Savannah Brady

Psy 1010
Monday and Wednesday 1 PM

ADHD

ADHD is classified as a disorder where patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and

impulsivity interferes with daily functions and development (NIMH). Some people can

experience only inattention or hyperactivity, while most children can experience both. Anyone

could have inattention and hyperactivity but when someone had ADHD these effects are a lot

more severe (NIMH). It's not being able to sit still in a class because your brain is bored and

needs to be able to do something. Or needing to do something but your brain just doesn't fully

want to do it.

For example, if a normal person wanted to clean their room, they could get it done within

maybe an hour or two. But someone who experiences ADHD, this is very difficult. Focusing on

one task for that long is very hard for these people to do. Sometimes they know they have to

clean their room, but they get distracted but something else or they just don't want to because

they might get "bored".

In the United States there is about 4% of American adults who suffer from ADHD (NIMH).

That's about 9 million adults. There are about 388,000 children 2-5 years old that have ADHD

and 4 million at the ages of 6-11 according to a survey done in 2016 (NIMH). So ADHD can be

very common in adults, some of which go undiagnosed until they get a lot older.

ADHD doesn't have a basic cause. There are multiple factors that can cause ADHD. Some

of which are "genes, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, or drug use during pregnancy, exposure to
environmental toxins while pregnant, low birth weight, and brain injuries" (NIMH). Males are

most likely to have ADHD than most females, though with females they are more likely to have

inattention.

Some conditions that people with this disorder suffer from are learning disabilities, anxiety,

conduct disorder, depression. And su substance abuse (NIMH).

There isn't a set treatment that can cure ADHD, but there is medication, psychotherapy,

education, or a combination of different treatments (NIMH). With the help of medication, it

helps reduce hyperactivity and impulsivity (NIMH). This is good for when someone has a job

that needs 100% focus. You're not up and about every 10 minutes trying to find something to

help your bored brain. One risk that comes from taking prescribed medication is addiction.

Adderall is a drug that can be easily manipulated, so you have to be careful when taking it to not

become addicted to the drug (NIMH). Sometimes with the medication, you have to try a variety

of different doses in order to fully find the right amount for you (NIMH).

Another treatment for calming ADHD is stimulants. These work by increasing the brain's

dopamine and norepinephrine (NIMH). Both of these chemicals help with thinking and focus.

An issue with using stimulants is the risk of higher blood pressure, heart rate, and even increase

anxiety (NIMH). Other side effects of taking stimulants is "decreased appetite, sleep problems,

tics, personality changes, increased anxiety, stomach aches, and headaches" (NIMH).

There are multiple different kinds of therapy that a person can take. There is behavioral

therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, family therapy, parenting skills training, classroom

management, stress management techniques, and so many more. All of these help with different

things. For example, the classroom behavioral classroom management intervention can help
students in classes understand how to function and school and with peers (NIMH). All of these

types of therapies can help families and the person with the disorder. Sometimes with families

that have children that go to school, there is a lot of pent up emotions that can take a toll on the

relationships (NIMH). Having groups and professionals there to help these families can be

beneficial to both parties involved.

I personally have ADHD, it's something that I have struggled with for a long time. I was

diagnosed in 5th grade. It's interesting to me because I experience this on a daily basis. I have

always been interested as to why my brain doesn't function the way a "normal" persons' does. To

me, everyone should do a little research on what type of psychological issue a person may be

affected by. Not only is it a way to help you understand what is going on in your head, you are

prepared for when people close to you have questions about why you do a certain thing.

Something that I have learned from my own experience and from posts on social media

over the years is that ADHD and Autism have a lot in common. ADHD is not on the Autistic

spectrum, but they do share a lot of similarities.

Something else that interested me while I was researching this topic was how dopamine and

norepinephrine can help to balance out a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Reference:

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. (n.d.). Retrieved October 30, 2020, from

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-

disorder-adhd/index.shtml