Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder ( Adhd ) - 3147 Words

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) has been a diagnosis that has become controversial over the past few decades, but even more alarming is the treatment used to control this disorder and the possible lifelong effects this medication might have on them as adults. There is some school of thought that kids who are prescribed ADHD medications as children could have substance abuse issues later in life as they have an additional risk of addiction linked to the disorder, not to the treatment. The stimulant medication utilized to treat ADHD may have some long term effects on the child’s brain by changing the levels of neurotransmitters, the brain adapts to the medication so continuous updates and changes need to be made, stimulant†¦show more content†¦To better understand this diagnosis, one needs to fully understand what ADHD means and how it differs from ADD. ADD is attention deficit disorder, with characteristics of inattention and impulsivity (Attention Defici t Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). With ADHD, it is identical to the ADD definition but adds in a good dose of hyperactivity. Although that definition seems simple, it really does encompass a great deal of conditions that are significant enough to interrupt normal functioning at home, work or school. Where ADD may have the individual seeming lost and oblivious or in a dream-like state, just not really caring, ADHD may have the person completely on the go, unable to sit still, impatient, frenzied, wired and/or seeking out something that is stimulating. Both of these may appear opposite but the effects are generally the same: it is difficult to pay attention, even harder to make and maintain friendships, tasks remain uncompleted, lack of impulse control, things are lost easily and places are left looking haphazard and disorganized. The adoption of ADD as a clinical diagnosis first happened in 1980, when the publication of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III by the American Psychiatric Association first appeared (Lange). In 1987, ADHD became its own diagnosis, instead of falling into a