april ma y - AE.AE

ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
(ADHD)
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM) has laid down certain guidelines to help identify a
person with ADHD. According to the diagnostic manual,
people with ADHD display a combination of inattention,
hyperactivity and impulsivity. People who are inattentive find
it difficult to focus on a particular task and get bored quickly.
Read on.
Ten-year-old Nita just can't seem to sit still. She talks a mile a
minute and fidgets constantly. The teachers complain that she
disrupts the class constantly and never follows instructions.
Her homework and projects are always incomplete and full
of careless errors and she is easily distracted. Nita has the
classic signs of a person with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder or ADHD.
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Symptoms
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM) has laid down certain guidelines to help identify a
person with ADHD. According to the diagnostic manual,
people with ADHD display a combination of inattention,
hyperactivity and impulsivity.
According to the DSM, signs of inattention include:
becoming easily distracted by irrelevant sights and sounds
failing to pay attention to details and making careless
mistakes
rarely following instructions carefully and completely
losing or forgetting things like toys, or pencils, books, and
tools needed for a task
Some signs of hyperactivity and impulsivity are:
feeling restless, often fidgeting with hands or feet, or
squirming
running, climbing, or leaving a seat, in situations where
sitting or quiet behavior is expected
blurting out answers before hearing the whole question
having difficulty waiting in line or for a turn
People who are inattentive find it difficult to focus on a
particular task and get bored quickly. While they may display
effortless concentration doing things they enjoy, making a
deliberate and conscious effort to organize and complete a
task or to learn something new is difficult. Hyperactive people
seem to bounce off the walls with energy and just cannot sit
still. Impulsive people don't think before they act or speak.
They have difficulty waiting for things to take their natural
course. Everything must happen right away.
There have been times in all our lives when we have been
overly impulsive, inattentive or hyperactive. But that does not
mean that we are afflicted with ADHD. These behaviours are
symptomatic of ADHD if they appear early in life, before the
age of 7. However, the age of onset can vary and symptoms
may even appear in early adolescence. They must be excessive,
long-term and pervasive. They must occur more often than
in other people of the same age group. The behaviours must
cause a real handicap in atleast two areas of the person's life
such as school, home, work, or social interactions.
Boys are at least three times as likely as girls to develop the
disorder.
Impact of ADHD
As a result of the disorder, children with ADHD often engage
in disruptive activities and antisocial behaviour that alienates
their peers and other people around them. In addition,
their academic performance tends to suffer because of their
inattention and easy distractibility. Parents of children with
ADHD experience high stress levels that are linked to their
extreme frustration in attempting to discipline their children.
This can lead to problems in the marriage and in the worst
case, even divorce. Unfortunately, ADHD is not a disorder
that disappears with time. ADHD persists into adulthood.
However, the good news is that there are ways in which one
can alleviate the symptoms.
Geetika Chopra, ASP Gulf