Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adults, Essay Example

Thesis Statement

Even though very often ADHD is regarded as a childhood disorder, very often it can continue throughout an adulthood.

ADHD stands for attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder. It is a neurobehavioral development disorder with such patterns as inattention, impulsiveness, restlessness, distractibility, difficulty to concentrate. All these patterns may or may not be supplemented with a component of hyperactivity.

Although ADHD is diagnosed all around the world, it drives special attention in the USA where it is most commonly observed as a childhood psychiatric disorder. It is an estimated fact that in the USA ADHD affects approximately 3 to 5 percent of all children, but the less known fact is that between 30 to 70 percent of all children with ADHD continue to exhibit symptoms of this disorder in their adulthood (Wilens, Biederman, & Spencer, 2002).  Another aspect of ADHD is that many adults live with this disorder without realizing it and without being able to connect their life problems with the symptoms of ADHD. Adults who have ADHD may find it difficult to organize their time and work, to remember and keep all of the appointments that they have, to arrive on time, and even to get up in the morning (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006).

The problem with ADHD in adulthood is that it is more difficult to diagnose it and thus mental health professionals have to deal with a wider range of symptoms and these symptoms are usually not that clear as those of kids (Wilens, Biederman, & Spencer, 2002). In order to diagnose ADHD of adults it is very important to investigate a person’s history of childhood behavior, school experience, one’s relationships with their peers, friends, and spouses. Very often a person may have ADHD since childhood, but one simply doesn’t know about it. In such a case ADHD can be a source or cause of a person’s restlessness and inability to find one’s own place in life. That why diagnosis of the ADHD may provide a person with some sort of a relief, because it may explain reasons of one’s inability to succeed in life and also gives possibility to treat the disorder and thus be able to deal with one’s problems more effectively.

ADHD of adults has quite the same treatment as that of children. In order to treat ADHD a combination of methods is used consisting primarily of medication and psychotherapy. One of the major things that an adult with ADHD should be concerned about and careful with is that very often different kinds of antidepressants are prescribed for curing ADHD. Therefore a person must take thorough consideration of what medication to use. But apart from medication a huge role in the treatment of ADHD play education and psychotherapy. A professional counselor or therapist may help a person with ADHD not only to examine one’s life and realize the reasons of one’s problems, but also provide with a guidance of how to organize one’s life properly and even with a possibility to rethink one’s behavior and improve it.

But even though ADHD can be treated in adulthood it is always better to diagnose it in childhood. If a person grows up with ADHD without realizing it and without being diagnosed, it may cause huge psychological problems with self-esteem and self-image that could be impossible to treat. That’s why parents and teachers should pay great attention to their children and pupils and be able to figure out in time that a kid is exhibiting some of the symptoms of ADHD.

Children with ADHD have tree main problems – inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (Wender, 2002). Inattention can be observed through such symptoms as – difficulty to focus on one thing, forgetting things, easy destructiveness, struggle to follow instructions, daydreaming, difficulty in organizing and completing tasks, etc. Symptoms of hyperactivity are nonstop talking, constant motion, inability to sit still during meals or classes, dashing around, inability to perform quiet tasks or activities, etc. And impulsiveness is represented by impatience, blurring our inappropriate comments, difficulty to wait for something or someone, constant interruptions of other people’ conversations, etc.  But very often it is quite easy to miss the fact that a child has one of these symptoms simply because a kid may be quiet or seemingly working, or a teacher or parent may think that a child has problems with discipline while in fact a child is showing symptoms of impulsiveness of hyperactivity (Wender, 2002).

So in their article Wilens, Biederman, and Spencer (2002) pointed out the necessity to pay attention to symptoms of ADHD that may occur both in adulthood and childhood of a person. A conclusion may be drawn that in any case the possibility of an adult person to have ADHD mustn’t be underestimated. A person may suffer all life without understanding the reasons of own inability to succeed at work and professional career. But even more important is that parents and teachers are obligated to pay careful attention to the symptoms of hyperactivity, inattentiveness and impulsiveness that their children may exhibit and be able to diagnose ADHD in time so that it won’t cause additional problems in the adulthood of an individual.

References

Wilens, T. E., Biederman, J., Spencer, T. J. (2002). Attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder across the lifespan. Annual Review of Medicine, 53: 113-131.

Wender, P. H. (2002). Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adults. Oxford University Press.

Attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder. (2009). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved June 12, 2009, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/ topic/279477/attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder

S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Health. (2008). NIH Publication No. 08-35712.