ADHD

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What is Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder?

Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects 3-5 percent of all American children. It interferes with a person's ability to stay on a task and to exercise age-appropriate inhibition (cognitive alone or both cognitive and behavioral). Some of the warning signs of ADHD include failure to listen to instructions, inability to organize oneself and school work, fidgeting with hands and feet, talking too much, leaving projects, chores and homework unfinished, and having trouble paying attention to and responding to details. There are several types of ADHD: a predominantly inattentive subtype, a predominantly hyperactive-impulsive subtype, and a combined subtype. ADHD is usually diagnosed in childhood, although the condition can continue into the adult years.

Is there any treatment?

The usual course of treatment may include medications such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) or dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), which are stimulants that decrease impulsivity and hyperactivity and increase attention. Most experts agree that treatment for ADHD should address multiple aspects of the individual's functioning and should not be limited to the use of medications alone. Treatment should include structured classroom management, parent education (to address discipline and limit-setting), and tutoring and/or behavioral therapy for the child.

What is the prognosis?

There is no cure for ADHD. Children with the disorder seldom outgrow it; however, some may find adaptive ways to accommodate the ADHD as they mature.

Source: National Institutes of Health

Study findings from Chonnam National University, Department of Psychiatry broaden understanding of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

"Using psychological testing as an indicator of stress, we measured the cortisol level in the saliva before and after administering a psychological test. Behavioral problems, including aggression, were assessed using the Korean version of the Child Behavior Checklist (K-CBCL). The increase of the cortisol level was inversely correlated with aggression in patients who retained their reactivity to stress. The absolute value of the decrease was negatively correlated with the attention score of the CBCL for the patients who showed decreases in cortisol after stress," wrote S.J. Yang and colleagues, Chonnam National University, Department of Psychiatry.

The researchers concluded: "For the patients who showed increases in their concentration of cortisol in reaction to stress, cortisol may play a protective role against aggression."

Yang and colleagues published their study in Psychiatry Research (Cortisol is inversely correlated with aggression for those boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who retain their reactivity to stress. Psychiatry Research, 2007;153(1):55-60).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting S.J. Yang, Chonnam National University Hospital, Dept. of Psychiatry, 5 Hak-dong, Dong-gu, Kwangju, 501-746, Republic of Korea.

The publisher of the journal Psychiatry Research can be contacted at: Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd., Customer Relations Manager, Bay 15, Shannon Industrial Estate, Co. Clare, Ireland.

Keywords: Korea, ADHD, Aggression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Developmental Disabilities, Mental Health, Psychiatry, Psychology.

This article was prepared by Mental Health Weekly Digest editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2007, Mental Health Weekly Digest via NewsRx.com.