The character of each child has its own characteristics. One likes to sit quietly in the corner and read, while the other prefers noisy games with friends. But everything has a limit, so at some point, mothers of too playful children may hear about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Should I be scared?
ADHD - what is it?
Children are naughty - every mother knows this. But excessive activity may have some medical reasons. Attention deficit disorder in children of primary school age is a complex of certain symptoms that prevent them from successfully acquiring knowledge. These guys are impulsive, constantly distracted, and concentrating on one task is a very big problem for them.
Modern science believes that this is a disease that has some causes. In the United States and Canada, a classification of psychiatric diseases is used for diagnosis. But do not immediately get scared and think that doctors in this case will try to transfer the child to a specialized school. As a rule, there is no reason for this. However, this condition should not be completely ignored either -the absence of any measures may have in the future such consequences as problems with normal integration into society, deterioration in academic performance, and after this complexes, bad relations with parents and teachers, and so on. Fortunately, there have been methods for correcting this feature for a long time, including medications.
History of the syndrome
The first description of a condition resembling attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was found in the notes of the German psychiatrist Heinrich Hoffmann-Donner dated 1846. However, it was not made in a scientific journal, but only in a children's book dedicated to the scientist's son.
The first official mention of this condition was made in 1902 by the English pediatrician George Steel, who observed children with behavioral problems, including a tendency to excessive mobility and destructive activities. It was he who suggested that this was not due to poor upbringing, but to dysfunction of the central nervous system. From that moment began an active study of ADHD. What it is is not entirely clear until now.
By the middle of the twentieth century, excessively mobile and absent-minded children began to be diagnosed with "minimal brain dysfunction", but in the early 80s, "attention deficit disorder" was separated from this rather broad concept. There was also a cure, but we need to talk about it separately.
Varieties
In 1990, a classification was proposed that, at first glance, distinguishes twodiametrically opposed manifestations of the same state. Conventionally, they were named HD and ADD. The first group included motor disinhibited children with poor concentration of attention, impulsive and with difficulty controlling their behavior. The rest of the patients, on the contrary, have hypoactivity, lethargy, rapid fatigue and loss of concentration.
Prevalence
It is difficult to say how urgent the problem associated with attention deficit disorder is, since there are no uniform standards for diagnosis. In different countries, very different figures are given: in the USA - 4-13%, in Germany - 9-18%, in the Russian Federation - 15-28%, in the UK - 1-3%, in China - 1-13%, etc. e. This does not include adults with similar problems, so the actual statistics can be even more impressive. It is also noted that this problem is much less common among girls than among boys. The latter are 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD.
Signs
In the scientific literature, there are up to 100 different manifestations characteristic of ADHD. But the main thing remains the same: reduced concentration of attention, hyperactivity and a tendency to destructive activity. As already mentioned, lethargy and general hypotension can also indicate one of the varieties of this problem. Also, in the general case, memory impairment, obsessive movements, lack of self-care skills and the development of fine motor skills, lack of independence, impulsivity, sudden and frequent mood swings, increased irritability and excitability can be observed. Anyway,noticing that the child's behavior is very different from what and how almost all of his peers do, you can and even need to consult a doctor, at least for your own peace of mind.
Causes of occurrence
If earlier the reasons for such behavior were explained by gaps in education, then in recent years they have started talking about the fact that attention deficit and hyperactivity can stem from the characteristics of the development of the body, namely, the nervous system. The fact is that the brain continues to form after the birth of a child. Moreover, the most active period of his work falls on the second to fifth years of life. Of course, this process continues later, but for everyone, the maturation of the central nervous system occurs at different times.
On the other hand, observation of children with ADHD has shown that in them, especially in the ADD variety, blood circulation to the frontal lobe of the brain decreases in the process of stressful solution of any task. Moreover, the more the child tried to concentrate on the task, the more pronounced was the decline. Another hypothesis is related to the transfer of intrauterine hypoxia, which responded years later in this way. There is also a theory that explains this condition by a violation of catecholamine metabolism. Someone even believes that this feature is inherited, arguing this with characteristic changes in the structure of genes. However, despite various assumptions, the exact answer to the question "ADHD - what is it" in terms of pathogenesis is still a mystery.
