One can never have enough information on ADHD. What I have learned is there are several different causes, types, and treatments for ADHD. Keep in mind what you may not be aware of, may lead you to make the wrong decisions.
ADHD is short for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This disorder is most commonly found in boys rather than in girls. ADHD is a pattern of impulsiveness, inattention, and/or hyperactivity. About 10-40 percent of children with ADHD will carry it into adulthood.
Safe treatments for ADHD would be medication and behavior therapy. Pre-schoolers should not take the medicine and if that's the case then talk to your doctor. Other treatments for ADHD would be counseling, life style changes, and/or behavior modifications.
Studies don't show whether it is safe to take the medication for more than a couple years. If you or a person you know has been taking the pills longer than a couple years, talk to your doctor for advice.
Impulsiveness is the tendency to interrupt during a conversation, disorganization, acting before thinking of consequences, and/or jumping from one activity to another.
Inattention is where the person has difficulty listening and/or paying attention, gets easily distracted, and/or doesn't finish their work.
Hyperactivity is the inability to sit still, fidgeting, squirminess, restless sleep, restlessness, and climbing on things. But with hyperactivity, it normally goes away when you reach adulthood.
Those three things make up ADHD and knowing the difference may help determine what they might have.
Other Disorders Related to ADHD
ADHD is found to be associated with other disorders that deal with behavior problems and inability to have control over the mind. These disorders would be; Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct order, Primary Disorder of Vigilance, Bipolar Disorder, and Anxiety disorders.
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is an ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures.
Conduct Disorder is behavioral problems such as physical aggression, destructiveness, truancy, lying, vandalism, stealing, and cruelty to that of humans and animals.
Primary Disorder of Vigilance is the same as ADHD but with the person appearing to be hyperactive to stay alert. Over time the symptoms become worse.
Bipolar Disorder is where the person has episodes of abnormally elevated moods. This is clinically referred to as mania, or if it is milder, then it's called hypomania.
Anxiety Disorder is a persistent or irrational fear that could be accompanied by headaches, sweating, hypertension, and/or palpitations.
Causes of ADHD
Genetics make up 75 percent of the causes of ADHD although not many others were found to be a cause. Also, the environment can be a cause. All the pollution and toxins in the air as in major cities could harm the brain.
Yet the biggest influence doctors believe to be the cause of ADHD is pregnancy. Any chemical the mother gets near during pregnancy could cause damage to the unborn baby's brain. Drinking and smoking while pregnant can cause things to go wrong in the unborns' brain that the mother could have avoided.