Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition characterized by an inability to control one's attention span so as to effectively complete one activity or cognitive process before proceeding to another. This leads to impulsive decision-making and actions, and typically a hyperkinetic mode of life.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can have a big impact on your ability to think clearly. In fact, ADHD can sometimes make you feel as though a fog has seeped into your brain. Your reaction time slows.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common condition that can impact the way people think, feel, and react. If you live with ADHD, you might have trouble focusing, or find it hard to sit still. You might find yourself drawn from one task to the next and forgetting to finish what you start.
Neuroimaging studies have revealed the structural differences in the ADHD brain. Several studies have pointed to a smaller prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia, and decreased volume of the posterior inferior vermis of the cerebellum — all of which play important roles in focus and attention.
Brain development is also slower in people with ADHD. The neural pathways don't connect and mature at the same rate, making it harder to pay attention and focus. This can impair executive function, which handles organization and routine tasks. ADHD impacts brain chemistry, too.
ADHD brains have low levels of a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is linked arm-in-arm with dopamine. Dopamine is the thing that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure center. The ADHD brain has impaired activity in four functional regions of the brain.
People with ADHD will have at least two or three of the following challenges: difficulty staying on task, paying attention, daydreaming or tuning out, organizational issues, and hyper-focus, which causes us to lose track of time. ADHD-ers are often highly sensitive and empathic.
On average, the brains of ADHD children matured about three years later than those of their peers. Half of their cortex has reached their maximum thickness at age 10 and a half, while those of children without ADHD did so at age 7 and a half; you can see an evocative Quicktime video of this happening online.
Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control impulses can range from impatience waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings and outbursts of anger. Adult ADHD symptoms may include: Impulsiveness.
Many people with ADHD express frustration with the frequency and depth of negative and intrusive thoughts. These thoughts can be painful, and they may grow and grow until they affect daily life.
The psychiatrist and researcher Gabor Maté hypothesized that individuals with ADHD perceive that time is slipping by, and this causes distress that leads to inattention or hyperactive and impulsive behaviors [16].
Shankman: Simply put, ADHD is the brain's inability to produce as much dopamine, serotonin, and adrenaline as “regular” people's brains produce. Because of that, our brains have become “faster.” When managed right, that becomes a superpower.
Why People with ADHD Are Overwhelmed. People in the ADHD world experience life more intensely, more passionately than neurotypicals. They have a low threshold for outside sensory experience because the day-to-day experience of their five senses and their thoughts is always on high volume.
Some individuals with the predominately inattentive type of ADHD also display a subset of symptoms that are typified by sluggish-lethargic behavior and mental fogginess. It is this subset of characteristics that have been described as "sluggish cognitive tempo" (or SCT).
Many adults and children with ADHD struggle with forgetfulness as an ADHD symptom. Forgetfulness can appear as a part of inattentiveness or just not being able to keep thoughts together.
Thayer's study shows that the ADHD group of children had larger and more frequent variations. Fathers with ADHD will pass this code discrepancy to offspring. Barkley explains that the heritability of ADHD runs around 80 percent. Genetics account for 80 percent of the components that define ADHD.
ADHD, also called attention-deficit disorder, is a behavior disorder, usually first diagnosed in childhood, that is characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and, in some cases, hyperactivity.
ADHD is not caused by bad parenting, too much sugar, or too many video games. It is a brain-based, biological disorder.
A: ADHD brains need more sleep, but find it doubly difficult to achieve restfulness. It is one of those ADHD double whammies: ADHD makes it harder to get enough sleep, and being sleep deprived makes it harder to manage your ADHD (or anything else).
Students with ADHD may have a hard time managing their emotions when interacting with their peers. They can become easily overwhelmed, impatient, or frustrated. In social interactions, when children with ADHD become distracted or dominate the conversation, their peers may view them as uninterested and unkind.
The brain's frontal lobes, which are involved in ADHD, continue to mature until we reach age 35. In practical terms, this means that people with ADHD can expect some lessening of their symptoms over time. Many will not match the emotional maturity of a 21-year-old until their late 30's.
In fact, the relationship failure rate is twice as high for individuals with ADHD. The ADHD-affected relationship can be very challenging due to common ADHD symptoms such as persistent distractibility, inattention, forgetfulness, physical and mental restlessness, along with impulsive behavior and/or speech.
There's no simple test to determine whether you or your child has ADHD, but your specialist can make an accurate diagnosis after a detailed assessment. The assessment may include: a physical examination, which can help rule out other possible causes for the symptoms. a series of interviews with you or your child.