Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Treatment

What Are the Different Types of Clinical ADHD?

There are three types of ADHD, as defined by the DSM V, which are as follows:

• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
• Other Specified Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
• Unspecified Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The following symptoms for individuals presenting with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder must be experienced for at least six months. Furthermore, the severity must clearly and negatively impact regular social, academic, or occupational functioning. The symptoms can be present in either the inattention category or the hyperactivity and impulsivity category, or both.

Other criteria to be considered for an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis are that the symptomology is evident in the individual prior to 12 years of age. Furthermore, the symptoms of inattention or hyperactivity and impulsivity are evident across various settings, such as in the home, in the educational setting, in varied social settings, or in the occupational setting. Because of the trouble or difficulty performing the tasks that require attention or impulse control, the individual may show signs of reluctance, resistance, defiance, or avoidant of the tasks.

The symptoms are the same for children and adults. However, individuals age 17 and above must meet five of the following symptoms to be considered for an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis. However, children under age 17 must experience six of the following symptoms to meet the criterion for an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis.

Symptoms of Inattention

Symptoms of inattention are wide-ranging and may include:

• The individual makes careless mistakes and produces inaccurate work based on an intention to details.
• They have difficulty maintaining focus and attention on a given assignment or even within leisure activities.
• The individual shows inattentive listening skills.
• The individual shows failure to follow through, follow instructions, or complete tasks.
• They have difficulty with procedures, organization, time management, and ordering their belongings.
• The individual has trouble with engaged attention toward a concerted mental effort, such as reading, schoolwork, or homework.
• The individual displays disorganization with the result of standard daily items often misplaced or lost.
• They show consistent distractibility by external stimulus or internal stimulus, as in one’s own thoughts.
• The individual shows forgetfulness in following through with daily tasks, obligations, and appointments.

Symptoms of Hyperactivity or Impulsivity

The symptoms of impulsivity and hyperactivity can also indicate ADHD. For instance, these symptoms include:

• An individual is prone to fidgeting, tapping, squirming, or otherwise inability to settle hands, feet, or in one’s body.
• The individual has an inability to stay seated when that is the expectation of the social, occupational, or educational setting.
• They exhibit bursts of physicality when the expectation is otherwise. For adults, this could be a feeling of restlessness, but for children, this could be the act of running or climbing when it is inappropriate to do so.
• The individual is vocal in play or leisure when the expectation is otherwise.
• The individual misses customary conversational cues, such as taking turns talking, waiting until questions are asked to answer, or not interrupting.
• They show difficulty with patience, such as waiting in a line.
• The individual shows disregard for situations that are in progress and little awareness of how their behavior is disruptive, for example, interrupting conversations, using other people’s things without asking, or joining in preexisting activities without asking.