Friday, August 5, 2016

Causes And Management Of Adhd In Children

By William Sullivan


The abbreviation ADHD is used widely for the term attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. As a mental disease, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is categorized under neurodevelopment. Patients are often unable to control their behavior and find it hard to pay attention. The disease is also characterized by excessive activity. ADHD is the most prevalent mental disorder in children, because most kids are diagnosed with it worldwide. ADHD in children has become a global problem as opposed to being a menace in developed countries alone as before.

In order for a child to be diagnosed with this condition, symptoms must prevail for a period of more than six months. The symptoms must also be a source of inability to function in at least to settings. Common settings in which patients have trouble functioning are social, work, school, and home. One must also have attained the criteria for diagnosis before reaching the age of twelve years.

ADHD comes with many observable symptoms. In most cases, symptoms occur together simultaneously. Common symptoms include forgetfulness, being easily distracted, switching activities often, and missing details. Patients cannot maintain focus on one task because they get bored easily. They find it very hard to follow instruction and to understand minor details. Children often seem confused, and they daydream and move slowly.

Out of all the cases, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder usually occur together with other conditions in about 65 percent of all the time. Among the conditions it is associated with are Tourette syndrome, learning disability, oppositional defiant disorder, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, and primary disorder of vigilance. Additional conditions include obsessive-compulsive disorder, restless legs syndrome, sleep disorder, and substance use disorder.

The condition is also associated with persistent bed wetting, developmental coordination disorder, and language delay. Language delay comprises of hardship listening within distracting environments, short-term hearing memory weakness, slow processing of spoken messages, and hardship following instructions. Telling when the degree of impulsivity, inattention, and hyperactivity has gone out of the normal range makes it hard to make a diagnosis.

According to studies, people who have attention deficient hyperactivity disorder also tend to have low intelligence quotient. These individuals consistently score low in IQ tests. There is controversy on these findings because it is not clear if the low scores in IQ tests are caused by distractibility or intellectual capacity of patients. There is a lot of ongoing research to determine the significance of the relationship between low scores in IQ tests and attention deficient hyperactivity disorder.

Three types of ADHD exist. The first variety is predominantly inattentive, while the second variety is predominantly hyperactive-impulsive. The third variety combines the first two varieties. The cause often remains unknown in a majority of cases. Trauma and infection of the brain have historically been found to be causes of this mental disorder.

Attention deficient hyperactivity disorder is not treatable, but rather manageable. Physicians use counseling and medications to manage the condition. Outcomes cannot be alleviated completely in the long-term, but can be improved. Examples of medications in use are stimulants, atomoxetine, alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonists, and antidepressants.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment