Dealing with ADHD is complex

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that affects children and adults and can continue into adulthood for some.   ADHD usually shows up when a child is in elementary or middle school.

More than four million children and four percent of adults in theU.S.live with a different type of ADHD. According to the National Mental Health Association, “ADHD is the most common psychiatric condition affecting children.” 

ADHD is a health and mental disorder that affects learning, behavior, and perception.

Symptoms of ADHD include hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. With these symptoms, young people with ADHD may have trouble sleeping, show signs of anger and depression, be disorganized, and have learning disabilities. All of these symptoms will make a child seem less mature than the others around them.

The one thing that people with ADHD have in common is an ability to block out sight, sounds, and activities that are unrelated to what they are supposed to be doing. Some people with ADHD find it hard to be polite. Although boys and girls can have forms of ADHD, boys are the more likely to show the hyperactive/ impulsive type. Sometimes stress can cause children with this type of ADHD to become emotional.

When given too much information at once, the inattentive-type ADHD sufferers may appear to “zone out.” Cell phones and other devices can really be distracting to a child with ADHD. Also, keeping emotions under control is often difficult for those who struggle with ADHD.

According to PBS Frontline, “as many as 40 percent of young people with ADHD are arrested before the age of 21.”  That is two times the rate of kids who do not have ADHD.

ADHD can be a lifelong disorder; however, some people grow out this disorder as they mature.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Eight percent of white non-Hispanic children, five percent of black non-iHiHispanic children, and nearly four percent of Hispanic children were reported to have ADHD.” They also added, “Two to three times more boys than girls are diagnosed with ADHD.”

Julia Smith-Ruetz, who has ADHD, said, “ADHD is like going through life carrying one-man band contraption with a broken strap.”