Thursday, August 4, 2016

Facts About Adhd In Children

By William Sullivan


The term attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is often abbreviated as ADHD. It is a mental disorder under neurodevelopment. Patients have trouble with being attentive and controlling behavior. They also engage in excessive activity. Of all mental disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is the one most children are diagnosed with. However, the cause in most cases is never known. ADHD in children is not a problem in developed countries alone because it is now a global problem.

A diagnosis of this condition can only be made after symptoms have prevailed for over six months. Symptoms should also be the cause for inability to function in a minimum of two settings. Common settings are recreational sites, home, workplaces, and schools. Some children have trouble in multiple settings, especially if the condition is advanced. The criteria should also have been attained at age twelve for the diagnosis to be authentic.

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.

Out of all the cases, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder usually occur together with other conditions in about 65 percent of all the time. Among the conditions it is associated with are Tourette syndrome, learning disability, oppositional defiant disorder, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, and primary disorder of vigilance. Additional conditions include obsessive-compulsive disorder, restless legs syndrome, sleep disorder, and substance use disorder.

The condition is also associated with persistent bed wetting, developmental coordination disorder, and language delay. Language delay comprises of hardship listening within distracting environments, short-term hearing memory weakness, slow processing of spoken messages, and hardship following instructions. Telling when the degree of impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity has gone out of the normal range makes it hard to make a diagnosis.

According to studies, people who have attention deficient hyperactivity disorder also tend to have low intelligence quotient. These individuals consistently score low in IQ tests. There is controversy on these findings because it is not clear if the low scores in IQ tests are caused by distractibility or intellectual capacity of patients. There is a lot of ongoing research to determine the significance of the relationship between low scores in IQ tests and attention deficient hyperactivity disorder.

ADHD falls into three key types. The first type is predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, while the second one is predominantly inattentive. The third type is a blend between the first two types. In most cases, what causes the condition is never known. However, genetic and environmental factors are strong causes. Brain trauma and infections are also believed to be causes, according to previous observations.

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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