Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, better known by the acronym ADHD, is a disease that affects between 5 and 7% of children and often lasts into adulthood, combining symptoms including Difficulty maintaining attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior predominate. This type of behavior can lead, in turn, to low self-esteem, problematic relationships and poor school performance.
Normally, the symptoms decrease as people get older. However, although there is no cure for ADHD, it can be effectively controlled with treatment and some symptoms improve as the child gets older.
Treatment, which often involves medication and behavioral interventions, does not cure the disorder but does help relieve symptoms.
Although it is common for young children to have trouble concentrating and behaving properly, they often outgrow these behaviors as they grow older. However, children with ADHD continue to behave in this way, leading to difficulties at school, at home, and with friends.
The causes that can lead to this type of disorder are not clear, but researchers believe that the factors could be related to genetics, the environment, or problems with the central nervous system.
There are many myths that revolve around ADHD. The most common are focused on thinking that the parents are to blame and that the diagnosis is unreliable. It is also common to believe that this type of disorder is a new disease invented in the US.
In addition, there are many people who think that the symptoms of this disease are mild, and that it is a false pathology promoted by the lack of patience of the parents.
There is also a false belief that it only affects boys and then disappears, or that it only affects boys and not girls. In this sense, many people believe that this disease should be diagnosed by a neurologist and that it is not necessary to apply medication.
The reality is that the exact causes of the origin of ADHD are unknown and it is not clear what risk factors could predispose a person to suffer from it. However, according to recent research results, genetic transmission plays an essential role.
The reality is that the exact causes of the origin of ADHD are unknown and it is also not clear what risk factors could predispose a person to suffer from it. However, according to recent research results, genetic transmission plays an essential role.
In 1798, in Scotland, the doctor Alexander Crichton already coined the term "mental restlessness" to refer to the mental restlessness he observed in his patients. In 1845, the psychiatrist Heinrich Hoffmann published a children's storybook titled Philip the Nervous. Characteristics of the protagonist include a tendency to be scattered, impulsive, and hyperactive.
To find out if your child may have ADHD, it is important that they visit a mental health professional or a pediatrician and that they diagnose the disease. It will also be the one who can determine which treatment is the most appropriate for the patient.
For children over 6 years of age, behavior therapy is an important part of treatment. The American Academy of Pediatrics (APP) recommends behavioral therapy along with the use of medication.
