ADHD

The symptoms of ADHD can be categorised into two sets of behavioural problems – symptoms of inattentiveness and symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsiveness and it is not fully understood whether these problems are an extreme form of normal behaviour or part of a separate range of behaviour. A child who is inattentive, overly talkative, impulsive, excessively irritable and hyperactive is labelled as having ADHD. But there are three sub-types of the condition and it is useful to find out which one your child may have:

Types of ADHD

• ADHD mainly inattentive
• ADHD mainly hyperactive-impulsive
• ADHD combined

If your child has symptoms of all three behavioural problems – inattentiveness, hyperactivity or impulsiveness – they may have ADHD combined which is the commonest sub-type of ADHD. However, your child may only have symptoms of inattentiveness but not hyperactivity or impulsiveness, so they may have ADHD mainly inattentive. This form of ADHD is also known as attention deficit order (ADD).

Childhood ADHD is more commonly diagnosed in boys than girls and this may be because disruptive behaviour, which the diagnosis may be partly based on, tends to be more prevalent with boys than girls. Girls with ADHD often have the mainly inattentive form of the condition, which may make them quiet and dreamy. Often this condition goes unnoticed. It is therefore possible that ADHD could remain undiagnosed in girls and could be more common than previously thought. The symptoms of ADHD in children and teenagers are well defined:

Inattentiveness:

• a very short attention span
• being very easily distracted
• making careless mistakes, e.g. with school work
• appearing forget or losing things
• unable to stick at tasks which may seem time-consuming or tedious
• unable to listen to or carry out instructions
• unable to concentrate
• constantly changing an activity or task
• difficulty with organising tasks

Hyperactivity:

• unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings
• constantly fidgeting
• unable to settle to tasks
• excessive physical movement
• excessive talking

Impulsiveness:

• being unable to wait for a turn
• acting without thinking
• interrupting conversations
• breaking any set rules
• little or no sense of danger

If your child has ADHD their symptoms usually become noticeable before the age of 7. Most diagnoses are made between the ages of 3 and 7. The most common problems caused by ADHD are underachievement at school, poor social interaction with other children and adults and problems with discipline. In some cases, ADHD can also cause related conditions, including:

Anxiety disorder – causes the child to worry and be nervous most of the time. Physical symptoms of this are rapid heartbeat, sweating and dizziness.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) – defined by negative and disruptive behaviour, particularly towards authority figures such as parents and teachers.

Conduct disorder – tendency towards highly anti-social behaviour such as vandalism, stealing, fighting, harming people, harming animals. If your child is behaving this way it is imperative to consult a registered health practitioner straight away.

Depression: – ADHD can affect mood

Sleep problems: – hyperactivity renders sleep difficult and interferes with sleep patterns

Epilepsy:-  a condition of the brain which causes seizures (fits)

Tourettes’s Syndrome: – a condition of the nervous system (the nerves, brain and spinal cord) that causes involuntary movements and sounds

Learning difficulties: – around a third of children with ADHD can also suffer from dyslexia (difficulty reading and spelling words.) However it is important to remember that ADHD has no effect in intelligence

In adults the symptoms of ADHD are more difficult to define, largely due to a lack of research, and it is still uncertain whether ADHD can occur in adults without it first appearing during childhood. However, it is known that symptoms of ADHD often persist from childhood into teenage years and into adulthood. Any additional, associated problems such as dyslexia or depression are also likely to carry on into adulthood. By the age of 25, an estimated 15 per cent of people diagnosed with childhood ADHD still show the full range of symptoms and 65 per cent still have some symptoms that impact on their daily lives. There is no definite list of adult symptoms and experts agree that simply applying the childhood symptoms to adults would not work. This is because the way in which inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness affects adults is very different to the way they affect children. Hyperactivity tends to decrease in adults, while inattentiveness worsens due to the pressures of adult lives. Adult ADHD symptoms are much more subtle than childhood ones but the following could be experienced:

• Carelessness or lack of attention to detail
• Continually beginning new tasks before completing old ones
• Poor organisational skills
• Inability to focus or prioritise
• Continually losing or misplacing things
• Forgetfulness
• Restlessness and edginess
• Difficulty keeping quiet and speaking out of turn
• Blurting responses  and poor timing when speaking to others
• Often interrupting others
• Mood swings
• Irritability and a short temper
• Inability to deal with stress
• Extreme impatience
• Taking risks in activities, often with little or no regard for the personal safety of others

As with ADHD in children and teenagers, ADHD in adults can appear alongside other problems or conditions and one of the commonest is depression. Other associated symptoms could include:

• Personality disorders
• Bipolar disorder (a condition that affects moods which can swing from one extreme to another)
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (a condition that causes obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviour such as cleaning constantly)

Any problems you may have had as a child are likely to persist into adulthood which can make life extremely difficult. For example you may have difficulty finding and keeping employment, in relationship and special interactions, with drugs or with crime.