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Author:
Michael Russell

When you were a child, didn't you run around all the time for no specific reason. Didn't you constantly turn your attention from one thing to the next. Didn't you have a hard time sitting still? Didn't you have a hard time focusing on one thing, for long periods of time? You were a child and you acted the way most children do. You didn't think about things, you just did them because at that age, there was no thought process. Most children go through this stage in their early life, but science has come along and told us that maybe this activity isn't so natural.

Attention Deficit Disorder, how do we define it? You would think with all the great minds in the world that someone would've came up with a definition that fits. But that's not the case, apparently ADD is a subjective description and not necessarily a disease. The naming of this disorder, has a history all by itself. In 1902 it was called, "Morbid Defect of Moral Control". In 1922 it became, "Post-encephalitic Behavior Disorders". 1960 gave us the term, "Minimal Brain Dysfunction" and then came 1968 with, "Hyperkinetic Reaction". It wasn't until the 1980s when the words Attention Deficit Disorder were spoken.

There is still confusion over who does and doesn't have ADD. Some members of the mental health industry had a need to classify anyone with ADD, as having a brain defect. Supposedly this was due to the fact that the first group of ADD patients that were studied, suffered from encephalitis; which is a swelling of the brain. But this criteria no longer exist, because over the years, people with no brain defects, have been added to the roll call of ADD.

At this time, there are two major types of ADD. ADD with hyperactivity and ADD without. Symptoms of ADD with hyperactivity are defined as, can't stay seated, fidgety, runs or climbs a lot, talks a lot, can't play quietly and having a hard time waiting in line or waiting their turn. Some symptoms of ADD without hyperactivity are, disorganized, having a hard time paying attention to tasks, easily distracted and doesn't seem to listen.

So, who has ADD? The numbers usually given are 3-5 percent of the population. But nobody knows. Because ADD is so subjective, it's obvious that many who are listed as ADD, may not even belong there.

There is still major discussion going on as to the validity of ADD. Is it real? Some people say that ADD isn't a disease, but a collection of behaviors and symptoms, that could be caused by any number of problems. And when you add in the fact that the experts in the field, can't even decide what exactly ADD is and who exactly has it; then this just gives more credence to those that doubt the existence of ADD. Of course there are many that believe ADD is real and not just some phase a person is going through. They believe people should be treated for their symptoms and not be expected to just grow out of them.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to ADD

| Article Keywords: ADHD

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to ADHD... Adult ADHD Symptoms? 3 Rock-Solid Ways To Beat Distraction Are you getting hit over the head by the 3 King Kongs of distraction? Probably. Think about it: In this digital economy, you have about 3,000 advertisements or marketing communications that are pummeling you every single day. That’s 24,500 a week, that’s about 1.24 million distractions, advertisements, and communications every single year... So how does someone with adult ADHD, or even ADHD symptoms, keep focused on a task in this kind of environment? It's no wonder you're distracted! Try one, two or even all three of these tricks today, and crush the 3 King Kongs of distraction! Adult ADHD Tip #1: Unplug your phone. For someone with adult ADHD symptoms, calls can be a big distraction. So unplug it, and turn your cell off, when you need to get something done. Don’t take calls. You can answer them later, after you've gotten your work done! Also, when you are working on a task, don’t look at your e-mail. E-mail can be simply deadly for someone with adult ADHD symptoms! You can even take it a step further: don’t even have your e-mail up. Just look at your desktop; don’t even pop up Eudora or Outlook. Adult ADHD Tip #2: Put a sign on your door. If you have adult ADHD and you have a home office, it can be absolutely destructive to be available to anyone who stops by. I have a regular office and a home office, and I have adult ADHD symptoms. So, I put a sign on my door, when I’m on calls, when I’m recording anything, when I’m really focused and trying to get something done and it says, “To all my friends, do not bother me between this time and this time. Come back later.” Friends or associates leave a message on my voice mail (because my phone’s unplugged!) and I get back to them later in the day. Maybe you can get away with having an open door policy if you don't...