Analysis Of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Introduction
Understanding the concepts such as causes, effects, symptoms, and intervention of a disease or disorder can help society or an individual improve their health and expand the understanding that it can be managed or cured. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder that makes a child has difficulties in paying attention, engage in excessive activities, and act without considering the consequences of the action. ADHD is more prevalent in society, especially among children. According to 'Data and Statistics about ADHD | CDC' (2019), in 2016, about 9.4% of children are diagnosed with ADHD. With this high prevalence of the disease among children, it is important to explore the disorder in order to determine the possible causes of the disorder, its symptoms, and how it can be managed. Understanding ADHD is necessary for everybody to clear the controversies and myths surrounding the topic and help the children with the disorder to be able to manage the symptoms (Langwith & Gale Group 2009). In particular, the topic is of great importance to our personal life because we have children with the disorder in the society, and they require special care in order to be able to manage the symptoms and manage the disease. Understanding the topic is also necessary because it helps remove some of the misconceptions about the disorder about the diseases (Langwith & Gale Group 2009). This paper explores the importance of learning ADHD, causes, and risk factors associated with the disorder, symptoms, and the interventions that can be used to manage the disease.
The Importance of Exploring the Topic of ADHD and Its Relation to Our Life
As discussed above, the topic of ADHD has a direct impact on our lives because we are bound to help children and people with the disorder manage their condition and give them special treatment (Rief, 2015). ADHD awareness is important to both students and the members of the society because the disorder has a direct impact on the people in the society. Understanding ADHD also helps identify the early symptoms of the disorder to aid in early intervention. Seeking medical attention at the early stages helps improve treatment and management of the disorder; hence, it is important to learn about it for societal benefits (Rief, 2015). Without early intervention and treatment, children and people with the disorder continue to struggle when interacting with others in their daily tasks (Rief, 2015).
Myths and Misconceptions about ADHD
There are several misconceptions and myths that are associated with the topic of ADHD. For instance, according to Langwith & Gale (2009), some of the myths associated with ADHD in the society include parenting playing a role in the causing ADHD, one can easily tell a child with ADHD based on the observation of their behavior, and ADHD is not a medical disorder. To clear these misconceptions, several studies such as Langwith & Gale's (2009) study have focused on examining the causes of this disorder and how the diagnosis process. Langwith & Gale (2009) study indicated that poor parenting does not have any direct link or does in the occurrence of ADHD; hence anyone can get a child with ADHD whether they have good or poor parenting skills. This clears the misconception that poor parenting skills can cause ADHD. The disease is caused by different factors such as genetics that are beyond parental control; hence the parenting does not have an impact on the disease. However, good parenting skills can only help to improve or manage the symptoms, but it cannot help to stop the occurrence of the diseases. Langwith & Gale's (2009) findings indicate that the disorder is strongly connected to genetics. Members of the family with a child with the disorder can also relate or spot other family members with the same disorder. Studies have also indicated that one cannot rule out that a child has the disorder based on the list of behaviors observed in one session or one day. Diagnosis of a child based on the symptoms is the first step in the overall diagnosis process of ADHD (Langwith & Gale, 2009). Other factors, such as the time frame when a child has been with the symptoms and the impact of the symptoms, are also considered. When the proper diagnosis is followed, the symptoms must have been present for a long time, about six months in order for a child to be diagnosed with the condition. Additionally, the symptoms must have severe effects on normal functions such as in the family, school, social life, and at work.
There are also other controversies that ADHD is not a valid medical disorder but a cultural construct that is created by psychiatrists and facilitated by the pharmaceutical companies (Langwith & Gale Group. 2009). However, other studies have revealed abnormalities in children's concentration, impulsiveness, and activity levels that are caused by the neurodevelopmental disorder hence considering it as a medical disorder (Langwith & Gale Group. 2009).
