Information about ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition, which means it is brain-based and starts in childhood. It occurs in all situations and impacts significantly on a person’s ability to function in day-to-day tasks. It often co- occurs with other neurodevelopmental conditions (like Autism, Dyslexia etc.) and mental health difficulties (low mood for example). People with ADHD are diagnosed with either: - ADHD -Hyperactive subtype – people who have primarily hyperactive symptoms - ADHD Inattentive subtype – people who have primarily inattentive symptoms - ADHD Combined – people who don’t fall more into one category than the other
Attention refers to how well you can concentrate/ focus. This could be concentrating on a task you are doing at university, work or home, another person, a hobby etc.
Hyperactivity refers to being over-active or restless. This may mean you move around a lot, fiddle with things or have constant racing thoughts.
For ease in this document the term ADHD will be used to refer to all of the above.
What is the cause of ADHD?
There are likely to be several factors that are important in why someone gets ADHD. We know that it runs in families, therefore it is assumed that there is a genetic link. However, not all people who have a genetic vulnerability have ADHD, therefore there are likely to be prenatal, familial, biological, social, and psychological factors.
Research suggests that perhaps up to 6% of adults have ADHD. It has historically been more often diagnosed in males, though this is changing.
DEVON ADULT AUTISM AND ADHD SERVICE 5
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