ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Home Remedies

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a kind of mental disorder of children. It is most commonly diagnosed disease in children and teens and that can continue into the adulthood. Children diagnosed with ADHD may be hyperactive and unable to control their impulses. In addition they may experience trouble in paying attention. ADHD is more commonly found in boys than in girls and usually discovered in early school years, when a child experience problems while paying attention in school.

During adulthood, a person with ADHD finds it difficult to manage time, become organized, set goals, and hold down a job.

There are several distinct signs of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but those have been divided in three groups:

• Inattention There are some of the commonly noticed features come under Inattention group such as Lack of focus, a tendency to make careless mistakes, having difficulty in paying attention to details, constant distractions while talking on a topic, not listening to others, be forgetful about daily activities, and get easily distracted by things like trivial noises and even with the events that are usually ignored by others.
• Hyperactivity Children with hyperactivity may show up some weird activities getting up frequently to walk or run around, have trouble playing quietly or doing quiet hobbies and talk excessively.
• Impulsivity: A person with impulsivity may be impatient, blurt out answers before someone finishes asking them a question, and frequently interrupt others.
• Self-focusing behaviour where the child is more focused on himself or herself.
• Interrupting others while speaking or before the completion of their talk.
• Inability to focus on one activity, thus jumping from one task to another. They get easily distracted.
• Getting bored easily and thus requiring new toys , new things and asking continuously for new or ore things
• Blurting out comments whenever not necessary and thus murmuring to unnecessary things
• Having difficulty controlling their emotions, showing emotions whenever they feel to.throwing the toys and demanding for newer one, crying unnecessary etc.
• Lack of caution with strangers and thus exhibiting less fear
• More bold behaviour and exhibiting overconfidence
• Problems playing quietly so as to attract the attention of others.

The main causes of ADHD are as follows:

• Genetic factors: ADHD has found to be genetically inherited and thus tends to run in families. It's thought the genes inherited from the parents are a significant factor in developing the condition.
• Brain structure: Research have displayed the fact that certain areas of the brain may be smaller in people with ADHD, whereas other areas may be larger.
• Children’s who are born prematurely or with a low birth weight are at more risk of ADHD.
• Persons suffering with epilepsy are risk of ADHD.
• Persons with brain damage due to injury or in womb may have ADHD.
• Environmental factors also impact in triggering ADHD conditions.

Some of the precautions necessary while suffering from ADHD disorder are as follows:

• Maintain a regular healthy routine, a diet chart, and exercise routine. This shall help in keeping things at pace and help in controlling aggression.
• Maintain a daily activity plan and regularly monitor the plan.
• Eliminate the diet that targets artificial colorings, flavorings, and preservatives.
• Processed sugars and carbohydrates are found to have impact on child's activity level by rapidly raising blood sugar levels. The raised blood sugar increases the adrenaline rush making the child more active, and when the adrenaline comes down the mood changes. So keep the sugar and carbohydrate level monitored. Ensure a balanced diet.
• Don't indulge in unnecessary fights and discussion.
• Try to make a healthy and happy environment and avoid arguments.
• Stop usage of drugs, alcohol and smoking.
• Encourage the person suffering from disorder to be more social and friendly.

The diagnosis of ADHD can be done by parents while parenting. The doctor may go in for assessments for diagnosing the ADHD conditions. The assessment may include a physical examination, a series of interviews with the child or the patient, interviews or reports from other significant people, such as partners, parents and teachers etc. so as to gain insights on the patient behaviour.

The diagnosis of the ADHD is done only if the child is displaying the same conduct and behaviour for more than 6 months, having symptoms before the age of 12, and these conditions are making his or her life complex at social and academic levels. For adults the alertness, the attentiveness, the impulsiveness are assessed by the doctor and based on the social life the diagnosis is done.

• Medication: Various studies have shown that Stimulant medication is most effective ADHD treatment.
• Therapy: Behavior therapy is aimed at addressing specific behavioral problem and increasing positive attention.
• Nutrition: Researches and studies worldwide have established that nutritional changes can bring about a drastic change in the condition of some patients with ADHD.
• Supplements: There are many vitamins, herbs, and supplements like Omega-3s, Zinc, Iron, Magnesium, Vitamin C, Valerian, Melatonin, Ginkgo, and Ginseng which may lessen ADHD symptoms in some individuals.
• Exercise: Regular exercise helps the brain to release several important chemicals and boosts brain’s neurotransmitters — chemicals that many individuals with ADHD run short on.

Some of the home remedies to overcome the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder disorder are as follows:

• Yoga and aerobics: The Yoga, meditation therapy and aerobics shall help the patient to calm down their energies and regulate the blood supply properly. This shall help them to control their emotions and help them to focus on the subjects.
• Omega-3: Fish oils, are thought to help the patients from ADHD though the effect appears to be very little.
• Supplements like Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, Vitamin –B6 are found to improve the ADHD disorder to some extent.
• Behavioural therapy: good parenting, cooperating and controlling of emotions shall help the patient to overcome the disorder naturally.

Some of the home remedies to overcome the ADHD disorder are as follows:

• Yoga and Aerobics: The Yoga, meditation therapy and aerobics shall help the patient to calm down their energies and regulate the blood supply properly. This shall help them to control their emotions and help them to focus on the subjects.
• Omega-3:Fish oils, are thought to help the patients from ADHD though the effect appears to be very little.
• Supplements: Zinc, Magnesium, Iron, Vitamin –B6 are found to improve the ADHD disorder to some extent.
• Behavioural therapy: Good parenting, cooperating and controlling of emotions shall help the patient to overcome the disorder naturally.

According to the experts, the ADHD is a lifelong condition. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, sometimes, may not be diagnosed until adulthood. And, the fact is that in majority of cases the condition of ADHD doesn't go away in adulthood.

Stress is universally known to be the stimulant factor for various mental problems. In the case of ADHD, stress is the factor that aggravates the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms especially in adults who find it hard to focus and filter out excess stimuli, which increases stress levels.