivity for a minimum of six months proving these actions are disruptive and inappropriate for an individuals developmental level. (Mental Disorders 5th Edition 2013)
Unfortunately, Scientist have not found an exact cause for ADHD. However, they have discovered many treatment options over the years. Behavior Therapy, has been shown to be an important part of treatment for children with ADHD. The goals of Behavior Therapy are to learn and strengthen positive behavior and eliminate the unwanted problem behaviors. The therapist helps the child learn how to express their feelings in ways that do not create problems with others. This treatment should always be tried before prescribing medication. Medication can help children and adults control their disorder, to help with their everyday life. The FDA have approved multiple stimulant and non stimulant medications. Stimulants containing various forms of Methylphenidate and Amphentamine, shockingly have a calming effect on hyperactive children. It is believed to increase brain levels of dopamine, a nuero transmitter associated with motivation, attention, and movement. Amphetamine medications include, Adderall, Focalin,
The primary features of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder include inattention and hyperactive-impulsive behavior. ADHD symptoms start before age 12, and in some children, they're noticeable as early as 3 years of age. ADHD symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe, and they may continue into adulthood.
According to the APA (2014), ADHD is a behavioral condition that makes focusing on everyday requests and routines challenging. Children with ADHD can be defiant, fidgety, noisy, socially inept, aggressive, and resist change (APA 2014). Medications such as Ritalin, Adderall, or Strattera are the most common form of treatment for children with ADHD. These medications are usually effective in modifying behavior, but seldom result in academic improvement. The medications also have an extensive list of potential side effects including rash, loss of appetite, and trouble breathing. Alternative therapies such as play therapy, cognitive therapy, psychotherapy, behavioral therapy and special ADHD diets do exist. With these alternative methods
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder also known as ADHD is chronic condition marked by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and sometimes impulsivity. According to the centers for disease control and prevention, in the United States at least 4.5 million people have been diagnosed with ADHD under the age of eighteen.
By year eight socioeconomic status and family structure were the only predictive variables for ADHD treatment. A separate study highlighted the influence that nonclinical factors such as family size may have in mediating the use of pharmacologic therapies for children with ADHD. The most common stimulant medications are methylphenidate (Ritalin), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), and mixed amphetamine salts (Adderall). Atomoxetine (Strattera), guanfacine (Intuniv) and clonidine (Kapvay) are non-stimulant drugs approved for the treatment of ADHD. Other medications which may be prescribed off-label include certain antidepressants such as tricyclic antidepressants (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). ADHD is best managed not just through medications but also with social interactions.
The individual must also have six or more symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity. These symptoms could be unable to remain seated, running or climbing when it is inappropriate, unable to play quietly, talks too much, answers questions abruptly, but not limited to other hyper and impulsive traits. The symptoms must be presented long enough to be disruptive and inappropriate to the patient’s developmental level and some of the symptoms must begin before seven years of age. The symptoms also should not be linked to some other condition or personality disorder. (Funk & Wagnall’s New World Encyclopedia, 1p. 1. 2016).
Families who have children with ADHD often experience much higher anxiety and stress levels. A large number of children, almost half, will exhibit signs of ADHD by the age of four. However, most children are not diagnosed until he or she reaches elementary school. The behaviors that are associated with ADHD in children put them at risk for a host of other problems and complications such as completing their education, alcohol and other drug abuse, and an increased risk for delinquency. There has been much research on ADHD in recent years and many different types of medications and interventions have proven to be quite helpful. With the proper diagnosis and treatment, children with ADHD can learn to cope with the daily demands of the classroom, social situations, family interactions, and life in general.
