Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Types, Symptoms, Causes & Treatments

A common mental disorder in children, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can happen very early, mostly during the school years. This comes with major symptoms, including the child not paying attention and forgetting daily activities.

Read this article to learn all about this disorder, its symptoms, types, causes and the ways to treat this disorder.

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What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

One of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in kids, ADHD symptoms appear when you are a child and tend to last till adulthood. If your doctor confirms the disorder in your child, you will notice symptoms which include trouble paying attention to things. In addition, while some children are too active, some have impulsive behaviours.

You might not recognise it in certain cases until the child is an adult. This is because the symptoms in adults might not be as clear as the children. However, an adult with this disorder might not have issues with hyperactivity but symptoms of restlessness, inattention and impulsive behaviour.

What Are the Different Types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

The different types of ADHD include:

Predominantly Inattentive: This trait of ADHD shows symptoms such as problems concentrating, completing a task, focusing on a job and following specific instructions. Distraction and forgetting to continue with your daily activities are some more signs you might experience. Children who are inattentive during their childhood might not receive proper diagnosis and treatment. This is because they remain quiet and do not share their thoughts with their parents or teachers.
Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive: Children and adults who are diagnosed with this trait often show an impulsive and hyperactive behavioural pattern, where they become more talkative and restless. They will also tend to distract people when they are in the middle of a conversation and become impatient for not being able to speak. With smaller kids, the symptoms are consistent as they jump, run or climb continuously, even when you tell them not to do it.
Combined Hyperactive-Impulsive and Inattentive Type: This is the most common trait where you show symptoms of hyperactivity and inattentiveness. Other symptoms include distraction and being too talkative. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, most children have this combination of traits. Well, it is more common in boys than in girls, and a symptom most noticed in children going to preschool is hyperactivity. Well, the symptoms and types of this disorder might change with time, resulting in a change in the type of ADHD you are presently having. Although it is a lifelong disorder, you can cope with it and lead a normal life with proper treatment and medication.

What Are the Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

The symptoms of this disorder might arise during your early childhood days. Often, most symptoms appear before the age of 12. To diagnose the symptoms and the disorder, a child should have six or more signs of the disorder present in them. ADHD is also common in adults. Well, here are potential symptoms of ADHD as seen in children and adults, discussed at length.

Symptoms of ADHD in Children

There are 3 types of ADHD common in children, namely, predominantly inattentive, hyperactive, impulsive and combined ADHD. The symptoms of each of these types vary and this has been detailed in the underlying sections.

Predominantly Inattentive ADHD

Distraction and losing things randomly.
Unable to do or dislike activities that involve effort.
Forgetting to perform daily activities.
Faces difficulty in organising things.
Not listening to what someone is saying.
Unable to follow instructions.
Fails to provide close attention to details making silly mistakes.

Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive ADHD

Constant squirming in the chair/ fidgeting with the hands or feet.
Impulsive and restless, therefore faces difficulty in sitting constantly.
Extreme restlessness in adults, while children tend to run about and climb excessively.
Talkative and blurts phrases or inappropriate comments before allowing anyone to speak or finish their sentence.
Continuously interrupting and intruding when people are speaking.
Difficulty in taking part in daily activities.

Combined Hyperactive ADHD

If you are diagnosed with the combination trait, the symptoms are not particularly one but are a mix of the two traits.

Symptoms of ADHD in Adults

The symptoms of this disorder change as you age and get older. They include the following:

Anxiety and Stress: This is a very common symptom where anxiety and stress levels are high, as you cannot wait for the consequences of a particular activity that you have done. Instead, you want faster results and are impulsive and thus stress upon the issue.
Low-self Esteem: You face low self-esteem since you feel impulsive and inattentive in the workplace or the classroom. Often children get scolded due to this behaviour since the teacher cannot understand the real reason behind this nature.
Forgetting Things/Losing: You tend to forget activities, including simple things such as places where you have kept certain things, and lose things randomly. This is followed by an issue where you face challenges in organising things.
Mood Swings: This disorder comes with another major issue where you face a lot of shifts in mood and feel bored doing certain situations. Also, you cannot control your anger as you easily get frustrated at things and simple situations. This leads to depression and anxiety as well.
Problems at Work and Relationships: More severe symptoms lead to problems at work and relationships as you are ignorant of the necessities of life and work. You can also not balance both adequately due to your impulsive nature. Your partner is unable to understand you causing a lot of misunderstanding between you both. This also happens with family members who cannot understand your issues, leading to misjudgements.

What Are the Causes of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

The exact causes of ADHD are unknown, although doctors speculate that it might happen if you are part of a disorganised and chaotic episode during your childhood. However, here are the possible causes of this disorder:

ADHD might happen if any of your family members have this disorder. This means it can be genetic.
Imbalance of brain chemicals (dopamine) where sections of your brain become less active.
Low birth weight or premature birth can also cause this disorder.
Consuming alcohol, drugs or tobacco during pregnancy or a victim of substance abuse during pregnancy.
Exposure to toxins such as lead or pesticides during pregnancy or when you were a child will affect a kid's brain development.
Malnutrition, when you are pregnant, can trigger the symptoms of such a disorder.
Damage or injury to the frontal lobe or front section of your brain can cause an issue in controlling your emotions or impulses, causing this disorder.

