ADULT ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER (ADHD)

ADULT ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER



Adult Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Introduction

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the name given to a group of behaviors found in many children and adults. People with ADHD are hyperactive or, distracted most of the time. Even when they try to concentrate, they have a difficulty in paying attention. Adult People with ADHD have difficulty organizing things, listening to instructions, remembering details and controlling their behavior. Therefore, people with ADHD often have trouble getting along with others at home, at school or at work.

The attention deficit disorder is a disorder that occurs most often in children, and this has a negative impact on school performance. It appears more frequently in boys than in girls, and having a percentage of 20 to 30% retention in the adult stage. There are three main types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), inattentive type, the hyperactive /impulsive and combined type (there are discussions about the compatibility of the inattentive type and hyperactive). This disorder occurs more frequently in boys than in girls, a ratio of three to one. Although the variety inattentive, predominantly girls, and the other two children.

Discussion and Analysis

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neuropsychological disorders in childhood and adolescence. It is now commonly accepted, in contrast to previous belief that ADHD often persists into adulthood. The National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) estimates a 3% adult prevalence of ADHD versus about 7% in childhood. Thus, one might conclude that about half the children with ADHD continue to experience those symptoms into adulthood. Some analysis of research data indicates, however; that 86% if those adults diagnosable with ADHD are also diagnosable with either uni-polar major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. This leaves us with two possibilities: Either almost all patients with adult ADHD also have mood disorders owing to the fact that they have very bad luck (or that these illnesses are always “comorbid”), or there is no such thing as adult ADHD. One should not diagnose ADHD in the presence of active-mood disorder (Ting, 2006).

Thus, the co-occurrence of the two should be interpreted as merely mood disorders with cognitive symptoms (i.e., concentration impairment in depression and destructibility in mania) unless proven otherwise. Unfortunately, many psychiatrists assume the reverse. They tend to diagnose ADHD if any cognitive impairment with concentration is present. (American Psychiatric Association, 2000)

If two sets of symptoms overlap 86% of the time, it does not make sense to me to persist in viewing those symptoms as separate, as opposed to one overall set of symptoms. Hence, if there is such a thing as adult ADHD, then people are referring to perhaps 14% excluding the mood disorder overlap group) of the original 3% prevalence rate, which is 0.42%.What about this group? In addition, what about the course-of-illness studies that indicates that many children with ADHD continue to have those symptoms into adulthood. Such course-of-illness studies are rarely controlled; I have found only one study ...