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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder



Introduction: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), also previously called Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), is a behavior disorder that can manifest as hyperactivity, difficulty concentrating, inattention, or a combination. There is a well-known controversy about the frequency of the use of the drug Ritalin for treatment of behavior disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and hyperactivity. There is a strong tendency for doctors to diagnose a child as having ADHD, when in fact there may be other behavioral problems, or even nothing wrong with the child beyond merely normal childhood or teenage behavior. Because it is a behavioral disorder, ADHD is inherently difficult to diagnose. Part of the problem is that parents and teachers have been pressing for the particular drug, even before any attempt at medical diagnosis is made.

Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

See full list of 33 symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Home Diagnostic Testing

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Medical Textbooks Online about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Full text.
Free access (no registration).
  • "Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs"
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care"
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)"
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)"
  • "Handbook of Diseases"
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses"
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses"
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms"
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms"

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Test for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in your own home

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  • Parent consultant
  • Teacher consultation
  • Psychological assessment
  • Dietary changes - may possibly rule out certain food reactions.

Read more about tests for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Wrongly Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

Misdiagnosis and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Mild worm infections undiagnosed in children: Human worm infestations, esp. threadworm, can be overlooked in some cases, because it may cause only mild or even absent symptoms. Although the most common...read more »

Parental fears about toddler behavior often unfounded: There are many behaviors in infants and toddlers that may give rise to a fear that the child has some form of mental health condition. In particular, there is a loss of...read more »

Rare epilepsy misdiagnosed as ADHD: The less common disorder of temporal lobe epilepsy is a type of epilepsy without physical seizures. Some patients suffer from ...read more »

Various conditions misdiagnosed as ADHD: The hyperactivity type symptoms that are often diagnosed as ADHD, can also be caused by a number of physical conditions, as reported in the book A...read more »

ADHD diagnosis overlooked hidden nutritional disorder: The book "A Dose of Sanity" reports on a case of a boy diagnosed with ADHD and receiving...read more »

Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness because he...read more »

Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course,...read more »

Mesenteric adenitis misdiagnosed as appendicitis in children: Because appendicitis is one of the more feared conditions for a child with abdominal pain, it can be over-diagnosed (it can, of...read more »

Blood pressure cuffs misdiagnose hypertension in children: One known misdiagnosis issue with hyperension, arises in relation to the simple equipment used to...read more »

ADHD under-diagnosed in adults: Although the over-diagnoses of ADHD in children is a well-known controversy, the reverse side related to adults. Some adults can remain undiagnosed, and indeed the...read more »

Bipolar disorder misdiagosed as various conditions by primary physicians: Bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder) often fails to be diagnosed correctly by primary...read more »

Eating disorders under-diagnosed in men: The typical patient with an eating disorder is female. The result is that men with eating disorders often fail to be diagnosed or have a...read more »

Depression undiagnosed in teenagers: Serious bouts of depression can be undiagnosed in teenagers. The "normal" moodiness of teenagers can cause severe medical depression to be overlooked. See misdiagnosis of depression or ...read more »

Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines...read more »

Undiagnosed anxiety disorders related to depression: Patients with depression (see symptoms of depression) may also have undiagnosed anxiety...read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Causes of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Read more about causes of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

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Treatments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

See full list of 19 treatments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Videos for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ADHD Therapy

ADHD TherapyEvery parent wants their child to be well-behaved, and encouraging focus and self-discipline is an important issue both at home and at school. But...

ADHD Myths

ADHD MythsThere's been a lot of talk in recent years about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD. And with all the talk has come a...

 

ADHD Causes

ADHD CausesAlmost everyone has heard about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). But few people understand what the term really means, or realize how...

ADHD in Adults

ADHD in AdultsAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder exists in the public imagination as a childhood issue. Yet the diagnosis of ADHD is increasingly applied to...

 
See full list of 15 related videos

Patient Surveys for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Prognosis for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Prognosis for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: There is no "cure" for ADHD. Children with the disorder seldom outgrow it; however, some may find adaptive ways to accommodate the ADHD as they mature. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Information Page: NINDS) ... Even though most people don't outgrow ADHD, people do learn to adapt and live fulfilling lives. (Source: excerpt from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: NIMH)

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Reseach about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Visit our research pages for current research about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder treatments.

Statistics for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

  • Predominantly inattentive ADHD subtype
  • Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive ADHD subtype
  • Combined inattentive-hyperactive ADHD subtype

Read more about Types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Medical Guidebooks and Ebooks for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

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Stories from Users Related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

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Article Excerpts about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

NINDS Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Information Page: NINDS (Excerpt)

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects 3-5 percent of all American children. It interferes with a person's ability to stay on a task and to exercise age-appropriate inhibition (cognitive alone or both cognitive and behavioral). (Source: excerpt from NINDS Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Information Page: NINDS)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): NWHIC (Excerpt)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) refers to a family of related chronic disorders that interfere with a person's capacity to have normal activity levels (hyperactivity), hold back on impulsive behavior (impulsivity), and focus on tasks (inattention) in developmentally correct ways. ADHD is a neurobiological disorder, meaning the problem affects brain function (thinking, learning and memory) and behavior. (Source: excerpt from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): NWHIC)

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: NIMH (Excerpt)

Imagine living in a fast-moving kaleidoscope, where sounds, images, and thoughts are constantly shifting. Feeling easily bored, yet helpless to keep your mind on tasks you need to complete. Distracted by unimportant sights and sounds, your mind drives you from one thought or activity to the next. Perhaps you are so wrapped up in a collage of thoughts and images that you don't notice when someone speaks to you. (Source: excerpt from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: NIMH)

Definitions of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:

A behavior disorder originating in childhood in which the essential features are signs of developmentally inappropriate inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Although most individuals have symptoms of both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity, one or the other pattern may be predominant. The disorder is more frequent in males than females. Onset is in childhood. Symptoms often attenuate during late adolescence although a minority experience the full complement of symptoms into mid-adulthood. (From DSM-IV) - (Source - Diseases Database)

A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

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