Facts about ADHD
As early as the 1940's, psychiatrists have labeled children with hyperactivity and extremely distracted and impulsive. Such children have said to have "minimal brain dysfunction," "brain-injured child syndrome," hyper kinetic reaction of childhood," "hyperactive child syndrome," and "attention-deficit disorder (ADD)." These frequent label changes show how uncertain researchers are about the causes of, and the diagnostic criteria for the disorders.
In the past several years, the people who study ADHD have commenced to clarify the disorder's symptoms and causes, and have reason to believe that it may be genetic. Today's view on this disorder is very different from the beliefs of just a few years ago. Researchers are finding that ADHD is not a disorder of just attention, but is from a developmental failure in the brain's circuitry and control for inhibition and self-control. The loss of self-control weakens other important brain functions mandatory for maintaining attention.
ADHD involves two sets of symptoms: inattention and a combination of hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. Most children are more active and distractive than adults are. Children are more inconsistent, affected by brief actions and dominated by objects in their environment. The younger the child, the less aware of time they are. This behavior is a sign of a problem when it is displayed more in them than in their peers. Boys are at least three times more prone than girls to develop ADHD. Studies have found that ADHD in boys outnumber girls 9 to 1, this is believed to be because boys are genetically likely to develop disorders in the nervous system. These behaviors generally occur between the ages of 3 and 5, even though some children don't start to develop the disorder until late childhood or early adolescence. Researchers are unable to find the reasons why this delay occurs.
Studies estimated that between 2 and 9. 5 percent of all school-age children have ADHD; this is true in every culture and nation studied throughout the word. Researchers had believes that this disorder only existed in childhood and went away with age. Now they have found that ADHD can continue into adulthood. Approximately 2/3 of 158 children studied with ADHD in the 1970's, still had the disorder in there twenties. Many of these people still have major adjustment problems at work, school or in other social places. Psychiatrists and psychologist are trying to better understand the causes of ADHD to help children and adults...