Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
hideAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or AD/HD) is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder. [Requires registration] ADHD is defined as a “persistent pattern of inattention or hyperactivity—impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and more severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development.” While symptoms may appear to be innocent and merely annoying nuisances to observers, "if left untreated, the persistent and pervasive effects of ADHD symptoms can insidiously and severely interfere with one's ability to get the most out of education, fulfill one's potential in the workplace, establish and maintain interpersonal relationships, and maintain a generally positive sense of self.":p.2
ADHD is the most commonly studied and diagnosed psychiatric disorder in children, affecting about 3 to 5% of children globally with symptoms starting before seven years of age. ADHD is a common chronic disorder in children with 30 to 50% of those individuals diagnosed in childhood continuing to have symptoms into adulthood. Adolescents and adults with ADHD tend to develop coping mechanisms to compensate for some or all of their impairments. However, many aspects of daily life that most people take for granted are rendered more difficult by the symptoms of ADHD.[clarification needed]
Though previously regarded as a childhood diagnosis, ADHD can continue throughout adulthood. 4.7 percent of American adults are estimated to live with ADHD. ADHD is diagnosed twice to four times as frequently in boys as in girls, though studies suggest this discrepancy may be due to subjective bias of referring teachers. ADHD management usually involves some combination of medications, behavior modifications, lifestyle changes, and counseling. Its symptoms can be difficult to differentiate from other psychiatric or other disorders, increasing the likelihood that the diagnosis of ADHD will be missed. Additionally, most clinicians have not received formal training in the assessment and treatment of ADHD, particularly in adult patients.
ADHD and its diagnosis and treatment have been considered controversial since the 1970s. The controversies have involved clinicians, teachers, policymakers, parents and the media. Opinions regarding ADHD range from not believing it exists at all to believing there are genetic and physiological bases for the condition as well as disagreement about the use of stimulant medications in treatment. Most healthcare providers accept that ADHD is a genuine disorder with debate in the scientific community centering mainly around how it is diagnosed and treated.
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News tagged with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Kids with ADHD need to fidget, study says
May 26, 2009 |
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If you've got a kid with ADHD, you've probably spent countless hours pleading with him to sit still. Well, stop it.
Brain wave patterns can predict blunders, new study finds
Mar 23, 2009 |
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From spilling a cup of coffee to failing to notice a stop sign, everyone makes an occasional error due to lack of attention. Now a team led by a researcher at the University of California, Davis, in collaboration ...
Common plastics chemicals linked to ADHD symptoms
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 19, 2009 |
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Phthalates are important components of many consumer products, including toys, cleaning materials, plastics, and personal care items. Studies to date on phthalates have been inconsistent, with some linking exposure to these ...
Deficits in brain's reward system observed in ADHD patients
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Sep 08, 2009 |
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A brain-imaging study conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory provides the first definitive evidence that patients suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have ...
The role of genetic factors in adult ADHD
Sep 15, 2009 |
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Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, is one of the most common neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood. Worldwide, 3% of children are affected with the disorder. Key symptoms of ADHD include age-inappropriate ...
Scientists find emotion-like behaviors, regulated by dopamine, in fruit flies
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Nov 25, 2009 |
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Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have uncovered evidence of a primitive emotion-like behavior in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. Their findings, which may be relevant to the relationship betwee ...
Eating liquorice in pregnancy may affect a child's IQ and behavior
Oct 06, 2009 |
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Expectant mothers who eat excessive quantities of liquorice during pregnancy could adversely affect their child's intelligence and behaviour, a study has shown.
Casting light on social blame
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Oct 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Mothers whose children suffer from emotional and behavioral disabilities say they shoulder a tremendous social burden of responsibility to remedy their kids’ problems, says Linda Blum, associate ...
Researchers Study Academic Effects of ADHD Drugs
Jul 13, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Stimulant medications used to treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, are often assumed to improve memory and make a person smarter, but experts have found that is not the case. Researchers ...
Inconsistent performance speed among children with ADHD may underlie how well they use memory
Mar 24, 2009 |
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(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show more variable or inconsistent responses during on 'working' or short-term, memory tasks when compared with typically developing peers, ...
Study links ADHD medicine with better test scores
Apr 27, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Children on medicine for attention deficit disorder scored higher on academic tests than their unmedicated peers in the first large, long-term study suggesting this kind of benefit from the widely ...
ADHD genes found, known to play roles in neurodevelopment
Jun 23, 2009 |
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Pediatric researchers have identified hundreds of gene variations that occur more frequently in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than in children without ADHD. Many of those genes were already ...
Psychiatric symptoms may predict Internet addiction in adolescents
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Oct 05, 2009 |
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Adolescents with psychiatric symptoms such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), social phobia, hostility and depression may be more likely to develop an Internet addiction, according to a report in the October ...
Researchers study how children view and treat their peers with undesirable characteristics
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jul 30, 2009 |
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A study by Kansas State University researchers is looking at how children perceive and interact with peers who have various undesirable characteristics, such as being overweight or aggressive.
Amphetamine use in adolescence may impair adult working memory
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 21, 2009 |
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Rats exposed to high doses of amphetamines at an age that corresponds to the later years of human adolescence display significant memory deficits as adults - long after the exposure ends, researchers report.
