Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a condition where a person has difficulty maintaining attention or difficulty keeping still, or both. A person may have symptoms of ADHD, but that does not mean that a person actually has ADHD. For instance, a person might have a hard time paying attention because they have relationship issues going on or have another condition such as Major Depressive Disorder. ADHD is often mis-diagnosed due to this reason. Also, some people have ADHD, and it is not properly identified as a working diagnosis. This most often happens when a child has an inattention problem but does not have the hyperactivity part of the diagnosis.
ADHD has a number of symptoms, and also each symptom is on a scale from mild to severe. So, a person might have a hard time paying attention and also be hyperactive, but the hyperactivity is severe, and the inattention is mild. In this case, a person can engage in strenuous physical exercise and also do advanced math problems at the same time.
Treatment for ADHD is best achieved by starting with the least intervention and then finding the most effective treatment as we work our way up the level of intensity. For example, some people can have a very effective result simply by changing diet. Other people change diet, personal habits, and engage in over-the-counter stimulants (such as caffeine), and they are better. Other people need medication, but only at a low dose. Occasionally, a person needs higher doses of medication in order to control the symptoms.
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the only psychiatric diagnoses that has a “Clinical Path”. This means that health care professionals can, pretty consistently, predict the course of the condition over time if it is not treated correctly. This Clinical Path goes along like this: A child has ADHD, and it is identified (or not) at about age 5 or 6. The Clinical Path model then predicts that the untreated child/patient would then engage in symptoms that would identify the patient as having Oppositional-Defiant Disorder (ODD). Not all patients progress to the next phase, but some do (less than 30%); when the next phase occurs then the diagnosis shifts to that of Conduct Disorder. Conduct Disorder is, essentially, criminal activity with the focus of crime based on the victimization of others in a direct way (stealing, assaults, property crimes, etc.). This Clinical Path can be reduced through the appropriate treatment of ADHD as early as possible.
How can a parent or adult person identify if they have ADHD? The most common method is to engage in a question-answer session with the client and one or two people who know the client (family member, teacher, etc.). There are also tests that can identify symptoms. One of them is the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). See their website (tovatest.com) for more information about it. These kinds of tests are “Continuous Performance Tests” and can show a person’s level of hyperactivity and/or inattention. These tests can be administered on a first, second, and third basis so that the treatment team can see what the baseline level is, and how well the treatments have helped (or not helped) the client. In this way the treatment can be modified as per the results of the test and from reports of the other people who provided the initial information that helped to identify the symptoms in the first place.
The purpose of reducing symptoms of ADHD is so that the client may learn faster and easier and be less bogged down by their inattention and hyperactivity. Often, a child is very intelligent, and wants to learn, but just can’t because of their short attention span and inability to remain still. In this situation the child is often frustrated and lashes out with disruptive behaviors.