Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Usually, the symptoms of ADHD are categorized into two types of behavioral issues:

• Hyperactivity and Impulsiveness
• Inattentiveness  

Usually, patients with ADHD have issues that occur in both types but in some cases, an individual may have only 1 type of behavioral issue. In that case, the symptoms may be too less obvious and the disease can go unnoticed.

High-Risk Group

Children aged between 6 years to 12 years are more susceptible to this condition.  

Symptoms in Children and Teenagers

As this condition is most common among children aged between 6 years to 12 years, the symptoms are pretty much well-defined. The child’s behavior in school or at home can determine his/her mental health.

The most common signs of Inattentiveness among children include:

• Having an extremely short attention span
• Being unable to listen or follow instructions
• Making careless mistakes
• No aptitude for tedious or time-consuming tasks
• Difficulty to do organizing tasks
• Not being able to stick to one thing/task
• Losing things constantly
• Daydreaming too much

The signs of hyperactivity and impulsiveness include:

• Not being able to sit in one place.
• Sitting still, especially in calm and quiet surroundings is extremely difficult
• Excessive talking
• A need to move constantly
• Waiting for their turn is quite tedious
• Acting on their impulse
• Too much physically active
• Little or no sense of danger
• Issues with discipline

As waiting for their turn is quite tedious, the child will constantly interrupt the conversations. All of these have adverse effects on a child's performance. He/she may have poor social skills and below-average school results.

Associated Conditions in Children

As a result of these issues, sometimes a child can have other conditions related to ADHD. This is not always the case, but sometimes the child may exhibit signs of associate problems like:

• Sleep Issues – A child suffering from ADHD may find difficulty following a sleep routine. This can result in irregular sleep patterns
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder – As the social skills of an ADHD or autism spectrum disorder child are not much developed, he/she may develop ASD that further limits them from having proper social interaction.
• Anxiety Disorder – A child over time may develop anxiety order. He/she can occur nervous and worrisome at all times.
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) – As a child has difficulty paying attention and following discipline, he/she may develop negative behavior toward authoritative figures.
• Learning Difficulties – A child may develop learning difficulties like Dyslexia.

Similar to children, ADHD also occurs in adults but the symptoms are somewhat hard to define. As it is a behavioral disorder, doctors and researchers are of the view that the symptoms of ADHD cannot simply be in an adult without showing its sign in his/her childhood.

The associated problems with ADHD during childhood can continue into adulthood. Most of the symptoms of ADHD in adults are the same as those during childhood. Over time, in adults, hyperactivity decreases, and inattentiveness increases.

Associated Problems of ADHD in Adults are:

• Bipolar Disorder – In bipolar disorder an adult suffering from ADHD can have little or no control over his mood.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder –  In OCD, an adult has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior.
• Personality Disorder – An adult with ADHD can have multiple personality disorders in terms of his/her thought process, feelings, and relatedness to others.