Live Life Team
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is generally considered to be a neurobehavioral developmental disorder among children. It affects about 3 percent to 5 percent of school-aged children. Sometimes children with ADHD continue throughout adulthood, but as adults they have the possibility to develop a coping skill that counteracts their impairment. Children with ADHD usually have problems with peer relationships. Moreover, ADHD shows to have long-term adverse effects on academic performance and social/emotional development of children.
ADHD is classified as a disruptive behaviour disorder, along with conduct disorder and antisocial disorder. The most common symptoms of ADHD include impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and inattention. In impulsiveness, children act before thinking of the consequences. They jump from one activity to another, and have a tendency to interrupt other people’s conversations. In hyperactivity, children become relentless and cannot sit still in one place. In contrast, inattentive children are easily distracted and have difficulty listening.
The causes of ADHD are not known. However, there are some factors that may be associated with ADHD such as genetics, diet, and social and physical environments. Studies suggest that ADHD is extremely heritable, with about 75% of ADHD incidents linked to genetics. In addition, about 9 percent to 20 percent of the variance in ADHD symptoms is attributed to environmental factors like drugs and alcohol. Children who suffer from violence, emotional abuse, or living in foster homes were discovered to have behaviour typical to ADHD.
Methods of treatment require some combination of medications, life style changes, behaviour modifications, and counselling. It includes psychological therapies, taking stimulant medicine, and asking for help from support groups. Among ADHD treatments, stimulant medications and behaviour therapy are said to be the safest treatments for ADHD.
