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ADHD is short for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder which is prevalent in children and adolescents. It is a neurobehavioral disorder which is more common in boys than girls.This disorder is in the ratio of 4:1 in boys and girls. It is mostly diagnosed in childhood and continues through adulthood affecting their socio economic environment. If diagnosed at the initial stage, the impaired behavior caused by this disorder can be modified with certain medications and therapies. Diagnosis is done based on the ADHD symptoms that vary from one individual to another
Defining ADHD symptoms is difficult as neither the normal levels nor the abnormal levels of hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity can be distinctly defined. ADHD has three subtypes namely predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, predominantly inattentive and combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive. Symptoms of ADHD depend on the subtype of the disorder. For diagnosis, these symptoms must be observed for six months in two different settings.
The symptoms of ADHD seen in children with predominantly inattentive type include easy distraction, switching from one activity to another, difficulty in maintaining focus on one particular task, getting bored just after a few minutes of beginning the task, does not seem to listen when spoken to, difficulty in organizing and completing a task, difficulty in learning new things, often losing things like pencils, toys etc. that are needed to complete home works or assignments, daydreaming, moving slowly, getting confused easily, difficulty in processing information accurately and quickly compared to others and struggling to follow instructions.
The symptoms observed in predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type of ADHD include fidgeting and squirming in their seats, non stop talking, playing and touching everything or anything in sight, having trouble to sit in school, for dinner, for story time etc., being inconsistent all the time and having difficulty in doing quiet tasks or activities that require silence, behaving impatiently, commenting inappropriately, showing emotions without self control, acting regardless to the situation or consequences and restlessness in everything including games. Most of the symptoms of ADHD in this type are in the category of hyperactivity and impulsivity.
The symptoms of combined hyperactive-impulsiveness and inattentiveness is also commonly seen. As said earlier, it differs from one person to another. Not all the symptoms are exhibited by a child or an adult with ADHD. ADHD can be diagnosed only after continuous monitoring of the individual for at least six months and when compared with other children or adults of the same age. If diagnosed in children, the ADHD symptoms may continue in adulthood, but there would be a difference in these symptoms in the adult days due to adaptive processes learned during socialization. Hence, it is difficult to diagnose ADHD in adults as they would have overcome general symptoms due to socialization, but they would have other symptoms which cannot be determined easily.
