Attention Deficit Disorder is a disability affecting 1.21% of Americans (CDC Fast Stats). For a percentage that seems so small, the effects of living a life with ADD are significant. People with ADD struggle in school or in everyday situations, but they can learn ways to manage this disability. During childhood unknowingly struggling with ADD made things more complicated throughout school and life, and it went overlooked and undiagnosed until reaching adulthood. Some may not believe that it is a true disorder and that it only affects children, but it does actually exist. ADD does not discriminate against age, race or gender. This complex disorder can start to be understood through its history, myths, facts, symptoms, causes, and treatments. The first aspect to understand ADD comes from looking into its past of being misunderstood and misdiagnosed. The original awareness of ADD occurred in 1902 from a pediatrician whom described the disorder as “an abnormal defect of moral control in children” (Sir George Still). From a later progression in the 1950’s, ADD was referred to as minimal brain dysfunction and only diagnosed in children under puberty age. It wasn’t until the 1960’s when The American Psychiatric Association first recognized ADD as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In 1968, the DSM-II first attempted a more specific definition, highlighting hyperactivity being labeled a “hyperkinetic reaction of childhood.” In 1980, the DSM-III changed the name of the condition Attention Deficit Disorder, (ADD), shifting the definition away from the hyperactivity and more to problems in focusing attention; creating two subtypes: ADD with hyperactivity and ADD without hyperactivity. In 19... ... middle of paper ... ...://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/history-adhd-timeline#promoSlide>. "Types of ADHD: Inattentive, Hyperactive, and Combined Types." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. . "Shire Launches Educational Resources for Individuals with ADHD, their Families, and Health Care Professionals; the ADHD: A Shared Focus TM Program and the ADHD and You Web Site are Designed to Provide Education about Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)." M2 PresswireJan 16 2013. ProQuest. Web. 24 Apr. 2014 . "What Is Attention-Deficit Disorder? Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?" What Is Attention-Deficit Disorder? Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY), 1996. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. .
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.
In the early eighties, children were being diagnosed with a mental illness that consistently brings them out of focus. The mental illness was later named, ADD or ADHD, and not known as an illness but as a disorder. Soon enough ADD was no longer used for diagnoses and became considered an outdated term among doctors. Therefore, instead of ADD and ADHD being two different types of disorders they are now both claimed as attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Although these two types of deficits have inattention difficulties as the primary symptom, they both can not be combined due to ADD having its own preferences on what makes the child or adult inattentive in day to day situations.
Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders. 2005. The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Second Encyclopedia.com. The World of War II. 17 May. 2012 http://www.encyclopedia.com Zieman, Gayle and Dewan, Naakeesh A. “Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Adults”. Relay Clinical Education -.
“What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, ADD)?” National Institute of Mental Health. National Institutes of Health. Web. 6 March 2014.
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 ...
This paper will attempt to describe Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The different causative factors, as well as the diagnosis of this disorder will also be described. Finally, the different treatments that are available for ADHD will be discussed.
Now after explaining what is ADD/ADHD we are ready to cover the controversy surrounding it. As this topic is vast and you may find a lot of different reasons to discredit this disorder and psychiatry in generally I would try to focus on the main and most prevalent discussions. Covering the criticism around the way of diagnosis, history, policies in the US and UK, the media and finally as a conclusion end this essay with my final humble opinion on the matter and hopefully have helped you to reach a decision.
"What is the definition of ADHD." Adult - Child - ADD - ADHD. N/A, n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2014. .
The American heritage Dictionary defines Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as, “an attention deficit disorder in which hyperactivity is present.” Attention Deficit Disorder is defined as, “A syndrome, usually diagnosed in childhood, characterized by a persistent pattern of impulsiveness, a short attention span, and often hyperactivity, and interfering especially with academic, occupational, and social performance.” ADHD is most often diagnosed during childhood and was formerly believed to have lessened and ended as the child matured but recent studies have found that between 35 and 50 % of all cases persist into adulthood.
Attention Deficit Disorder is a long and some what mysterious sounding name that tries to describe something you probably already call Hyperactivity. But, attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is much more that Hyperactivity.
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)
...ted a website that pertains to the disorder known as ADHD. There are five specific criteria that should always be met when evaluating a website, to assure the website it factual and reliable. The web page about ADHD exceeds all five of these criteria. The website is a government run site, so it has the proper and reliable authority. The information on the site matches other information about ADHD proving that it is accurate. There is objectivity because there are no opinions or bias located on the site, only factual information. The website is current and gets updated regularly, and covers all areas of the disorder ranging from the signs and symptoms to different treatment options (“Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder”, 2016). This site is an excellent example of what to look for when researching for an example of a reliable website with trustworthy information.
Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder also known as ADHD, is one of the most common childhood psychological disorders and can continue through adulthood. ADHD is diagnosed in 6-7% of children. The rate of diagnosis is similar between countries. Although is it not known why boys are about three times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with ADHD.