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Attention Deficit- Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Who has it?
ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric illness in children. At present, it is estimated that, of the grade school age population (ages 6-12 years old), about 4%-12% suffer from ADHD. This translates into about two million children in the United States. To put this into perspective, in an average classroom of about 25 to 30 children at least one child will have ADHD.
ADHD affects both boys and girls, but it seems to affect boys about three times more often than it affects girls. Girls tend to prominently show the symptom of decreased attention whereas boys usually present with the symptom of hyperactivity, but this is not always the case.
About 18%-35% of children diagnosed with ADHD will also present with an additional psychiatric disorder such as depression, Tourrette's syndrome, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. The child of a parent with ADHD has a 50% chance of inheriting the disorder. In studies of identical twins with ADHD, if one identical twin has the disorder, there is a 92% chance that the other identical twin will also have ADHD.
Even though ADHD is a condition often diagnosed in childhood, the child usually does not grow out of it. ADHD will typically persist into adulthood, although symptoms of hyperactivity will usually not persist beyond middle childhood. Also, it is not uncommon for adult patients that are not diagnosed in childhood to be diagnosed with ADHD later in life. As patients with ADHD grow older and mature, the symptoms of ADHD may become less noticeable as the patients are able to learn strategies to cope with the disorder.
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Who has it?
