Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ADHD is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome with multiple genetic and environmental origins. It is a condition that becomes apparent for most children in their early school years, when they begin to have difficulty controlling impulses and/or maintaining attention in an academic setting. A significant percentage of ADHD children can become ADHD adults, often leading to adult problems such as difficulties in maintaining relationships or employment.
Over the years the controversy of whether ADHD is over-diagnosed or under-diagnosed has been the topic of many articles and news reports. Part of the difficulty in diagnosing ADHD is that it manifests itself as an extreme form of commonly occurring types of behavior. The clinical hallmarks are inattention (the difficulty in staying focused and on task), hyperactivity (the inability to control movement and sit still while working), and impulsivity (the inability to inhibit inappropriate responses). Diagnostic criteria have been established by the American Psychiatric Association and codified in the medical reference text known as “DSM-IV TR” (APA, 2000). To meet criteria for the disorder, children need to have, during the previous 6 months, at least six of nine specified symptoms of inattention and/or six of nine specified symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity. In addition to meeting symptom criteria, accurate diagnosis requires that these symptoms be of sufficient severity to cause impairment.