Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 

Introduction 

Children with ADHD

A psychiatrist explains how ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) affects children’s behaviour and the treatments available. See also how parents Paul and Helen manage their son's ADHD.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a group of behavioural symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is a type of ADHD.

Common symptoms of ADHD include:

  • a short attention span
  • restlessness
  • being easily distracted
  • constant fidgeting

Many people with ADHD also have additional problems, such as sleep disorders or learning difficulties. However, ADHD has no effect on intelligence. See ADHD – Symptoms for a full list of possible symptoms and associated conditions.

Children naturally have a tendency towards the kind of behaviour that ADHD causes, but this behaviour should not be confused with ADHD. There are several criteria that must be met for a child to be diagnosed with ADHD (see ADHD – Diagnosis for more information). Adults are harder to diagnose because there is no definitive set of age-appropriate symptoms.

How common is ADHD?

ADHD is the most common behavioural disorder in the UK. It is estimated that the condition affects 3–9% of school-aged children and young people. Worldwide, around 2% of adults may be affected by ADHD.

Symptoms of ADHD tend to start at an early age, and they may become more noticeable when a child's circumstances change, such as starting school. ADHD is normally diagnosed between the ages of three to seven, although in some cases it may not be until much later. It is more commonly diagnosed in boys. 

It is still uncertain whether ADHD can occur in adults without first appearing in childhood.

Outlook

There is no cure for ADHD, but it can be managed using medication. This will be combined with psychological, educational and social therapies that aim to improve behaviour (see ADHD – Treatment for more information). 

ADHD can be a lifelong condition, and many children continue to have symptoms as a teenager and adult. It is estimated that nearly two-thirds of children with ADHD still have some symptoms at the age of 25. 




  • show glossary terms
Hyperactivity
Hyperactivity is a higher than normal level of activity and restlessness.

Last reviewed: 19/05/2010

Next review due: 19/05/2012

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13 Comments

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Comments are personal views. Any information they give has not been checked and may not be accurate.

Orquidia said on 02 January 2012

I'm saddened by the ignorance by some of these commenters who have no idea but spout unproven facts and made up statistics.
There's no blood test for most neurological and mental health issues. That doesn't mean these conditions don't exist. Our technology is not at that stage yet. Hopefully one day.
Brain scans do show something however. I've taken ADHD drugs, if taken adequately, they are not addictive. In fact my main problem was constantly forgetting to take them. That's not addiction.
ADHD doesn't just affect school or academics, it affects me socially with relationships, in my work, in my home, my finances,my leisure and even my intimate moments.
It's so frustrating to be constantly using your energy going around in circles, with my life a chaos. All of these come with depression.
And no, the concentration is not because of the depression and anxiety. Rather, the other way around, who wouldn't be depressed and anxious when you never know what's going on, people are constantly on your case, and judging and judging.
I don't like trying to study for hours and only manage to study half a page(yes, I do take breaks, I cannot sit down for hours.) And being led by my impulses, and spending more than I can afford.
I've had two suicide attempts and I don't appreciate ignorant fools trying to tell me ADHD doesn't exist. Why am I like this? Oh, you mean I'm just lazy and I should try harder? I try harder to do everything than you do. You have no concept of the time and energy to get out of the house in the morning, of thinking every single step out mentally and who knows which stage I'll drift off.
One of my friends had a mild concussion and was able to finally understand how I feel all the time. Maybe we should start concussing neurotypicals so they can get a taste of ADHD.

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User492632 said on 19 December 2011

Luckily not all doctors agree with the existance of ADHD such as Fred Baughman who has written the book "The ADHD Fraud :How psychiatry makes patients of normal children" also Dr Mary Ann Block author of "No more ADHD." Hopefully more doctors will speak out about this unproven condition. Many children have died from taking stimulant drugs and I really hope to see these dangerous drugs banned soon. ADHD has come from America and it is an invented for profit disorder. Behavioural problems can be helped without dangerous drugs. It is not fair to the kids to put their long term health at risk in this way.

