One can never have enough information on ADHD. What I have learned is there are several different causes, types, and treatments for ADHD. Keep in mind what you may not be aware of, may lead you to make the wrong decisions.
ADHD is a pattern of impulsiveness and inattention. It can be with or without the component of hyperactivity. It is short for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is most commonly found in boys than in girls. A child that has ADHD can have it well into adulthood by a 10-40 percent chance.
Treatments for ADHD would be medications and behavior therapy. If those don’t work there are other treatments available such as life style changes, counseling, and/or behavior modifications. Pre-schoolers should never take medication; however talk to their doctor for other helpful ideas.
Studies don’t show whether it is safe to take the medication for more than a couple years. If you or a person you know has been taking the pills longer than a couple years, talk to your doctor for advice.
Impulsiveness is the tendency to interrupt during a conversation, be disorganized, acting before thinking of the consequences it could bring, and/or jumping from one thing to another.
Inattention is where the person has difficulty listening and/or paying attention, gets easily distracted, and/or doesn’t finish their work.
Hyperactivity is the inability to sit still, fidgeting, squirminess, restless sleep, restlessness, and climbing on things. But with hyperactivity, it normally goes away when you reach adulthood.
Those three things make up ADHD and knowing the difference may help determine what they might have.
Other Disorders Related to ADHD
Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct order, Primary Disorder of Vigilance, Bipolar Disorder, and Anxiety disorders are disorders related to ADHD. They are behavioral problems that are hard to control and all have that fact in common among others.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is an ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures.
Conduct Disorder is behavioral problems such as physical aggression, destructiveness, truancy, lying, vandalism, stealing, and cruelty to that of humans and animals.
Primary Disorder of Vigilance is the same as ADHD but with the person appearing to be hyperactive to stay alert. Over time the symptoms become worse.
Bipolar Disorder is where the person has episodes of abnormally elevated moods. This is clinically referred to as mania, or if it is milder, then it’s called hypomania.
Anxiety Disorder is a persistent or irrational fear that could be accompanied by headaches, sweating, hypertension, and/or palpitations.
ADHD Causes
Genetics is also to blame for 75 percent of the cause of ADHD as well as the environment. While in some places the air is clean, other places the air is polluted and holds toxins, which could cause brain damage.
Yet the biggest influence doctors believe to be the cause of ADHD is pregnancy. Any chemical the mother gets near during pregnancy could cause damage to the unborn baby’s brain. Drinking and smoking while pregnant can cause things to go wrong in the unborns’ brain that the mother could have avoided.
