ADHD: Overview, Characteristics and Treatments

ADHD or Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder has been victimizing a lot of people around the world.

It occurs whenever an individual experiences hardships with controlling physical energy, maintaining attention, and movement. In the U.S., around 8.4% of children have this disorder, while adults are 2.5%.

Aside from that, children can have this disorder as early as 3 years old, as justified by the National Institute of Mental Health.

However, there are different life events, medical conditions, and psychological disorders that can lead to ADHD. Good thing, even though an individual had received a diagnosis of ADHD, it can still be managed and treated effectively.

In this article, we are going to discuss and explore some facts about ADHD to raise awareness to the world. Considering this topic tackling mental health, in general, will be of great help to understand human behavior even better, which can lead to further discoveries. So, let us start!

What is ADHD?

The real cause behind ADHD is kept elusive. However, anyone who has it can experience impairments and difficulty in maintaining focus and attention to a task. Some can also experience difficulty in sitting still while some are a combination of other symptoms.

Also, a person diagnosed with ADHD can experience a high level of distraction and impulsivity.

Furthermore, there are three characteristics and specifiers connected to ADHD. These are used to easily modify and diagnose a patient who experiences the symptoms of the disorder.

Characteristics and Specifiers

Doctors and experts have decided to divide ADHD presentation into three, resulting in three categories:

■ Inattentive

■ Predominantly hyperactive/ impulsive

■ Combined presentation

Each of these three categories has its own definition and characteristics that are worth discussing.

Let us start with the first one!

Inattentive 

A person that has the inattentive category of ADHD is more likely to show the following characteristics:

■ Having difficulty in focusing on tasks or activities

■ An apparent inability to pay attention leading to the tendency of being careless

■ Having trouble in following instructions for completion of a given task

■ Gets easily distracted

■ Forgets to fulfill obligations and complete tasks

■ Having trouble in organizing tasks and managing time

■ Does not listen to someone talking in front

■ Loses hope for daily productive functioning

■ Sudden dislikes of tasks and focus

Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive  

The next characteristic of ADHD is predominantly hyperactive-impulsive. Here, an individual shows signs of hyperactivity a lot more than inattention.

Below are some important things to know.

■ Seems to be constant in on the go mindset

■ Does not remain seated

■ Improper climbing and running

■ Excessive talking

■ Intrudes other people conversations, games, or activities

■ Squirming, tapping of feet and hands, persistent fidgeting

■ Having trouble playing with other kids

■ Reluctant

Combined 

Lastly, we have the combined wherein a person diagnosed with ADHD is showing characteristics from both of the specifiers. These characteristics mostly interfere with relationships, lifestyle, and achievements in school or work.

Even there has been a specifier added by a reliable doctor to ADHD presentation. Changes are still expected over time. Women are the top likely victims of the inattentive characteristics, as stated by the National Institute of Mental Health.

 This can be the reason why females do not receive a diagnosis often. Besides, researchers are not describing their symptoms as disruptive for hyperactive do not have that much presence in female ADHD presentations.

However, a huge percentage shows that men are more diagnosed with ADHD. Let us now proceed to the treatments and therapies.

Treatments and Therapies

Doctors and experts are recommending treatments to ADHD with therapies. The treatment process depends on how a person is showing off symptoms and the time of being diagnosed with ADHD.

Below are some examples:

Behavioral Technology 

Here, there is an involvement of a therapist, which is responsible for helping a person, especially the diagnosed children, to improve social skills, enhance the ability to complete and plan tasks and to learn new life techniques.

Medications

Another way of treating ADHD is by taking pills or medications. Doctors prescribe the proper drugs to be consumed by a person with ADHD. These drugs will help in enhancing focus and attention.

Here are some of the most used stimulants.

■ Concerta

■ Ritalin

■ Focalin

■ Vyvanse

■ Adderall

There are also non-stimulant medications for some patients that already have previous health problems. Good thing, there are non-stimulant medications to assist you now.

Parent Coaching 

Another effective treatment for ADHD of a child is by talking to the therapist with calmness. Talking to one another can be a great way to make steps involving the effective treatment to the child’s condition. Parents can help respond to the often-difficult behavior to accompany ADHD. Use parents online counseling if needed.

School Support

Also, the support of the school, teachers, and counselor can bring a huge impact on the recovery of a person. These two have major roles not only in teaching their students with lessons but also in treating them like family. Making use of different strategies to keep an ADHD child patient recovered?

Now, let us move forward to the causes and risk factors of ADHD

Causes and Risk-Factors of ADHD

There are still some doctors who are unable to know if a certain person is diagnosed with ADHD. Also, passing ADHD from generation to generation is also possible. For example, if a sibling had it, then the younger ones can also possibly take it.

Below are the risk-factors to be brought by ADHD:

■ Exposure to tobacco, stress, and alcohol even during pregnancy

■ Exposure to the toxic environment during pregnancy year and younger years

■ Mild traumatic injury or incident

Above all, ADHD is a serious topic that needs proper discussion and dissemination. This can help a lot in raising awareness about mental health, especially during hard times of life. Spreading this can help a person be back on track and be focused on the near future. Now, let us end the stigma and embrace a better future. We can do this all together without anyone or anything hindering us from the success we can achieve in the nearest time!

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