Introduction Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common developmental disorders, according to research by Spencer and his colleagues (Spencer et al., 2007). Approximately 4-5% of college-aged students and adults experience ADHD (Kessler et al., 2006). Even though the general public has often perceived ADHD as an American cultural phenomenon, a study by Faraone has shown that ADHD prevalence in non-US countries at least matches ADHD prevalence in the US (Faraone, Sergeant, Gillberg, & Biederman, 2003). This finding demonstrates that ADHD has advanced into a serious problem not only in the US but around the world. As a result, the scientific community needs to address this issue. Too often, people have frequently …show more content…
Therefore ADHD severity is shown to also be reliant on the prenatal environment that was provided by the child’s mother. While it is hard to alter genetic predisposition of certain individuals to ADHD, it is possible to prevent more severe forms of ADHD by creating the right prenatal environment for the child. Therefore there should be more emphasis put on educating the parents who themselves have ADHD and are likely to have child who inherited this …show more content…
Psychological disorders that are most often comorbid with ADHD are substance use, mood and anxiety disorders (Wilens & Spencer, 2010). Anxiety in particular often confounds the diagnosis and further treatment of ADHD, because of high prevalence of anxiety symptoms in ADHD (Biederman et al., 2006). In addition, is shown to be highly comorbid with bipolar disorder, and research suggests that 22% of adults and children with ADHD experience bipolar disorder. Such high rates of comorbidity make it increasingly difficult to provide the right diagnosis and design effective treatment. The fact that ADHD is highly comorbid with substance abuse has raised concerns about the abuse liability of stimulants that are often used in ADHD treatment. However clinical data does not support this contention (Wilens, 2006). However, it is also important to notice that the study by Wilens only used female subjects in their research, which raises the question about generalizability of the study
Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, otherwise known as ADHD, is the most common psychiatric condition effecting 9.5% of school-aged children in the United States (intuniv, 2013). If the disorder goes untreated, it will cause more long-term side effects and difficulties for the individual as an adult. Adults who have this condition face several adversities in every day life, such as impulsive behavior, low self-esteem and poor work performance. People are not aware of the complications that come with ADHD in adults. Not knowing the symptoms of the disease can cause people to not be sympathetic when they are interacting with someone with disorder.
At least one in four families in the U.S. is affected by mental illnesses. Unfortunately there is no cure for this range of illnesses, which have been around for thousands of years. Of the American adult population, 5.4 percent have a serious mental illness. These health conditions are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, behavior, or some combination of these. They are also associated with distress and sometimes impaired functioning. In 1990 the total cost of mental health services in the U.S. was $148 billion. According to a new report by the Mental Health Foundation, one in five children suffer from a mental health problem. Attention deficit hyperactive disorder is a mental illness that is diagnosed mainly in young children and doesn’t always disappear in adulthood.” All we know is that this genetic, inherited condition [ADHD] is not due to brain damage at all but rather a variation in how the brain functions.” Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) includes symptoms and characteristics that can be placed in one of three categories: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. These characteristics commonly leave a person with ADHD with lack of attention span, easily distracted, fidgety, struggling to stay seated, having trouble engaging in calm activities, impatient, and talking excessively or out of turn. A new study by researchers says that hyperactive children have behavioral differences due to under active parts of their brain, a biological malfunction, rather than due to way they were brought up. This was revealed by a magnetic scanning device that allowed researchers to look at the brains of children diagnosed with ADHD. These studies and statistics reinforce the claim that mental illnesses are not invented simply to justify drugging of children and a disease that needs be educated to the public for better understanding. Rather, ADHD is an illness that affects many people throughout their lives. This topic is often misunderstood by the public. The media and medical community need to educate the positive side of this controversy and not just show the opposing view, which often times misrepresented by the media.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is broadly described as a neurobehavioral disorder where a person has difficulty paying attention and complying with basic commands. On a biological level, ADHD is hereditary, where a parent passes the disorder to their offspring through genes, while on a cellular level, ADHD affects cell functions such as cellular respiration, more specifically, glucose metabolism (Zimmer, 2009). The public’s perception is clear; ADHD has an over diagnosing problem at a systemic level, where doctors in the United States over diagnose children with ADHD. However, a review of the evidence for and against the argument of ADHD over diagnosing suggest that the disorder does not suffer from an over diagnosing problem. Finally, while there are several methods used to treat ADHD, including medication and behavioral correction therapy, an
One of the main treatments for ADHD is the use of medication. Primarily the main medication used is stimulants such as amphetamines. Amphetamines have been used in this treatment due to its effects of reducing the symptoms of ADHD such as behavior and irritability (Hodgkins, Shaw, McCarthy, Sallee, 2012). A major concern though with the use of amphetamines is...
“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).” Tish Davidson, AM., Teresa G. Odle., and Laura Jean Cataldo, RN, Ed.D. The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders. 3rd Edition. 2010.
U.S. Heath News reported (2013) that 6.4 million children ages 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Since 2007, the utilization of stimulant medication to treat ADHD has jumped 11% nationally as a whole. It was also reported that the U.S. spends more on prescription drugs to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder than it does for all but six other medical conditions (U.S. News Health, 2013). The number of ADHD diagnosed teens prescribed stimulants, such as Ritalin and Adderall, will be increasing over time as the new guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics now recognizes physicians prescribing ADHD stimulant medications to childre...
