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GeneticsĬurrent evidence suggests ADHD has a genetic component - meaning it seems to run in some families, according to the aforementioned research published in the Lancet Psychiatry.
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Several factors may increase a child's likelihood of developing ADHD. Not all people with ADHD show the same circuits or changes in circuits, but certain brain differences are more common in people with ADHD than those without it. These circuits are related to sustained attention, control of inhibitions, motivation, and regulation of emotions, suggests research published in the Lancet Psychiatry. Neuroimaging studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to look at brain structure have found that certain neural circuits in the brain are associated with ADHD. As with most mental health conditions, it is thought to be an interplay of biological, social, and psychological factors, according to CHADD.
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In childhood, impulsivity can take the form of impatience, disruptiveness, and difficulty waiting for a turn. Most children have the combined type, but the most common symptom of ADHD in young children is hyperactivity, NIMH experts say.Ĭhildren who are hyperactive may talk excessively, squirm and fidget, and have trouble sitting still. People in this group have symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and inattentiveness. Combined Hyperactive-Impulsive and Inattentive
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This can result in professional and personal difficulties because of a lack of attention to detail and an inability to make important deadlines, meetings, and social functions. Inattentiveness is characterized by struggling to stay focused, being easily distracted from the task at hand, having a hard time with attention to detail, and a lack of organization, according to Children and Adults With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD). This form used to be - and sometimes still is - called ADD. People in this category mainly have symptoms of inattentiveness, though they may also have some problems with hyperactivity and impulsiveness. In social situations, an impulsive person might interrupt others to an extreme degree, and be quick to grow impatient, frustrated, or angry, NIMH experts say. Impulsivity is also marked by a desire for instant gratification. Impulsivity often takes the form of making important decisions and taking action without thinking through the consequences, especially when those actions might be harmful or detrimental and the resulting effects long lasting. In adults, this may take the form of exaggerated restlessness and an activity level that other people find tiring, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Hyperactivity can manifest as constant movement and excessive fidgeting and talking. People with this type of ADHD mostly struggle with hyperactivity and impulsiveness, though they may also have some symptoms of inattentiveness. There are three forms - or “presentations” - of ADHD, as described in the fifth edition of the DSM (DSM-5), published in 2013, according to an article published in Neuropsychiatry (London). When the revised, fourth edition of the DSM was published in 1994, ADHD was divided into specific subtypes, taking into account the fact that an individual could be diagnosed with ADHD without having symptoms of hyperactivity, according to research published in the journal ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders. The condition was commonly referred to as ADD until 1987, when “hyperactivity” was added to the name in the third edition of the DSM.
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While some people still use the terms ADD and ADHD interchangeably, and may call the condition ADD if a child only has trouble focusing and isn't hyperactive, ADHD is officially recognized as the correct term for this condition by the current version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
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Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is an older term for what's now known as ADHD.
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