Diagnosis
As already mentioned, attention deficit disorder can refer to a variety of symptoms. And since no signs of the disease, except for behavioral problems, have yet been identified, doctors are forced to rely on extremely shaky ground. There is no single method for making a diagnosis, in the USA and Canada their own questionnaires are used, and in the Old World - their own. Moreover, some of the criteria in both cases may correspond to the behavior of a perfectly he althy, but, for example, extremely absent-minded child. The characteristic of preschool age fully confirms this: the formation of a personality can occur in completely different ways, so the diagnosis should be carried out by a very competent and experienced specialist.
However, in case of doubt, it is not enough to use questionnaires alone. In the diagnosis of ADHD, tomography, electroneuromyography and emission spectrometry are used, as well as EEG, electroencephalography, which is familiar to almost everyone. All this helps to better understand the conditions in which there is a deficit of attention.
Treatment
Methods for correcting the state of hyperactivity and attention deficit are divided into medication and others. The former are mostly used abroad, the latter are usually much closer to many Russian mothers who do not want to stuff their child with medicines once again. In contrast, parents in Europe and America tend to use non-drug interventions only when medication fails.
Most often, the doctor selects a complex of drugs fromgroups of psychostimulants, tranquilizers, tricyclic antidepressants and nootropics. In international practice, two drugs have proven their effectiveness in the treatment of ADHD: Ritalin and Amitriptyline and their analogues.
Non-drug therapies are also successful when applied correctly and consistently. First of all, it is necessary to reconsider the child's lifestyle in terms of his social circle and activities. It is better to choose games that are calm, without a strong emotional component, and partners in them - balanced and unflappable. Psychotherapy is also successfully used, during which the child's attitude to learning and the environment is corrected. Activities that promote relaxation and relieve anxiety have a beneficial effect on ADHD. In certain situations, family therapy will also be useful - studies show that a diagnosed attention deficit disorder in children increases the risk of depression in mothers by about 5 times.
While both approaches are good in their own way, the best results are still obtained by combining them.
Prevention
Without knowing the real reasons that cause attention deficit in children, it is difficult to talk about measures to prevent it. Of course, it makes sense for expectant mothers to carefully monitor their condition, and after childbirth - the development of the child. Many neurologists believe that the symptoms of ADHD can be noticed at about 3-5 years old, and sometimes even in the first year of life. From the moment these signs are discovered, it is possible to begin correction according to non-drug methods of treatment - in any case, theyharm any child. One has only to remember that in children with attention deficit there is a rather peculiar work of the brain: after 3-5 minutes of activity, it needs a break.
Forecast
As a rule, by adolescence, attention deficit disorder is somehow over. But this does not mean that ADHD does not require treatment and goes away on its own. Ignoring it is fraught with, if not neurological, then psychological problems. By the age of 14-15, a child can get low self-esteem, gaps in knowledge, lack of friends. Considering that during this period he will already go through a difficult time for himself, a kind of crisis, there is no need to leave the manifestations of ADHD unattended, because this can greatly complicate further social adaptation. In addition, studies show that in 30-70% of cases, certain clinical symptoms of the syndrome are observed at an older age.
Adult disorders
Yes, it doesn't just happen to kids. Contrary to popular belief, ADHD is no longer a characteristic of preschool or adolescence, this diagnosis can be applied to adults as well. Doctors are so far reluctant to admit this, writing off disorganization, forgetfulness and constant lateness to the temperament and lack of willpower. But, as already mentioned, in 30-70% of cases in children diagnosed with ADHD, some or other problems will be observed later.
Features of activities in seniorage, however, leaves its mark, so that attention deficits may not be expressed exactly as in a child:
- "hang" while doing business or talking;
- impaired concentration;
- difficulty concentrating on a task;
- poor auditory memory, problems with reproducing information received orally;
- tendency to ignore details, even important ones.
There is another side of the coin. Sometimes people with ADHD can go into what is known as an over-focused state. At the same time, focusing on one thing can make a person forget about time and other things. As for hyperactivity, as a rule, it is much less pronounced in adults.
