ADHD: Who doesn’t have it?
Everyone zones out in class. Often people have trouble paying attention during those long meetings. We all blurt things out and wish we could erase the words before someone heard them. So then it appears we all have ADHD or so it would seem.
So does everyone have ADHD?
Many people may experience these symptoms as a response to a particular situation. Being overcommitted, over-scheduled and generally too busy can prevent us from completing a task or forgetting an appointment. Dr. Ned Hallowell, a renowned expert in the study and treatment of ADHD, discusses the phenomenon of the attention deficit trait in his book CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! : Strategies for Handling Your Fast-Paced Life. He explores the impact of living life at high speed and how we may experience some of the same symptoms common to those who daily deal with ADHD.
Although at times we may feel like we are ADHD, there is a major difference in suffering from a situational response and a neurodevelopmental disorder. Dr. Russell Barkley in an interview with Frontline discussed the methods for diagnosing ADHD. A patient’s history including initial awareness and duration of symptoms, presenting complaints, how consistent the identified symptoms are with the known symptoms of ADHD, and ruling out other possible explanations for the symptoms are key factors in diagnosing the organic form of ADHD. When symptoms have plagued a patient for as long as he can remember and consistently through every situation regardless of the level of stress, it clearly rules out the attention deficit trait Dr. Hallowell identified as being created by life style.
How prevalent is the neurodevelopmental disorder ADHD?
In his interview with PBS, Dr. Barkley stated approximately 5 percent to 7 percent of school-age children have this disorder. The National Center for Health Statistics on ADHD reports that 8.4% or 5.2 million children 3-17 years of age were diagnosed with ADHD. Others propose the steady increase in diagnosis of ADHD has resulted in 11% of school children being identified with the disorder. There are several factors that may contribute to the rise in identified cases of ADHD such as advancements in diagnostic tools, general awareness by the population, and recognizing ADHD as a genetic and biological disorder.
In an article by Kirsten Weir published by the American Psychological Association, she refers to Dr. Barkley’s determination that 4.4% of the adult population deals with ADHD. This number could be somewhat lower than reality due to those who are and have been dealing with ADHD having insufficient information about the disorder and therefore being underdiagnosed. Since ADHD is known to have a genetic link and the implications of school-age ADHD statistics, it is reasonable to assume the prevalence of adult ADHD may be considerably higher.
As research continues in the field and methods of assessment advance, it appears the steady increase in diagnosis of ADHD in children and adults will continue to increase.
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