What is ADHD or ADD? Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is thought to be due to differences in the way the brain works. People with the condition have difficulty with concentration, controlling impulses and in some cases, hyperactivity. ADHD can cause children and adults to have difficulties in the following areas:

• Impulsivity - acting or speaking without thinking
• Maintaining attention - easily distracted, dreamy, poor short-term memory
• Disorganisation
• Being motivated to listen to those in authority and act on what they have been told

Many children and most adults do not have hyperactive symptoms, although they fit the descriptions of being impulsive and inattentive. These people are described as having ADD - Attention Deficit Disorder.

Research into the incidence of the condition suggests it may affect between 3% and 7% of school-age children. There is evidence that boys are three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls, although it is likely that a lot of girls are missed.

In the past it was thought that children grew out of ADHD in adolescence. However, it is now accepted that in approximately half of children with ADHD, the symptoms continue to cause problems in adulthood. People with ADHD are not alike and may have mild, moderate or severe forms of the condition.

Possible causes of ADHD It is not known exactly what causes ADHD but we are starting to have a better understanding. What is known supports the idea that ADHD is a real condition.

• 65%-90% of the risk of having ADHD comes from a person's genes and specific genes have been linked to ADHD This means that ADHD is often inherited and tends to run in families.
• ADHD seems to be affected by the action of dopamine and norepinephrine, substances that enable nerve cells in the brain to network with each other. The main medical treatments for ADHD boost their actions.
• Problems during pregnancy or birth
• Brain diseases and injuries

Brain scan studies and psychological studies have found subtle but distinct differences between the brains of people with and without ADHD, in their structure, the way in which they develop and the ways in which they work. However, there is still no way of obtaining a physical diagnosis of ADHD.

Advantages of ADHD There is usually a lot of emphasis on the disadvantages of ADHD and the good points are often ignored. These are some of them:

• Determination and drive to succeed
• Ability to hyper-focus on particular tasks and become a specialist
• Creativity
• Energy to accomplish lots of things
• Different thinking style
• Humour