Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is a challenging neurodevelopmental disorder that affects children, adolescents, and adults. The symptoms and signs can differ from person to person and may change with age. Generally, ADHD symptoms are divided into two categories: inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity. Identifying these symptoms is the first step toward getting help and effectively treating the disorder.

Inattention

Individuals exhibiting inattentive characteristics of ADHD might:
1. Struggle with Details: They may overlook details, leading to careless mistakes in work, school, and other activities.
2. Have Difficulty Sustaining Attention: Their attention span can be short, making it hard to focus during lectures, conversations, or lengthy readings.
3. Seem Not to Listen: They may appear distracted even when someone is speaking to them directly.
4. Fail to Follow Through on Instructions: They may start a task but lose interest and not complete it.
5. Have Difficulty Organizing Tasks and Activities: Issues with organization might include poor time management, disorganized work, and difficulty meeting deadlines.
6. Avoid or Be Reluctant to Engage in Tasks Requiring Sustained Mental Effort: They might resist engaging in tasks at school, such as homework, report preparation, or filling out forms.
7. Lose Things: They frequently misplace items necessary for tasks or activities, like school materials, wallets, keys, eyeglasses, and mobile phones.
8. Be Easily Distracted by Unrelated Thoughts or Stimuli: They may be diverted by external or internal stimuli.
9. Be Forgetful in Daily Activities: They may struggle to remember chores, errands, calls, bills, and appointments.

Hyperactivity-Impulsivity

Individuals with hyperactivity-impulsivity may demonstrate the following:
1. Fidget with or Tap Hands, Feet, or Squirm in Seat: Physical restlessness such as fidgeting, tapping, and squirming in their seats is common.
2. Leave Seat in Situations When Remaining Seated Is Expected: This often occurs in classrooms, offices, or other workplaces.
3. Run or Climb in Situations Where It Is Inappropriate: This may manifest as restlessness in adults.
4. Be Unable to Play or Engage in Leisure Activities Quietly: They may always seem “on the go” or act as if “driven by a motor.”
5. Talk Excessively: They often dominate conversations and interrupt others.
6. Blurt Out Answers Before Questions Have Been Completed: Impatience during conversations or activities is common.
7. Have Difficulty Waiting Their Turn: They may struggle with impatience while waiting for their turn, whether in a classroom or while lining up.
8. Interrupt or Intrude on Others: They may interfere with or interrupt conversations, games, or activities and may also use other people’s belongings without asking.

It is important to note that many people may experience these symptoms occasionally. However, in individuals with ADHD, these behaviors are more severe and frequent, disrupting their social and functional skills at work or school compared to others their age.

A trained and experienced professional performs a thorough evaluation to diagnose ADHD and manage it effectively. This process involves gathering input from various sources, such as teachers, parents, and spouses. Treatment may include psychotherapy, education, training, or a combination of approaches.