Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, more commonly called ADHD, is a neurological disorder known to affect a person's concentration, focus, and self-control.
October marks ADHD Awareness Month across the world, and aims to educate people on the common disorder.
ADHD has always been known to affect children - but according to the Mayo Clinic, many adults don't know that they suffer from it, instead believing that everyday tasks are just a challenge for them.
According to the NHS, the exact cause of ADHD is not yet known, but it's believed to run in families and the symptoms in adults and children can be very different.
Parents and siblings of someone with ADHD are more likely to have the condition themselves. However, the way ADHD is inherited is likely to be complex and is not thought to be related to a single genetic fault.
Here, we've explored the ways in which ADHD can show up in children and adults, and how it can be treated.
ADHD symptoms in children
The NHS states that symptoms of ADHD in children and teens are usually noticeable before they turn six.
They also usually tend to show up in more than one situation, such as at school and at home.
There are two key ADHD symptoms in children, which are detailed below.
Inattentiveness (difficulty concentrating and focusing)
The most common signs of inattentiveness are:
- having a short attention span and being easily distracted
- making careless mistakes – for example, in schoolwork
- being forgetful or losing things often
- having difficulty sticking to tasks that are hard or time-consuming
- having trouble listening or carrying out instructions
- constantly changing activity or task
- having problems with organising tasks
Hyperactivity and impulsiveness
This is another key symptom of ADHD in children and teenagers.
Some common signs of this include:
- difficulty sitting still especially in calm or quiet surroundings
- constantly fidgeting
- inability to concentrate on tasks
- moving around a lot
- talking constantly
- being unable to wait their turn
- acting without thinking
- interrupting conversations
- little or no sense of danger
Displaying these symptoms can cause huge disruption to a child's life, especially when it comes to their performance at school and how they interact with others.
ADHD symptoms in adults
When it comes to adults, symptoms of ADHD can be much harder to define.
There isn't a lot of research done yet into adult ADHD, but it's believed it can't just develop in adulthood without it first appearing when the person is a child.
The main symptoms in children - inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness - affect adults very differently to how they affect young people.
For example, hyperactivity is a lot less common in adults than it is children. However, signs of inattentiveness can be seen in adulthood too as the pressures of growing up remain.
According to ADHD specialists, these are some of the main signs of the disorder in adults:
- carelessness and lack of attention to detail
- always starting new tasks before finishing old ones
- bad organisational skills
- difficulty focusing or prioritising
- always losing or misplacing things
- blurting out responses and interrupting others when they're talking
- mood swings, irritability and a quick temper
- inability to deal with stress
- extreme impatience
- taking risks, often with little or no regard their own safety or other's safety – for example, driving dangerously
How ADHD is treated
There are a few different ways of treating ADHD in children and adults, although there is not yet a full cure.
These include medicines, different types of therapy, and changes to lifestyle such as diet and taking supplements.
There are currently five different types of medication offered to children, adults and teenagers with ADHD - methylphenidate, lisdexamfetamine, dexamfetamine, atomoxetine and guanfacine. These can be taken to ease the symptoms and make life easier for people with the condition, but aren't a permanent cure for ADHD.
Behaviour therapy, social skills training and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are also a few ways of treating additional problems that may accompany ADHD, such as anxiety.
Finally, doctors can suggest certain diet changes and supplements that you can take, but there's no strong evidence that these work and shouldn't be done without medical supervision.
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