October is ADHD Awareness Month.

We’ve put together some resources for learning more about ADHD, its causes, how it affects everyday life, and the best approaches to help someone experiencing ADHD.

Here’s a preview of our forthcoming online course about ADHD:

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental health conditions in both children and adults. The daily lives of millions in the US are affected by ADHD and its symptoms. Though recognition, diagnosis, and treatment are becoming more common, ADHD is still widely misunderstood, underdiagnosed, and undertreated.

A person with ADHD, particularly a child, may simply be seen as undisciplined and immature, needing better parenting and more consequences. However, the behaviors associated with ADHD are NOT a result of upbringing or personality, but rather of brain chemistry and structure.

ADHD is a developmental disorder in which a person experiences difficulty focusing their attention and controlling their energy and behaviors. Signs of ADHD may include:

Inability to focus in some situations
Difficulty paying attention to details
Losing or forgetting items
Difficulty organizing thoughts
Difficulty finishing projects
Fidgeting or squirming
Inability to relax or calm oneself
Excessive talking and interrupting conversations
Difficulty waiting for one’s turn

ADHD is often associated with academic or occupational problems, along with difficulties in social situations. A person with ADHD may seem to always say or do the wrong thing, respond inappropriately to situations, be indifferent to those around them, or simply ignore instructions and responsibilities. However, we have learned that these behaviors are due to a medical condition out of the person’s control and that some types of traditional discipline and consequences may make them worse.

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What is Executive Function?

A person with ADHD experiences deficits in a set of cognitive processes known as executive function. Executive function is the key to understanding the experience of a person who has ADHD. In neurotypical brains, executive function helps:

Keep attention and focus
Decide what input (noise, for example) to pay attention to, and what to ignore
Respond to input and events
Control impulsive behaviors
Self-regulate emotions
Self-motivate
Plan, problem-solve, and set goals for big tasks
Be self-aware of situations, actions, and emotions
Utilize working memory

Executive function, then, helps us control ourselves and our behaviors. The deficits in executive function experienced by a person with ADHD are the reason they may seem careless, irresponsible, lazy, forgetful, and undisciplined.

7 Essential Facts About ADHD

(from the ADHD Awareness Month Coalition)

ADHD is real.

Nearly every mainstream medical, psychological, and educational organization in the United States long ago concluded that Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a real, brain-based medical disorder.

ADHD is a common, non-discriminatory disorder.

ADHD affects people of every age, gender, IQ, and religious and socioeconomic background.

Diagnosing ADHD is a complex process.

In order for a diagnosis of ADHD to be considered, the person must exhibit a large number of symptoms, demonstrate significant problems with daily life in several major life areas (work, school, or friends), and have had the symptoms for a
minimum of six months.

To complicate the diagnostic process, many of the symptoms look like extreme forms of normal behavior. Additionally, a number of other conditions resemble ADHD. Therefore, other possible causes of the symptoms must be taken into consideration before reaching a diagnosis of ADHD.

What makes ADHD different from other conditions is that the symptoms are excessive, pervasive, and persistent. That is, behaviors are more extreme, show up in multiple settings, and continue showing up throughout life.

No single test will confirm that a person has ADHD. Instead, diagnosticians rely on a variety of tools, the most important of which is information about the person and his or her behavior and environment. If the person meets all of the criteria for ADHD, he or she will be diagnosed with the disorder

ADHD commonly occurs alongside other disorders.

More than half of people who meet the criteria for ADHD also meet criteria for another condition. These include depressive disorders, generalized and social anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, oppositional-defiant disorder, certain learning disabilities and tic disorders, and bipolar disorder.

ADHD is not Benign

ADHD is not benign. Particularly when it is undiagnosed and untreated, ADHD contributes to:

Problems succeeding in school and successfully graduating
Problems at work, lost productivity, and reduced earning power
Problems with relationships
More driving citations and accidents
Problems with overeating and obesity
Problems with the law

ADHD is nobody's fault.

ADHD is NOT caused by moral failure, poor parenting, family problems, poor teachers or schools, too much TV, food allergies, or excess sugar. Instead, research shows that ADHD is both highly genetic (with the majority of ADHD cases having a genetic component),
and a brain-based disorder (with the symptoms of ADHD linked to many specific brain areas).

The factors that appear to increase a child’s likelihood of having the disorder include gender, family history, prenatal risks, environmental toxins, and biological differences in the brain.

ADHD treatment requires multiple methods.

Currently, available treatments focus on reducing the symptoms of ADHD and improving functioning. Treatments include medication, various types of psychotherapy, behavioral interventions, education or training, and educational support. Usually a person with ADHD receives a combination of treatments.