ADHD Explained: Everything you need to know about ADHD.
Well, not everything, but this is a great start.
ADHD as a concept in how we have known ADHD is incomplete, according to leading researchers. ADHD as a concept typically has been solely seen as an attention issue, impacting those who struggle with inattentiveness and hyperactivity. If you can’t sit still, if you lose focus, if you fidget, squirm or move in times you are expected to be still and silent, you would be seen to have ADHD. However, leading researchers such as Russell Barkley argues ADHD is less about attention and hyperactivity, but, rather, ADHD is an executive functioning disorder.
What is ADHD?
First off, ADHD stands for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. According to the DSM-5-TR, which stands for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision, "ADHD is a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development."
ADHD can be characterized then by 1 and/or 2 clusters of symptoms: 1) inattention and 2) hyperactivity and impulsivity.
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For both categories six or more symptoms must persist for at least 6 months to a degree that is inconsistent with developmental levels and that negatively impacts directly on social and academic/occupational activities. For adolescents and adults (age 17 or older), at least five symptoms are required.
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Also, for both categories, there are 9 symptoms.
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And there are 3 subtypes of ADHD:
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predominantly inattentive type
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predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type
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combined type.
A diagnosis is based on the symptoms presented and experienced by the individual. When it comes to inattention, there are 9 symptoms
ADHD Basics
1. What it is: attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
-attention
-hyperactivity
-impulsivity
2. Criteria
3. How the brain works
-triune brain
-brainstem: survival
-limbic area: emotional
-cortex: thinking (also, controls executive functioning
4. What is executive function?
-thinking, planning, reasoning, organization, decision making, multi-tasking
-time management
-attention
-self-regulation
-working memory
-impulse control
-flexible thinking
-inhibiting impulses
