Signs And Symptoms Of Inattention

ADHD is a mental disorder that interferes with functioning or development of the brain. It stands for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. A person can wander off task, lacks persistence, has difficulty sustaining focus and is disorganized.It affects everybody, it doesn’t matter what your age is, or if you're male or female. Some signs and symptoms for inattention is they overlook details, have a problem sustaining attention during tasks. They seem not to listen when they are directly spoken to. They lose things and can be easily distracted. Some symptoms for hyperactivity-impulsivity are they squirm in their seat, they talk nonstop. They have a problem waiting their turn and be constantly in motion or “on the go”.

Some risk factors are

genes, cigarette smoking or alcohol drinking during pregnancy, exposure to environmental toxins while pregnant or at a young age. Some other risk factors are low birth weight and brain injuries. The treatment options are medication, psychotherapy, education or training, or they use a combination of the treatments. Sometimes they have to try different dosages of medication for different people to get it just right. The most common medication for ADHD is called a stimulant. It works because it increases the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine. They play essential roles in thinking and attention. Under supervision they are considered safe, but they have side effects. Some side effects are decreased appetite, sleep problems, personality changes, increased anxiety and irritable, headaches, and stomachaches. Another medication is non-stimulants, they take longer to work than stimulants, but can help improve focus, attention, and impulsivity. Sometimes they use antidepressants with a stimulant for medication.

They also use behavioral therapy to try and change their behavior. Some of the activities include organizing, completing schoolwork, and working through emotional events. These help teach them how to monitor their behavior, and to give themselves rewards for acting in a desired way. They also do family therapy to help teach parents how to deal with somebody with ADHD. They also train parents on how to encourage positive behavior and ignore bad behavior. They also teach stress management techniques, to help not get frustrated and deal with their kid calmly. Here are some statistics, 11% of children 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD since 2011. They also say that 5% of children of ADHD, but studies in the US have showed higher rates. Children who are two to five years old, are recommended therapy, before they are prescribed with medication. The percentage of kids with ADHD has increased over time. It was 9.5% in 2007 and it was 11% in 2011. According to the statistics boys are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls. The average age of being diagnosed with ADHD is seven, but kids who have been diagnosed with it before seven, had more severe cases than kids older than seven. Another fact is that ADHD prevalence is highest in Kentucky with 18.7%, while Nevada has the least with 5.6%.