Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

What is ADHD?

ADHD is a neurological disorder that affects a child's behavior or development. Children with ADHD often show the following signs before they turn 7 years old:

• Distracted
• Hyperactivity
• Impulsive

Many children with ADHD cannot explain why they feel out of control or very lonely. The condition is more common in boys than girls.

Types of ADHD

There are three types of ADHD:

• Mainly distraction, children can hardly concentrate
• Primarily hyperactive or impulsive, Children's behavior tends to be hyperactive or impulsive.
• In combination , children may exhibit a combination of symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity or impulsivity.

What are the symptoms of ADHD?

Children with ADHD tend to face the following difficulties due to difficulty concentrating or regulating their hyperactive or impulsive behavior:

• Study
  • Learning difficulties
  • Not doing well at school
• Awareness
  • Poor problem solving skills
  • Unable to understand the consequences of wrongdoing
  • Talking to oneself in a very childish (age-related) way
• Feeling
  • Depression
  • Unable to control emotions
  • Unpredictable mood
• Society
  • Rampant
  • Unable to make friends
  • Unable to follow instructions
  • Lying, stealing and high-risk tendencies
  • Lack of self-control
  • Poor social skills

What causes ADHD?

Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly what causes ADHD. However, a set of factors have been found to be linked to ADHD. These factors include:

• Head injury
• Brain infection
• Lead poisoning
• The mother takes medicine while pregnant
• Family history of ADHD
• High blood pressure and infection during pregnancy
• Neurological imbalance in the brain , affecting areas that control the ability to concentrate, plan, and organize

What are the risk factors for ADHD?

Risk factors for ADHD may include:

• Epileptic
• Premature birth (before the 37th week of pregnancy)
• Exposure to environmental toxins , such as lead
• Family history of ADHD or other mental health disorder
• Brain injury , either in the womb or after severe head trauma after birth

What are the complications and associated diseases of ADHD?

Children with ADHD are prone to the following difficulties:

• Having low self-esteem
• Accident-prone and more vulnerable than their peers
• Socially awkward and difficult to be accepted by adults and peers
• Fall behind in class, can lead to poor academic performance and being undervalued by other children and adults

Children with ADHD are also more likely than other children to have the following conditions:

• Epileptic
• Depression
• Dyslexia and other learning difficulties
• Anxiety disorders , which often make your child feel worried and stressed
• Autism spectrum disorder , which affects how your child perceives and communicates with others
• Conduct disorder , which causes antisocial behavior such as stealing, fighting, vandalism, and harming people or animals
• Tourette syndrome , which is when your child involuntarily makes unwanted noises and repetitive movements
• Sleep problems , such as difficulty falling asleep or irregular sleep cycles
• Substance use disorders, including drugs, alcohol and smoking
• Mood disorders such as bipolar disorder
• Oppositional defiant disorder

How to prevent ADHD?

Researchers have not yet found a way to prevent ADHD. However, you can reduce your child's risk of ADHD by:

• Avoid alcohol, drugs and tobacco during pregnancy
• Limit children's exposure to pollutants and toxins

Early detection and intervention can help reduce the severity of your child's symptoms and support healthy growth and development.