Mental Disorder Writing Prompt

ADD and ADHD

A.D.D. is short for Attention Deficient Disorder and ADHD is short for is short for Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. People are born with these disorders but everyone shows some types of signs of it at one point or another. It is one of the most common mental disorders that develop in children and may continue into adolescence or adulthood. To be diagnosed with it you must have six of the nine characteristics in either the Predominantly Inattentive or Predominantly Hyperactive/Impulsive type categories. In the Predominantly Inattentive type the person fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes, has difficulty sustaining attention, does not appear to listen, struggles to follow through instructions, has difficulty with organization, avoids or dislikes tasks requiring sustained mental effort, loses things, is easily distracted, or is forgetful in daily activities which is ADD. In the Predominantly hyperactive/impulsive type a person fidgets with hands or feet and squirms in chair, has difficulty remaining seated, runs about or climbs excessively, has difficulty engaging in activities quietly, acts as if driven by a motor, talks excessively, blurts out answers before questions have been completed which is ADHD. Sometimes a person even has ADD and ADHD combined which happens if they meet both categories. For the statistics; in a classroom with 30 students between one and three children will have ADHD, Boys are three times more often than girls to be diagnosed. 75% of boys diagnosed with ADD/ADHD have hyperactivity and 60% of girls diagnosed have hyperactivity. 50% of children experiences sleep problems. One fourth of children with ADHD have serious learning disabilities such as oral expression, listening skills, reading comprehension and/or math. These disorders can later cause problems in adulthood and if left untreated symptoms can negatively affect daily activities such as work or relationships and cause stress. So it’s best to see a doctor if you see any of these problems.