ADHD IN BRIEF

ADHD is a behavioural problem, can be seen in children as well as in adults but  mostly present in the children, such children face multiple problems such as difficulty in focusing in the classroom, hyperactive or impulsive behaviour.

Cause of the disease is unknown, it might be genetic, some research says it is  dopamine related and some research says it is due to structural brain defect such as less gray matter volume.

The diseases can not be cured but it can be managed well if treatment is received in time and if the patient is well compliant.

ADHD means what?

You might have herd about the condition called ADD which means attention deficit disorder, the old term used for ADHD.

ADHD is neuro developmental disorder and most common prevalent mental disorder.

The worldwide pooled prevalence is According to a national 2016 parent survey, estimated number of children ever diagnosed with ADHD is 6.1 million (9.4%). 

This number includes:

• 388,000 children aged 2–5 years
• 2.4 million children aged 6–11 years
• 3.3 million children aged 12–17 years.

Boys are more commonly diagnosed as they exhibit the typical presentation of hyperactivity instead girls can be hyper talkative.

What are the signs and symptoms?

To know the signs and symptoms healthcare provider should ask the relevant questions to the care taker, teacher or adult family member who is a caretaker of the child at home.

Signs and symptoms can be mild to severe which includes

1. Can not control impulsiveness
2. daydream a lot
3. forget and lose things easily 
4. talk too much unnecessarily 
5. Do silly mistakes
6. Can not wait for their turn
7. Have difficulty in sitting at one place
8. Get easily distracted 
9. Unnecessarily wriggle or twist the body from side to side
10. Disturb people when they are talking

Diagnosis:

After detailed history and examination only the trained health care provider can diagnose this condition by using American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth edition (DSM 5).

Along with this the patient should have reduced quality of life, school performance and work.

Treatment:

After diagnosis the most important step comes is the treatment, parents of the child are very concern about the right treatment for their child.

Mostly there are two treatment recommendations:

1. Behavioural therapy
2. Pharmacological therapy

To know what suits best to your child, parents must have to work in association  with the health care provider, teacher and caretaker.

1. Behavioural therapy:

American academy of psychiatry recommends the training of the parents in behaviour management as the first line management before prescribing the medication in the children who are less than 6 years old, and those who are above  6 years old should be given medication along with behavioural therapy.

Behavioural therapy include:

1. Parental training 
2. Behavioural therapy for children 
3. Classroom intervention 

Pharmacological treatment-

There are two types of drugs used

1. Stimulants: These are the drugs most commonly used.

1. Non stimulants

Prognosis: At 25 years of age, 15-20% children meet full criteria of ADHD and 60-65% are in partial remission.