Causes and Risk Factors Associated With the ADHD
The definite causes of ADHD are still unknown, but studies have linked it with minimal brain damage or minimal brain dysfunction that also causes other conditions such as severe behavior problems, low intelligence, and learning disabilities (Buttross, 2007). However, there are potential causes that are associated with the disease. These causes are either environmental or genetic (Buttross, 2007). In terms of genetic causes, the mutation or sequences of the four base compound of the DNA (guanine, cytosine, thymine, and adenine) that determine the personality, behavior, physical appearance, disease venerability and intelligence are linked with the ADHD (Buttross, 2007). According to Buttross (2007), the dominant disorder in human beings is caused by the mutation of a copy of the gene with the disorder when making the DNA of a person. This implies that a person who inherits mutated genes with the disorder will be at a higher risk of being diagnosed with the disorder. The twins' studies have been the most successful studies that have helped to explain how ADHD is associated with the gene mutation. Twins share the same environmental conditions during the prenatal period; this makes twin study to be the best study to examine genetics as the cause of ADHD (Buttross, 2007). The fraternal twins share common environmental influences during the prenatal period but have a different genetic mutation with a 50% match. The difference in the prevalence of the ADHD among fraternal twins implies that although the environmental influences also have a direct impact on the prevalence of the disorder, genetics plays the main role. Buttross's (2007) study indicated that the rate of identical twins suffering from the ADHD was ninety percent and the remaining ten percent was because of the different environmental influences such as low birth weight that is caused by one twin getting fewer nutrients while in the uterus, breech presentation or other unspecified environmental influences. The study concluded that it is highly likely that twins with ADHD are twins who share the same gene mutation. The environmental factors associated with ADHD include alcohol and tobacco from smokers. Alcohol affects the growth of the fetus through the harm it causes to the neurotransmitter dopamine; this harm leads to the development of the ADHD disorder (Buttross, 2007). On the other hand, tobacco affects a child's learning and behavior skills. Exposure to a high amount of lead is another cause of ADHD. According to Buttross (2007), a high amount of lead in the blood in human beings affects learning disabilities, hearing loss, and behavior problems. Studies conducted among children indicate that children with a high amount of lead in the blood are more likely to develop complex behavior patterns that are associated with ADHD.
As discussed above, there are no specific causes of ADHD but only different risk factors. These risk factors are connected to the potential causes discussed above; Kathleen, Jenny & Melissa's (2014) study indicates that the main risk factors of ADHD include family history, environmental factors, preterm birth, and exposure to drugs. According to Kathleen et al. (2014), family history acts as a risk factor of the disorder because the disease can be passed to the next generation through genes. Hence a child in a family with a history of the disorder is more likely to suffer from the disorder than a person whose family does not have a history of the disease. Other factors such as exposure to alcohol and smoking during the prenatal period act as a risk factor because the chemicals in alcohol and cigarettes harm the growth of the brain hence exposing the child the risk of developing the disorder because it creates a neuro-biological susceptibility to ADHD (Kathleen et al., 2014). Preterm birth is also a risk factor because children born before the 37 weeks risk having oxygen deprivation and low blood pressure, which affects the brain's development and affects the neurotransmitter dopamine and receptors in different parts of the brain (Kathleen et al., 2014). Gender is also another risk factor of the disorder, the male's gender being at a higher risk of being diagnosed with the disorder that the female gender. According to Thapar & Cooper (2016), studies from more than fifteen counties indicated that boys were at a higher risk (three to four-time higher) than girls to be diagnosed with the disorder. Since there is a great variation between the prevalence of the disorder between boys and girls, gender is considered as a risk factor. However, although some studies consider gender as a risk factor, recent studies have identified other reasons that could account for the differences between the prevalence of disorder between boys and girls.
Symptoms and Assessment of ADHD
Clinical manifestation of ADHD can be categorized into two categories inattentive symptoms and impulsivity symptoms (Thapar & Cooper, 2016). Impulsivity symptoms or hyperactivity symptoms are symptoms that indicate that a child is hyperactive. These symptoms include inappropriate running, waking up from a seat when its least expected or when one is expected to remain seated, unable to undertake leisure quietly, interrupting and intruding, unable to wait for their turn, responding to questions before the question is finished, excessive talking, and the inability of one to remain calm and acting like one is driven by a motor (Thapar & Cooper, 2016). On the other hand, the inattentive symptoms include forgetting daily activities, distracted easily, making caress mistakes, and difficulty in paying attention to a play activity or a task, not listening when they are directly addressed, and having problems when organizing tasks (Thapar & Cooper, 2016). Although the above are the clinical manifestation of the ADHD disorder, proper assessment of these symptoms is needed to avoid misdiagnosis (Thapar & Cooper, 2016). Proper assessment of the disease includes the following procedures.
