Things You Should Know About ADD-ADHD

ADD and ADHD, these are two terms often used interchangeably to decribe a common neurological problem in which a child find it difficult to concentrate on any task for more than a couple of minutes and they also can't seem to sit still.

ADD stands for attention deficit disorder while ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. "Hyperactivity" is the word that separates both terms. So, generally many people think that if hyperactivity is absent, then the kid has ADD. If hyperactivity is detected, then he is ADHD. That used to be the way but the official term now is ADHD, and it has been like that since 1994.

ADHD is one of the most diagnosed childhood psychiatric disorders in the West, and if you come across terms such as hyperkinesis, mental deficiency and minimal brain damage, then you are looking at very old resources. The term ADD came about in late 1970s, followed by ADHD in 1987 to reflect the idea of hyperactivity that often comes together with ADD.

There are basically three types of ADHD - namely ADHD, ADD and ADHD combined type (which exhibits a mixture of ADHD and ADD symptoms).

ADHD kids are often very naughty, and because of that they are picked out very early on by teachers. The ADHD kid is hyperactive. He moves about and cannot remain still. He is very noisy and talks a lot. He is incapable of keeping quiet when playing.

While many view this liveliness as a common childhood stuff, or perhaps the by-product of bad parenting, medical experts believe the problem could be genetic in nature. Most researchers believe there is a biological cause for ADD-ADHD in that it is caused by some abnormality in the brain. There is an imbalance in a few neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine. They brushed aside ideas that ADHD is due to watching too much TV, bad parenting, excessive intake of sugar or food allergies.

Current studies estimates that between three and six per cent of children globally are affected by ADHD, with the condition somehow affecting more boys than girls in the ratio of 3:1.

As these researches also show that ADD-ADHD runs across all races and cultures, it means that people in Asia and other parts of the world also have it. But we often don't hear about it in these places because of two main reasons, namely that mental health workers are not common, and secondly because mental health issues are usually taboo and will not be reported or publicised even when diagnosed.

Critics say that ADD-ADHD figures are increasing because diagnosis is vague. Others point out that it is difficult to isolate symptoms of ADHD because many victims also have other health problems. In addition to that, the symptoms of an ADHD kid is very much like those displayed by regular naughty children. In fact, it looks like an attitude problem, and that is one reason why it is often not diagnosed.

Then there are people who believe that the whole ADHD thing is a big lie for pharmaceutical firms to make more money. These few tend to believe that everything is alright with their child and all that he (child) needs needs is a good spanking.

However, trained professionals have cautioned that if ADD-ADHD is not treated early, the outcome could be disastrous. It can lead to all sorts of problems, like ill-treating teachers, bully classmates, getting into fights, and may even end up with undesirous elements of society.

But whether it is described as ADD or ADHD, the fact remains that many ADHD people are actually very creative and intelligent. He can be very productive in future if the medical condition is given early treatment.