What is ADHD?

What is ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting around half a million children and adults in the UK. In childhood people with ADHD may appear ‘naughty’, can struggle in school and home settings and be challenging to parents. It’s important when assessing for ADHD that it is clear these symptoms happen both at home and in a school / work environment.

ADHD usually involves a combination of symptoms; inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. In the past, ADHD only had one criteria list, however because of its variable nature and the individuality of each case, there are now three recognised types of ADHD.

Types of ADHD

• Predominantly inattentive
• Predominantly hyperactive/impulsive
• Combined

Predominantly inattentive

This subtype was formerly known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). People with predominantly inattentive ADHD find it difficult to focus, but do not necessarily act impulsively or hyperactively. People with this type may often:

• Find it difficult to complete tasks
• Lose things
• Fail to pay attention to detail
• Not seem to listen when given instructions, and needs them repeating
• Become easily distracted
• Make careless mistakes
• Seem to be forgetful in daily activities
• Dislike activities that are lengthy and require sustained mental effort

Predominantly hyperactive / impulsive

People with this subtype do not have great difficulty concentrating, but still display hyperactive and impulsive behaviour. People with this type may often:

• Fidget a lot (such as finger tapping or leg shaking)
• Run around where inappropriate, seem always ‘on-the-go’
• Find it difficult to play or do activities quietly
• Disrupt lessons at school or others at work
• Find it difficult to sit still
• Find it difficult to wait for their turn
• Interrupt other’s activities
• Interrupts conversation without waiting
• Do things without thinking

Combined

People with this subtype of ADHD will have a combination of both inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive behaviours. To meet the criteria for combined ADHD people do not necessarily need to display all of these symptoms, but usually show at least six symptoms from both groups.

What causes ADHD?

ADHD is categorically not a result of ‘poor parenting’. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, largely caused by an imbalance in the brain of chemicals called neurotransmitters. Some researchers also think that abnormal brain development, such as delayed grey matter growth in specific areas, may contribute to ADHD.

ADHD is a strongly hereditary (or genetic) condition. Within a family, if one child has ADHD, then there is aorund a 40% chance that the siblings will have ADHD as well. With identical twins, the chances are higher. Usually, the other twin will have a 90% chance of having ADHD.

Is ADHD common?

Although the current diagnosis rate of ADHD in school children is around 1-2%, many professionals estimate that the true occurrence is five times greater. Around half of children who have ADHD will continue to show these behaviours in adulthood. There are typically more boys diagnosed with ADHD than girls. Boys are more likely to have predominantly hyperactive/impulsive ADHD, whereas girls are more likely to have predominantly inattentive ADHD. As girls are less disruptive, their behaviours are easier to miss.

Can ADHD accompany another disorder?

Around 50% of children with ADHD show symptoms of another disorder common in childhood. Usually, ADHD symptoms accompany symptoms of:

• Anxiety
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• Conduct disorder (CD)
• Dyslexia
• Mood disorders
• Tourette Syndrome (TS)

At ADHD Team, we offer a detailed neurodevelopmental assessment which looks for co-existing conditions. If after the initial QbCheck an individual shows few symptoms of ADHD, but our team suspects symptoms of another disorder, we will always discuss this with you and recommend further treatment in a following report.

Adults who have ADHD commonly experience other related mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression. Largely this is due to the ADHD not being identified and supported in previous years. At ADHD Team, we are committed to tailoring treatment alongside other mental health problems in adults.