Do ADD and ADHD Refer To The Same Thing?

The terms ADD and ADHD are often used to describe a behaviour-related disorder in which a child find it impossible to focus or concentrate for even short periods and who just cannot sit still.

ADD and ADHD are acronyms - the former stands for attention deficit disorder and the later refers to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The difference is in the word "hyperactivity". So, when people think that if hyperactivity is not present, then the kid has ADD If hyperactivity is detected, then he is ADHD. That used to be the way but the official term now is ADHD, and it has been like that since 1994.

When doing research on ADHD, you may at times come across terms such as mental deficiency, minimal brain damage or hyperkinesis. These are from old resources. The term ADD was coined in the late 1970s and ADHD was coined in 1987 to reflect the idea of hyperactivity (formerly hyperkinesis) that usually goes hand in hand with the ADD.

There are basically three kinds of ADHD - ADHD, ADD and ADHD combined type (which exhibits a combination of symptoms of ADHD and ADD).

Children with ADHD are picked out very early on by teachers because they are seen as very naughty. The ADHD individual is hyperactive. He is incapable of sitting still. He is often noisy and talks way too much. He is incapable of keeping quiet when playing.

While most see this liveliness as part and parcel of normal childhood, or perhaps the result of poor parenting, doctors believe the condition is genetic and due to neurological dysfunction. Most researchers believe there is a biological cause for ADD-ADHD in that it is caused by some abnormality in the brain. There seems to be an imbalance in a few neurotransmitters in the brain, such as dopamine. They brushed aside suggestions that ADHD is due to to excessive sugar intake, food allergies, poor parenting or watching too much TV.

Existing studies points to the fact that boys are three times more likely to be inflicted by the condition that girls, and that in the world it is estimated that between three and six per cent of kids are affected.

As these studies also clearly show that ADHD runs across all cultures and borders, it goes without saying that children in Asia and other parts of the world are also inflicted. But the lack of diagnoses in these places are due to two main factors, namely (1) the concept of mental health workers is still relatively new, and (2) there is a strong stigma about things mental, so people normally like to keep such matters under wraps.

Critics say that ADD-ADHD figures are climbing because diagnosis is too vague. Others lament that it is actually not easy to isolate the symptoms of ADHD because many a time people with ADHD also have other health concerns. In addition to that, the symptoms of an ADHD kid is very much like those displayed by regular naughty children. In fact, it looks similar to an attitude problem, and that is why it so often went undiagnosed.

Then there are people who believe that the whole ADHD thing is a big lie for pharmaceutical firms to make more money. These few tend to think that there is nothing wrong with the child and that all he needs is a good whack.

However, doctors have cautioned that if ADD-ADHD is not given early treatment, the outcome could be ugly. It can lead to problems such as taking drugs, truancy, smoking, alcohol abuse, and getting into fights either in school or outside.

But the bottom line is that whether its called ADD or ADHD, the general consensus is that an ADHD child is basically someone who is very intelligent and creative. He can be a wonderful and outstanding person in future if the condition is treated early.

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