What Are the Risk Factors of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

ADHD affects individuals to different degrees. While some might notice extreme impulsiveness, others might experience a different symptom. Some symptoms are beyond control and hence termed risky. Here are the risk factors of ADHD:

Poor performance in school or the workplace makes it difficult for you to work properly and in an organised way.
Frequent accidents, mishaps and issues at the workplace or home, on the road.
Extremely poor mental and physical health causes several other mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder.
Inattentiveness and changing behavioural patterns might lead to loss of work and hence lead to unemployment.
Extreme depression, stress, anxiety disorder and repeated failures in work and school. This breaks your confidence levels.
You will also notice certain psychiatric disorders such as substance use, personality, and intermittent explosive disorder.
Self-harm, suicide attempt and thoughts will haunt you, triggering you to take a negative step.

How to Diagnose Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

Mental health experts diagnose ADHD in the following ways:

Diagnosis In Children

It is generally difficult to diagnose ADHD in children. However, if you discover a symptom in your child, speak with a doctor. The doctor will discuss the situation with you and the teachers to understand the behavioural patterns.
To confirm the diagnosis of this disorder, a doctor might prescribe battery tests to understand the neurological or psychological condition.
They can then refer you to a psychiatrist.

Diagnosis In Adults

Your psychiatrist will ask you to undergo certain tests to determine your medical and social history.
Then, they will prescribe certain neurological assessments and a physical exam such as hearing, vision, motor and verbal skills screening. Your doctor might give you additional tests if they find hyperactivity is related to some other disorder.
They may also examine your aptitude, intelligence, processing skills and personality traits.

Your doctor can also ask you to undergo a Neuropsychiatric EEG-based assessment Aid or NEBA scan to examine the beta and theta brain waves. Children or adults having ADHD will have an increase in the beta and

How to Treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

Proper treatment is of utmost importance in these cases. Treatments for ADHD include many. Here they are as follows:

Medication

Stimulants - Doctors use stimulants to treat this disorder, which helps to manage your impulsive and hyperactive behaviour. It also improves your attention issues by effectively working on the brain chemicals- dopamine. Your doctor can prescribe medications that include Amphetamine, Dextroamphetamine, Dexmethylphenidate, Lisdexamfetamine and Methylphenidate.
Non-stimulants - Since stimulant medicines might not work effectively for everyone with this disorder. Doctors might prescribe other medicines if you are more than six years old. They include – Atomoxetine, Clonidine and Guanfacine.
Antidepressants - Your doctor can prescribe antidepressants such as bupropion, venlafaxine and SSRIs. However, these medications might have certain side effects, such as anxiety, fatigue, headache, trouble sleeping, etc. Consult your doctor in such cases, and they will reduce the dosage to ease the side effects of the medication.

Also, do not forget to tell your doctor if your child has any specific health issue or has been a part of any traumatic episode.

Therapies

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) - This therapy is based on talking and counselling sessions where negative behaviours, emotions, thoughts and responses associated with psychological stress are addressed.
Psychotherapy - Thorough counselling can be an effective method to handle frustration and mood swings. It will also help in building their self-confidence.
Anger Management - This therapy asks patients to focus on mindfulness, identifying triggers, avoiding triggers, and developing coping mechanisms for minimising anger and emotional outbreaks.

Family Therapy - This psychological therapy is based on counselling that helps families communicate effectively and reduce conflicts.

Using Medical Devices

External Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation devices are designed for kids who refuse to consume medications for ADHD and are from 7 to 12 years of age. It comes in a small package, almost the size of a mobile phone, it is attached to the electrodes on a system, and you can easily put it on your child's forehead. This device, usually worn during the night, sends low impulses to the section of the brain that is known to cause this disorder.

Support Groups

These groups can be of great help as they consist of people with similar issues. You can learn more about the disorder and other challenges other people experience through sharing. This way, you can manage your symptoms as well.

Educating Families on the Symptoms and Triggers of ADHD Patients

Educating and guiding the family members and parents about this disorder is of great help as it allows them to understand their children and the symptoms of the disorder. This can include learning certain parenting skills where parents learn how to control specific behaviours of their child.

When to See a Doctor?

ADHD is a certain disorder that often cannot be diagnosed easily. But when it is, you should immediately seek your doctor’s help. Here is when you must seek assistance:

Extremely aggressive and impulsive, causing harm to others.
Lack of control over behavioural patterns.
Poor performance in school and workflow due to such behaviours.
Harsh comments and impulsive reactions during a team meeting or school interactive sessions.
Extremely inattentive and overactive.

You should go for serious treatment after consulting your doctor as soon as you discover the following signs in yourself or your child.

How to Manage and Prevent Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?

Here is how you can manage and prevent ADHD by changing your lifestyle patterns:

Eating healthy food that contains vegetables, fruits, protein and whole grains.
Exercise helps immensely in controlling impulsive behaviours. This can include being involved in certain sports or activities.
Limit the time that you spend on mobile phones and other gadgets.
Try to get plenty of sleep.
Try to keep a routine and an organised schedule and work according to it.
Talk to your children honestly and give simple and specific instructions to them.
If your child has this disorder, talk to your child and try to focus on them only when you are talking.
Boost your child’s self-esteem and try to support their special skills.
Try to avoid the consumption of alcohol or drugs when pregnant.

So, now you have a clear idea about ADHD and how to treat them. Well, situations might become complicated if you do not opt for treatment at an early stage. Therefore, you must seek proper medical help as soon as your child is diagnosed with the disorder.

FAQs About ADHD

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What causes the ADHD brain to hyperfocus?

Extremely low levels of dopamine or brain chemicals result in issues such as hyperfocus. This brain chemical makes it difficult to take up boring tasks which might be necessary. This, therefore, can lead to too much focus on the task.

Can music therapy be an effective method to treat ADHD?

Yes, music therapy is an effective process to treat ADHD as it reduces impulsive disorder, strengthens social skills and reduces hyperactivity. In addition, music therapy helps to treat people who have extreme brain trauma.