ADHD: Is It Real?

ADHD is a neurologically-based disorder. ADHD is one of the more controversial diagnoses in mental health due to a lack of any scientific method of testing for it. Researchers and clinicians have attempted to develop objective tests but none have proven to be valid or reliable. ADHD is characterized by impulsiveness, hyperactivity, and an inability to focus or concentrate. ADHD is usually diagnosed in childhood, although the condition can continue into the adult years. ADHD is the most common psychiatric childhood disorder in the United States, but it's not bound by geography; diagnosis of ADHD is increasing globally. Since 1993, use of stimulant drugs to treat ADHD has more than tripled worldwide, according to one study. ADHD is one of the most researched areas in child and adolescent mental health. However, the precise cause of the disorder is still unknown.

Symptoms include excessive worry, fear, or panic, which can also lead to physical symptoms such as a racing heart, sweating, stomach pains, and diarrhea. Other forms of anxiety that can accompany ADHD are obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome, as well as motor or vocal tics (movements or sounds that are repeated over and over). Symptoms may persist through adolescence and into adulthood. It is estimated that 30-50% of children diagnosed with ADHD continue to have significant problems into adulthood.

Children are more common to show signs of ADHD than adults are. There is not a definite test to determine whether a person has ADHD. Children with ADHD were thought to have a "paradoxical response" to treatment with stimulants like Ritalin. Giving a dose of that medication to a "normal" child without ADHD would make the bounce off the walls, so to speak. Children with hyperactivity tend to blurt out answers in the classroom but are able to concentrate on their tasks. They also may have difficulty sitting through a structured activity.

Children who are successfully treated for the disorder live happier, more secure lives, and are better able to succeed in their educational and career goals. Adults who are successfully treated for the disorder are able to improve their marital relationships, parenting skills, social interactions, and career direction and success. Children who receive both behavioral treatment and medication often do the best. Medications should not be used just to make life easier for the parents or the school. Children testing positive for ADHD can be retested an hour or two after taking the drug. If Ritalin works, their test scores should be normal or closer to it than before.