by Angela Hope

Created on: April 25, 2008   Last Updated: April 29, 2008

It is often thought that ADD or ADHD is a childhood disorder, but it not only affects children, it can also affect teenagers and adults as well. Diagnosis in children is usually done by identifying unacceptable or disruptive behavior. In adults its a little more difficult, however usually the symptoms will have been present since childhood. Disorganization is typical. Often a parent may recognize the symptoms in themselves once their own child has been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. Usually symptoms will subside as a child gets older however in some cases they continue into teenager-hood and then later into adulthood.

Adult ADHD is often associated with other mental disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, substance misuse or learning disorders. Some of these disorders have similar symptoms to ADHD and can complicate diagnosis or even mimic ADHD requiring treatment first before an accurate ADHD diagnosis can be made.

ADHD/ADD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/Attention Deficit Disorder is a very real, manageable, medical condition affecting 3 to 7% of children and perhaps even more. Not only that it can also affect teenagers and adults. A simple way of understanding what happens in ADHD is to think about the brain as a huge circuit board, relaying messages from one end to the other. In ADHD/ADD the message doesn't get through because of some kind of chemical imbalance. Medication can repair the balance and the message is allowed to be conveyed to produce normal behaviour. There has been quite a bit of research that suggests genetic inheritance can influence altered brain function.

It would be silly to assume from a few outbursts of unacceptable behavior that a child has the condition, however if the outbursts are persistent and reliable sources report concerns also ADHD/ADD could be considered to be the problem.
It is essential that an ADHD/ADD diagnosis comes from a medical professional and in Australia, for children either a pediatrician specializing in ADHD/ADD or a psychiatrist specializing in ADHD/ADD for adults.

Treatment co-exists between the doctor, the parent and the patient, because a successful ADHD/ADD treatment combines both medication and a behavioral modification program.
ADD and ADHD in children can be diagnosed from a list of behavioral symptoms such as inability to pay attention, restrain movement, and impulsive behavior. ADHD or ADD children often feel left out or different, unable to make or keep friends and extreme frustration.

There are different types of ADHD/ADD but I will list the three most common types. These are the hyperactive impulsive behavior or ADHD, the inattentive easily distracted type known as ADD and a sub type which can be a combination of the two others. There are also medical tests and scans that can be done that give pictures of brain activity to show which part of the brain is affected by the ADHD/ADD.

It can be hard enough for a child with ADHD/ADD to adjust to the rest of the world for a teenager with the disorder it can make life very tough, with physical, emotional, social and academic pressures happening all at once. Not only that todays world makes ADHD medication a desirable street drug so it is important for both the teenager and the parent to be careful about making sure the medication is safely stored. There are ways of treating ADHD/ADD without medication for those that are concerned with drug taking and these include diet and counseling. For some children with minimal symptoms these may be a viable option.

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