ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. ADHD was first discovered in the 1980s and started being studied in the 1990s by James Swanson. Ritalin is a stimulant that treats ADHD by improving focus and reduces impulsive behaviors.
ADHD is normally treated with medication, therapy, and educated support, called a. Medications are used to manage symptoms like not paying attention and hyperactivity, but non-medication treatments like behavioral therapy can also be effective, especially for improving executive functioning skills.
In 1999, a study called the M.T.A. showed that children with ADHD who took Ritalin had less symptoms after a year than those who only received therapy to change their behavior. This led many doctors to prescribe the drug, and ADHD diagnoses began to rise. One of the study’s researchers, Dr. Swanson helped drug companies create longer lasting ADHD medicine. At first, he believed more diagnoses were a good thing but he expected them to level off at 3%. Instead, they kept rising up to 6.6%.
In essence, everyone has ADHD however the trait is viewed more in some than others, its impossible to definitively know whether one person has it and another doesn’t. Let’s say ADHD is based on a 0 through 5 scale, 0 meaning little to no symptoms of ADHD and 5 meaning almost all symptoms. Most people think that ADHD is easy to see which are most likely a 3-5 on the scale. There are also cases of individuals with level 1 or 2 ADHD that do not physically exhibit traits, however their symptoms are expressed mentally.
To conclude, recent discoveries show that ADHD is more complicated than we thought, involving the brain structure, and genetics. ADHD can affect everyone’s life even to a low degree such as losing focus in class or a higher degree like not being able to communicate at a basic level, strong social anxiety, and easily overworked. These insights are leading to better, more personal treatments and a deeper understanding of how ADHD is between individuals.
