What Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - ADD or ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, often called ADD or ADHD, is a diagnostic label that we give to children and adults who have significant problems in four main areas of their lives:

• Inattention,
• Impulsivity,
• Hyperactivity,
• and Boredom.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurologically based disorder.

This position has become controversial as many would like to dismiss the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder altogether saying that there is no evidence of neurological differences, or that there are no medical tests to diagnose ADD ADHD, or that the diagnostic criteria is too broad.

But there is an overwhelming amount of research to support the statement that, indeed, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a neurologically based condition. We discuss this in great detail in the neurology of the ADHD brain and offer plenty of ADHD research information.

ADHD is not the result of "bad parenting" or obnoxious, willful defiance on the part of the child.

Yes, a child may be willfully defiant whether he has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or not.

Defiance, rebelliousness, and selfishness are more often "moral" issues than neurological issues. We make no excuses for "immoral," "selfish," or "destructive" behaviors, whether from individuals with ADD ADHD or not.

It may be true that the child or teen's parents may need further or more in-depth training on parenting defiant children. We are constantly amazed at how many young parents today themselves grew up in homes where their own parents were gone all day. We now see "grown up latch key kids" trying to parent as best as they can, but without having had the benefit of growing up with good parental role models. This is a problem that can be solved with some training. But it is not Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Neurologically based Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is what we explore here at the ADD ADHD Information Library.

Defining Terms: "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder"

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a medical condition, caused by genetic factors that result in certain neurological differences.

ADHD is one of the most common childhood behavior disorders. It is seen in about 5% of all children and teenagers. Children with ADHD have impaired functioning in a variety of settings, including at home, in school, and in relationships with peers. If untreated, ADHD children can have long-term adverse effects into adolescence and adulthood. About 3% of the population has "adult adhd."

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder comes in a variety of types.

We have our own way of describing the different types of ADHD that is easy for both parents and children to understand.

In the American Psychiatric Association's DSM IV manual, the different types of ADHD all fall under the main category of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The main category is then subdivided into

• ADHD Inattentive Type
• ADHD Impulsive-Hyperactive Type
• ADHD Combined Type

In the recent past the terms attention deficit disorder "with hyperactivity" or "without hyperactivity" were also commonly used. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder comes in various forms, and truly, no two ADD ADHD kids are exactly alike.

General Description of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder might affect one, two, or several areas of the brain, resulting in the different "styles" or "profiles" of children (and adults) with ADD ADHD. These different profiles impact performance in these four areas:

• Inattention, which is a problem with losing focus and not being good at paying attention to the right thing at the right time
• Impulsivity, which is a problem with a lack of impulse control, or a lack of self-control
• Hyperactivity, which is a problem with over-activity or motor restlessness - always "on the go"
• Finally, a problem which is not yet an "official" problem found in the diagnostic manuals, but ought to be: being easily bored, especially if the task is not interesting, or is only somewhat interesting

A few other important characteristics of this disorder are:

1) That it is SEEN IN MOST SITUATIONS, not just at school, or just in the home. When the problem is seen only at home, we then would wonder if perhaps the child is depressed, or if the child is just being non-compliant with the parents;

2) That the problems are apparent BEFORE the AGE OF SEVEN (7).

Since Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is thought to be a neurologically based disorder, we would expect that outside of acquiring its symptoms from a head injury, the individual with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder would have been born with the disorder. Even though the disorder might not become much of a problem until the second or third grade when the school work becomes more demanding, one would expect that at least some of the symptoms were noted before the age of seven.

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