What is ADHD?
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is the most common psychiatric condition among children in the United States. Differing estimates suggest that 3 percent to 10 percent of school-age children have ADHD, a disorder characterized by consistent inattention, hyperactivity, or impulsiveness. Diagnosing ADHD is difficult, since most people, and particularly children, are impulsive or inattentive some of the time. However, a patient with ADHD demonstrates these behaviors to a degree that is inappropriate to a person’s age, according to guidelines from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Although most cases of ADHD are diagnosed in children when they enter school for the first time, a growing number of children younger than 6 years old are being diagnosed. ADHD diagnoses among adults are also on the rise. ADHD expert Russell Barkley, Ph.D., of the Medical University of South Carolina, estimates that about 5 percent of American adults suffer from the condition. Some of these people may have had ADHD since childhood: Studies suggest that between 30 percent and 70 percent of children with ADHD continue to show symptoms of the disease as adults.
Taken from: LD Online
Although most cases of ADHD are diagnosed in children when they enter school for the first time, a growing number of children younger than 6 years old are being diagnosed. ADHD diagnoses among adults are also on the rise. ADHD expert Russell Barkley, Ph.D., of the Medical University of South Carolina, estimates that about 5 percent of American adults suffer from the condition. Some of these people may have had ADHD since childhood: Studies suggest that between 30 percent and 70 percent of children with ADHD continue to show symptoms of the disease as adults.
Taken from: LD Online