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Northern Lights said on 01 December 2011

There is no question that ADHD exists. None whatsoever. The only people who think that it does not, are those who have not lived with the condition or do not have a relative with the condition. My 10 year old son has this and it has dominated our lives. He was diagnosed two years ago (not by a medical professional who, by the way, kept misdiagnosing him) but by his karate instructor within the first hour of his first lesson. The instructor recognised the signs and symptons straight away. I didn't even know this was what was wrong until I ordered books from Amazon and started reading. My son is hyperactive sometimes but he is predominantly inattentive as am I, and he can stare into space and look like a total space cadet. He cannot focus for more than a few seconds unless he is very interested in something (this is often where professionals thrown off the scent). ADHD kids CAN concentrate but only on a few things that they are really into. I recommend a book by Dr Daniel Amen called Healing the Six Types of ADHD. I have had no help whatsoever from Hampshire CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) since my son has been a patient. The psychiatrist prescribed Ritalin which sent my son into an anxious frenzy where he paced up and down and pulled out his hair, and then Atomoxitine which, his teacher informs me, makes him look tired and has robbed him of his 'sparkle'. My son does have a cheeky, funny streak which I don't want to see evaporate but I do want an end to the horrendous screaming fits and the Strattera (the brand name for Atomoxitine) does nothing to address this. If my son is not on drugs, he is dropped from Hampshire CAMHS patient list. How disgusting is that? Psychiatrists seem to belicenced drug psuhers. They offer no family therapy whatsover and this is what we need. We need strategies of managing my son's screaming fits and I can't get any help anywhere for this. I have written to my MP re. this as a last resort.

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kym86 said on 29 November 2011

being a mother of a child with ADHD i feel very worried by the views of some extremely ignorant people, who feel it is their right to judge.how can any of you say ADHD/ADD does not exist? if you have never had to live with the condition or with somebody with the condition then it would be easy to make a prejudiced decision, that quite frankly is not yours to make. but how is it that i have tried for years to educate my son with the help of many schools and professionals and it is only now at the age of 8 after having been diagnosed with ADHD and being prescribed with equasym that my son is finally starting to learn to read and to receive and education and to be able to fully integrate with his peers properly. i can finally take my son on holiday without the worry of how he will cope with the over excitement and long waiting times at airports, how we can sit and read together or how we can even have a proper conversation that lasts? i suppose you will have some nifty excuse for this up your sleeves but i honestly don't care to hear it! as a mother who loves my son and wishes for him to succeed in life i feel as the risks of the drugs are worth it as do the two pediatricians i have been seeing. i'm not saying the drug has made my life perfect but it is giving my son a chance at an education and it is giving us some better quality family time and i'm sure my son will appreciate this when he has a career and a wholesome and healthy relationship with his family in his adult life. i hope you people never have to face any type of mental illness yourselves but if you do i really do hope your prejudiced views come in the way of your own treatment.

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MrsHmmz said on 01 November 2011

Comments like "there is no clear cut blood or lab test which proves any child has this invented disorder" show a total lack of understanding about mental health. There are very few brain-based disorders that DO have a simple test - have you ever heard of a blood test for depression, for example? Most mental disorders are diagnosed via behavioural & self report measures, not simple lab tests, but does that make them "invented"? And in any case, countless studies have shown brain differences in people with ADHD.

Arguments about "medicalising" normal children's behaviour and "drugging" kids not only betray a huge misunderstanding of ADHD but also stem from the US situation where drug companies have more influence and doctors are under financial pressure to diagnose & prescribe. In the UK it is MUCH harder to get an ADHD diagnosis, even in cases where it seems pretty obvious. Doctors & schools in this country are very uninformed about ADHD, the services for people diagnosed with the condition just aren't there, and prescriptions of ADHD drugs are much lower.

I'd invite any of you that don't "believe" to live in my shoes for a day and then tell me it's not real! In spite of being a fairly "able" person in general, my shoddy working memory, constant distractibility, inability to control my own attention & motivation (they basically have a mind of their own!), etc cause me no end of problems in my life. I never live up to my potential, and am physically & mentally exhausted from the effort it takes to merely keep my head above water in life.

