Attention Deficit Disorder

ADD is a neurobiological disorder that is often seen in others as a hyperactive, impulsive state; i.e. not being able to sit still or pay attention for long periods of time, overactive like “bouncing off walls” and jumping in with inappropriate comments and behaviors sporadically. And this hyperactivity and impulsiveness occurs about anywhere and everywhere, creating obstacles or often hindering day-to-day activities; work, school, social activities, family life, etc.

        Just what IS ADD? Researchers believe that ADD is most probably caused by genetically based biological factors influencing neurotransmitter activity in areas of the brain. In some tests, people with ADD used lower levels of glucose in brain areas dealing with controlling attention and inhibiting impulses, meaning less activity. So a cause-and-effect approach ponders whether lower activity levels might contribute to some ADD symptoms.

        What is known, though, is that ADD does appear across family lines. In short, indications suggest it’s hereditary, a possible genetic predisposition within members of the same family. For example, research shows that when a person is diagnosed with ADD, the odds are 25 percent to 35 percent that another family member also has ADD. Compared to the rest of the general public, there is a less than 6 percent chance of someone else having the disorder.

Not new really, since cases of hyperactivity, lack of attention and impulsivity have been reported since the early 1900’s, ADD has evolved out of health states with various terminologies; Hyperkinetic Reaction of Childhood, Minimal Brain Dysfunction, and Attention-Deficit Disorder With or Without Hyperactivity. However, with the official publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) classification system, the disorder has been renamed to stress the importance of the inattention characteristics, as well as the hyperactivity and impulsivity traits, to Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

 Old school has it that children outgrew ADHD during adolescent years, mainly because hyperactivity generally seemed to decrease throughout teenage years. But the fact that a lot of the symptoms carry on into adult years is now accepted and has erased that former belief. As a matter of fact, some research has reported that approximately 2 percent to 4 percent of adults suffer from some ADHD symptoms.

Among children and adults, many of those afflicted handle their ADHD and lead successful lives. However, many others have reported strained relationships, depression, work, social, school and dependency problems, and other negative issues. Overall, the keys to success have been early recognition of the disorder and prompt treatment. So we’ll focus on these two important issues.

ADD in Adults

Since the concept that ADD occurs in adults is a fairly new concept over the past decade or so, much more information is available about ADD in children at this time. However, in a nutshell, as an adult, ADD has matured into a chronic neurobiological disorder, displaying three main traits: impulsivity, hyperactivity and inattention.

Although there is yet a positively identified determined set of factors, by they genetic, biological or physiological, that cause a person to become afflicted with ADD, fingers point to biological and heredity factors as playing major roles.

Cases in which heredity has been ruled out point to the following contributing factors: alcohol and tobacco exposure during fetal development, extremely high levels of lead in the body, birth weight recorded low, difficulties with birth and/or premature delivery, and postnatal injury to the prefrontal brain areas.

Note several popular “mythical” factors that many attribute to causing ADD when in reality they don’t: too much television, too much sugar and food additives, social environment (like divorce, poverty) or “bad” parenting.

Adult ADD seems to know no national boundaries, afflicting people worldwide where studies have been performed. And although ADD strikes both genders, adult male sufferers seem to outnumber females in a 2:1 ratio (or lower).