Angie Hionis-Bell: ADHD

ADHD

Jun 09

Basic facts about ADHD

ADD or ADHD??? Many times people are confused about these terms. This condition has been known for more than one hundred years but it has always been called the same thing. The sub-types are very different but more alike than not.

There are three sub-types of one condition called ADHD

predominantly inattentive

predominantly hyperactive/impulsive

combined.

If you were diagnosed with ADD in the past you are probably predominately inattentive. This can be very confusing, which is why I wanted to take the time to clarify.

Many people think ADHD is only for children but they are wrong.

Unfortunately there isn’t as much data on it but it is believed to affect 2-4% of the adult population. In fact, there is a strong genetic link to heredity. Children with one parent with ADHD have a 30% of sharing the same disorder and as high as 70-80 of children with ADHD continue to have symptoms well into teens and young adulthood.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publication Vital and Health Statistics (PDF; September 2007). Some of the findings in this publication include:

There are 4.5 million children ages 3 to 17 (7% of this age group) with ADHD.

Boys are more than twice as likely to have AD/HD, with 11% of boys in this age range having the disorder and 4% of girls.

When compared with children who have excellent or very good health, children who have fair or poor health status are nearly 3 times more likely to have ADHD (7% vs. 19%).