I still haven't even been diagnosed; it wasn't heard of when I was a child and you wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a doctor that knows anything about adult ADHD! Even when I've managed to get a GP to take me seriously they've found that there isn't a specialist to refer me on to in my area so no one is qualified to diagnose me.

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User561390 said on 04 June 2011

It does exist but it is existance is syptomatic of other issues, problems or illnesses. If these other issues and conditions are treated then along with a little consideration for others around (not a concept valued in western society), the condition itself is also treated.
But hey, if the drugs make you feel good, then carry on taking them, if you truly have ADHD then you wouldnt take the drugs if they didnt make you feel good. Really does it matter what the label is, whether its SAD or ADD or mania. If the drugs work, the label doesnt matter.

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Sian.Hutchings said on 16 May 2011

I was diagnosed with the medical condition since I was in my nursery school , and I've taken medication for it for a long time now and I currently take Methylphenidate Hydrochloride , Risperidone and Bio Melatonin and the medication really does help me in many ways and the Methylphenidate can calm me down and able to focus on things at home and with other people . The Risperidone helps me with my anger problems and the Bio Melatonin helps me sleep and relax too. When I go to my reviews I had to have my height , weight and blood pressure done at every time I see the consultant. I would say to others if they might have or there child has the condition I would say go and seek professional help and get support and advice as early as possible !

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JordanHarper said on 26 April 2011

i've had ADHD all my life im 16 now and i've been on loads of different medications that just don't seem to work. i now take atomoxetine and it's the best so far but i fear my body will become immune to the effects just like it did with the other medicies

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bhasmanath said on 14 April 2011

I am in my 30's and have suffered from ADHD all my life.
I was neither prescribed anything nor diagnosed as a child, and as a result my schooling was an unqualified disaster.
Obviously care must be taken with these medications, but the choice, as articulated by the father in the video, is clear; you can either have a child who does well at school, or one who does badly.
It can be easy to be taken up with the flow of dialogue and rhetoric surrounding ADHD that comes to us from the US, where the unhealthy relationship between the pharmaceutical, insurance and medical professions does lead to common overprescription of many medications.
To take a moralistic standpoint on the prescription of these medications as "giving drugs to kids", however, is inappropriate and misguided. I would even go as far as to say that it is just another face of the stigmatization that children and adults who suffer from behavioural, psychological or psychiatric disorders.
I would say to parents reading this that the choice is between a chance at success for your child, or probable failure, at school, in life.
There are dangers in these medications, yes, as there are in most things, but using due care they are negligible.

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User492632 said on 20 March 2011

Genetic studies are not proof that ADHD exists. The only dysysfunction ever found in ADHD children comes from the drug treatment itself. It is a catch all diagnosis which puts extremely young children on addictive and dangerous drugs which can and have caused sudden death when prescribed at usual doses. All children are individuals and develope at different rates and they deserve the right to do so without their every move being psychoanalysed. It is damaging and stigmatising. A child of six is not totally responsible for his/her behaviour and without a scientific biological test it is too easily being misdiagnosed and kids health is being unnecessarily put at risk. The NHS cannot afford to check every childs heart , weight, blood pressure and other every single day. Amphetamines should not be given to any child when there are many ways to help with behavioural problems other than using SPEED. Its an utter disgrace when pharmaceutical profit comes before childrens health! This is common sense , not ignorance. Drugs are not always the answer to everyone of lifes problems.