ADHD is a disorder that has been on the rise for several years now. The disorder is one that can cause many impairments to a child’s attention span, making it difficult to concentrate and to keep on task, especially on schoolwork. (Graham, 2007) The statistics have been growing ...
Background/history: Margaret is a 38 year old woman who lives in Conway Massachusetts. Margaret’s primary disability includes ADHD and a Processing Disorder, which impacts her focus and concentration. She experiences a secondary disability of Fibromyalgia and Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Margaret stated during the evaluation that she too suffers from PTSD, General Anxiety Disorder, Major Depression and a sleep disorder and is presently taking medication. She went on to say she has arthritis in both her hands and her shoulders pop out of socket easily.
According to a variety of clinical studies appearing in various peer-reviewed journals, only 8% of children and 5% of adults have ADHD, but 21 to 45% of all criminals in US prison have ADHD (Quily.) One of the most prevalent mental conditions in children, ADHD is also one of the fastest growing mental health problems for school-age populations (Wolfe.) Its occurrence appears to be anywhere between 2 to 10% of children in school, and corresponds to 7.4% of parents with children ages 3-17 indicating that they have been notified that their child has this condition. As a result, treatment numbers for ADHD have dramatically increased over the last few decades; ADHD is more commonly diagnosed in boys than girls although there are no discernible disparities in diagnosis by race. A great deal of research has focused on short-term consequences of this condition on school-age children, including an increased...
ADHD is an exceedingly real diagnosis for many children in the United States. Are we over diagnosing our little ones just to keep from dealing with unpleasant behavior? “ On average 1 of every 10 to 15 children in the United States has been diagnosed with the disorder, and 1 in every 20 to 25 uses a stimulant medication” (Mayes, Bagwell, & Erkulwater, 2008). Several believe that virtually all ADHD diagnoses are retractable with appropriate discipline of children instead of being so hasty in medicating them. The material found on the CDC website describes facts about ADHD, it clarifies the signs, symptoms, types, causes, diagnosis tools, and treatment forms of ADHD. What the article neglects to go into is the reality that there is a considerable amount of controversy surrounding ADHD. The CDCs usage of ethos, pathos, and logos and by what method the website manipulates them to affect the reader will be the basis of this paper.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), once called hyperkinesis or minimal brain dysfunction, is one of the most common mental disorders among children. (Elia, Ambrosini, Rapoport, 1999) It affects 3 to 5 percent of all children, with approximately 60% to 80% of these children experiencing persistence of symptoms into adolescence and adulthood, causing a lifetime of frustrated dreams and emotional pain. There are two types of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: an inattentive type and a combined type. The symptoms of ADHD can be classified into three categories: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. This behaviour stops ADHD sufferers from focussing deliberately on organising and completing a specific task that they may not enjoy, learning new skills or information is proved to be impossible. An example of such behaviour is recognised by the report written by the National Institute of Mental Health where one of the subjects under study was unable to pass schooling examinations due to her inattentive behaviour. Such behaviour can damage the person's relationships with others in addition to disrupting their daily life, consuming energy, and diminishing self-esteem. (National Institute of Mental Health 1999) There are also secondary symptoms which are associated with ADHD, such as learning disorders, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders, tic disorders, and conduct disorders. (Spencer, Biederman, and Wilens 1999 in Monastra V, Monastra D, George, 2002)
The purpose of this research was to describe and understand Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and the most effective treatment options that are available today. ADHD is a mental health disorder that affects 3-9% of the population in ways that, if left untreated, can wreak havoc on the mind of the sufferer. It makes concentration difficult, large tasks seem insurmountable, and causes impulsive and hyperactive tendencies. Fortunately, research and experiments have led to new and effective treatments to help those who suffer from this disorder (Dupaul 8). This research examined journal articles and internet sources on the topic to help unlock the complexities of the disorder through scientific research. It also was a way to separate the myths of the disorder from the truths, while discovering the causes, diagnosis methods, and best treatment alternatives to battle this prevalent disorder.
An academic consultation was requested by a special education teacher in regards to a student with a 504 for ADHD. Jimmy’s parents divorced four years ago. Jimmy lives with his father during the week and his mother Thursday nights and the weekend. Jimmy has a younger sister who attends a local technical high school. Jimmy has trouble completing homework and/or handing in completed work. He is unmotivated in school and does not enjoy school. When he is confronted with poor grades his solution is to work hard and “just get it done” however, he has been able to show improvement.
Researchers in this study decided to focus on families affected by ADHD for several reasons. The first reason is the prevalence of ADHD, for “ADHD in the general population is approximately 3% to 8%” (Lench, Levine, & Whalen, 141). Additionally, parents who report ADHD symptoms a...
There is a dispute about ADHD recently. Most common are two opinions, on the one hand we have researchers and clinicians who believe that ADHD is a valid condition and many children suffer from ADHD and should be treated. On the other hand there is a camp that supports the notion that ADHD has vague diagnostic criteria that lead to over diagnosis and over medication of too many children. A significant number of studies provide sample evidence for the six Robins and Guze (1970) validity criteria, which are (...