Stimulant medications can help repress and control impulsive behavior. An example of this would be methylphenidate hydrochloride (Ritalin). This type of medication can reduce hyperactivity, and additionally improve social interactions, assist with concentration, and facilitate better performance in school and work. These medications can also help children with ADHD that comorbid with other disorders. When used under proper medication supervision, these medications are generally safe and usually do not have bad side effects. Haggarty (2015) also states that these medications should be monitored in teenagers or adults because they are addictive and can be misused. These medications are not a cure-all, but can be successful in treating ADHD if used appropriately at the right dosage. It is important that the children taking ADHD medication be regularly re-evaluated by a physician to make sure everything is in order since the risk and benefits of medications can change over time. Haggarty (2015) also states that a combination of medication and other techniques should be used to help improve the symptoms. Psychotherapy can also be used if medication alone is not enough. Psychosocial interventions, such as parent training and behavioral modifications can be used. The goal of these interventions is to make sure parents and educators are prepared with methods to better handle problems when they come up. They will learn to reward the child for positive behaviors and discourage negative behaviors. This therapy also tries to teach techniques that would help a child with ADHD to control inattention and impulsive behaviors (Haggerty,
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder has been significantly analyzed for over 100 years, and right up until today, still remains an quarrelsome and cloudy issue. Be that as it may, in spite of its unascertained causes, ADHD is out of the blue the most normally broken down psychiatric disease in youths. Five to 10% of school-aged youngsters are affected by the neurological infirmity, yet there still remains no question beyond with reference to how decisively the human mind demonstrates this impede. In any case, stimulant-based prescription is most frequently utilized as a part of treating the significant ADHD indications: impulsivity, distractedness, and hyperactivity. The stimulant drugs ' working betters on children focusing, working,
Six or more of the following symptoms of inattention have persisted for at least 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level:
Attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, also known as ADD, ADHD, or AD/HD, is a neurobiologically-based development disability. Since ADHD was acknowledged as a mental disorder, it has been divided into three subcategories: predominantly combined type, predominantly inattentive type, and predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type (Charach). Predominantly combined type is the most prevalent of the three, showing signs of all three of the dominant components. The three dominant symptoms of the disorder include inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. When a child is “inattentive”, they are usually described as having a short attention span and distractible. Signs of inattentiveness can include difficulty starting a task, failing to pay close attention to detail, failing to
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, (AD/HD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by impaired levels of inattention, disorganization, and hyperactivity- impulsivity. ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, while ADD stands for attention deficit disorder. ADHD is classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual under neurodevelopmental disorders. (DSM-5). ADHD has been on the rise in the United States of America. Not only has ADHD been on the rise here in the United States of America, but also in places such as Canada and Australia as well. The amount of diagnoses of ADHD has skyrocketed, but does that mean that every single person who has been diagnosed with ADHD/ADD has been properly diagnosed. In fact, some disorders mimic ADHD symptoms. Not only has ADHD been on the rise, but also depending on the country, AD/HD can mean many things. In particular, in France, AD/HD is considered to be a medical condition, unlike here in America, where it is considered to be a neurodevelopmental disorder, that is biological in nature.
In addition to symptoms of ADHD being present by the age of seven the symptoms must affect the person’s life in a number of settings. In addition the symptoms have to not be explained by another mental disorder. If it only occurs alongside a psychotic mood disorder it is not considered ADHD. Inattention in ADHD is classified as making easily avoidable mistakes and ignoring details, usually do to not paying attention. It can happen in any number of settings( Surman, 2013). For example an accountant suffering from some of the innatention aspects of ADHD may not notice they forget to put a decimal point in a number resulting in a much higher number then shoud have been expected. The average adult may catch the mistake but someone someone with at least part of the innatetion aspect will likely move on without a thought in the world. Hyperactivity is demonstrated by inabiltiy to sit still and the need to get up from one's seat to move around. Impulsivity shows itself in a person's inabilty to resist acting on their urges. Usually the person will jump in front of others in a conversation. the person may at random pick up things and start messing with them. For a person to be diagnosised with ADHD a number of the DSM-IV-TR's critera must be met.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, normally abbreviated as ADHD, is a disorder in which a person has trouble paying attention and focusing on tasks, tends to act without thinking and has trouble sitting still. This condition may begin in early childhood and continue into adulthood. Without treatment ADHD can cause problems at home, school, work and any social gatherings.
However, each family must weigh the pros and cons of taking medication. Medications may carry the risk of side effects. Physicians need to monitor their patients who take medication for potential side effects, such as mood swings, hypertension, depression and effects on growth. Approximately 70 to 80 percent of children with ADHD respond positively to psychostimulants medications (MTA 1999). Significant academic improvement is shown by students who take these medications: increases in attention and concentration, compliance and effort on the task, as well as amount and accuracy of schoolwork, plus decreased activity levels, impulsivity, negative behaviors and social interactions and physical and verbal hostility. These improvements show up clearly in the short term, however, long-term effectiveness is still being studied by researchers (Hinshaw, et al., 2015). A non-stimulant medication--- atomoxetine-- appears to have similar effects as the stimulants. Antidepressants, antihypertensive and other medications may decrease impulsivity, hyperactivity, and
Attention Deficit Disorder otherwise known as ADD is a condition that refers to an individual’s inability to control their own behavior or impulse(McEwan 70). This can begin in early childhood and interfere with children’s ability to do well in school and social situations. These patients also have troubles blocking out noise or other stimuli in order to focus on a task or what is being said. ADD is a chronic problem that can be seen as early as infancy and can extend to adulthood. There are two types of Attention Deficit Disorder. The most common form is Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). The characteristic of this type is hyperactivity, which is seen before the child enters