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jwest said on 23 February 2011

I don't really know much about ADHD, but i decided to read up on it after reading an article that reminded me very much of my self. I am 17 and not very hyper but i was as a child, i used to sing loudly in public, much to the annoyance of my mum and could be quite bossy and controlling in the playground. However other symptoms such as inattentiveness and impulsiveness i do seem to posses. I have a very short attention span and in class i often find it very difficult to concentrate on what the teacher is saying. I am forgetful and when long tasks or instructions are explained to me my mind often just switches off. I would find it almost impossible to listen to complicated directions. If i find something difficult i quite often just give up if i find it uninteresting. For example when i used to do maths i would completely ignore the teacher speaking for the beginning of the lesson and then find that i didn't no what she had asked us to do. I also am very untidy despite making an active effort to clean and i often lose things and then find it hard to find them. I am very fidgety, i am constantly tapping a foot or a finger and i often get very anxious in certain situations and react physically (like begin sweating or shaking). I have very bad attendance at school and this is partly because i find it boring despite my interest in the subjects i do. sometimes i find it hard to sleep as it feels like a cant switch my mind off, on two occasions i couldn't sleep for a whole week because i got anxious about a variation of things and this made me feel depressed, though not for an extended period of time. When i was younger i used to steal from shops and i read somewhere this can be a result of ADHD, sometimes particularly with my family i have a very short fuse and can explode. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if this sounds like a case of ADHD. Sorry for the essay.

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jwest said on 23 February 2011

I don't really know much about ADHD, but i decided to read up on it after reading an article that reminded me very much of my self. I am 17 and not very hyper but i was as a child, i used to sing loudly in public, much to the annoyance of my mum and could be quite bossy and controlling in the playground. However other symptoms such as inattentiveness and impulsiveness i do seem to posses. I have a very short attention span and in class i often find it very difficult to concentrate on what the teacher is saying. I am forgetful and when long tasks or instructions are explained to me my mind often just switches off. I would find it almost impossible to listen to complicated directions. If i find something difficult i quite often just give up if i find it uninteresting. For example when i used to do maths i would completely ignore the teacher speaking for the beginning of the lesson and then find that i didn't no what she had asked us to do. I also am very untidy despite making an active effort to clean and i often lose things and then find it hard to find them. I am very fidgety, i am constantly tapping a foot or a finger and i often get very anxious in certain situations and react physically (like begin sweating or shaking). I have very bad attendance at school and this is partly because i find it boring despite my interest in the subjects i do. sometimes i find it hard to sleep as it feels like a cant switch my mind off, on two occasions i couldn't sleep for a whole week because i got anxious about a variation of things and this made me feel depressed, though not for an extended period of time. When i was younger i used to steal from shops and i read somewhere this can be a result of ADHD, sometimes particularly with my family i have a very short fuse and can explode. I was wondering if anyone could tell me if this sounds like a case of ADHD. Sorry for the essay.

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smartbenne123 said on 13 February 2011

I do agree ADHD exists, having taken part in a genetic study with my children recently ADHD was recognised over 100 years ago, and the modern day treatment of ADHD has been based on hundreds of peices of research over 30+ yrs. The reality is medication in general can cause the outcomes listed by the user above... sudden death, weight loss, defects etc etc.
Prescribed mephylphenidate (ritalin etc) is not done lightly and it is very closely monitored by the CAMHs team & professionals. I and my child have regular health checks, blood pressure, weight, growth etc etc. Medication alone is not the solution though, behaviour modification and other areas of work also support the whole childs development and coping strategies with ADHD. Treating ADHD promptly and appropriately with or without ritalin depends on the needs of the individual. It doesn;t work for everyone, and not every individual with ADHD will feel ritalin is/works for them. They may also have side effects that outweight the benefits.

Sometimes small doses are enough to allow the neuro transmitters in the frontal cortex to fire up and pass full messages through to the synaptic membrane... enabling things like impulsivity to reduce, self control to be supported and allowing that space and time to develop learning techniques to cope into adulthood and come off the medication in time.

Now, as an adult with ADHD, medication has helped me focus and concentrate and as a result I have flourished. My son is 11 and chose to take medication during school hours as he felt better able to focus. Inappropriate or lack of treatment can lead to other disorders, behavioural issues such as ODD and OCD, and has a huge affect on self esteem and emotional well being.

Please comment when you have the facts. Ignorance results in stigma being attached to this (and other mental health) conditions, and that really is detrimental to children with an ADHD diagnosis!

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