Hyperactivity
Hyperactivity means there is too much muscle activity.
Hyperactivity is also used to describe a situation when a part of your body is too active, such as when a gland makes too much of a hormone.
Hyperactive behavior usually refers to constant activity, being easily distracted, impulsiveness, inability to concentrate, aggressiveness, and similar behaviors.
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Typical behaviours may include:
* Fidgeting or constant moving
* Wandering
* Talking too much
* Difficulty participating in quiet activities (such as reading)
Hyperactivity is not easily defined. It often depends on the observer. Behavior that seems excessive to one person may not seem excessive to another. However, certain children -- when compared to others -- are clearly far more active, which can become a problem if it interferes with school work or making friends.
Hyperactivity is often considered more of a problem for schools and parents than it is for the child. However, many hyperactive children are unhappy or even depressed. Hyperactive behavior may make a child a target for bullying, or make it harder to connect with other children. Schoolwork may be more difficult. Kids who are hyperactive are frequently punished for their behavior.
Excessive movement (hyperkinetic behavior) often decreases as the child grows older. It may disappear entirely by adolescence.
Causes:
* Attention deficit disorder
* Brain or central nervous system disorders
* Emotional disorders
* Hyperthyroidism
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Home Care
A child who is normally very active often responds well to specific directions and a program of regular physical activity. A child with a hyperactivity disorder, on the other hand, has a hard time following directions and controlling impulses.
When to Contact a Medical Professional
* Your child seems persistently hyperactive.
* Your child is very active, aggressive, impulsive, and has difficulty concentrating.
* Your child's activity level is causing social difficulties, or difficulty with schoolwork.
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What to Expect at Your Office Visit:
The doctor or nurse will perform a physical exam and ask questions about the symptoms and medical history, such as:
* Is this a new behavior for the child, or has the child always been very active?
* Is the behavior getting worse?
* Exactly what behavior have you noticed?
* Is the child physically active?
* Is the child easily distracted?
* Does the child have trouble following directions?
* Have you noticed anything that makes the child more or less active?
* Is the child more active at school than at home?
* What other symptoms are present?
The doctor or nurse may recommend a complete psychological evaluation. There may also be a review of the home and school environments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alternative Names:
Activity - increased;
Hyperactivity means there is too much muscle activity.
Hyperactivity is also used to describe a situation when a part of your body is too active, such as when a gland makes too much of a hormone.
Hyperactive behavior usually refers to constant activity, being easily distracted, impulsiveness, inability to concentrate, aggressiveness, and similar behaviors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Typical behaviours may include:
* Fidgeting or constant moving
* Wandering
* Talking too much
* Difficulty participating in quiet activities (such as reading)
Hyperactivity is not easily defined. It often depends on the observer. Behavior that seems excessive to one person may not seem excessive to another. However, certain children -- when compared to others -- are clearly far more active, which can become a problem if it interferes with school work or making friends.
Hyperactivity is often considered more of a problem for schools and parents than it is for the child. However, many hyperactive children are unhappy or even depressed. Hyperactive behavior may make a child a target for bullying, or make it harder to connect with other children. Schoolwork may be more difficult. Kids who are hyperactive are frequently punished for their behavior.
Excessive movement (hyperkinetic behavior) often decreases as the child grows older. It may disappear entirely by adolescence.
Causes:
* Attention deficit disorder
* Brain or central nervous system disorders
* Emotional disorders
* Hyperthyroidism
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Home Care
A child who is normally very active often responds well to specific directions and a program of regular physical activity. A child with a hyperactivity disorder, on the other hand, has a hard time following directions and controlling impulses.
When to Contact a Medical Professional
* Your child seems persistently hyperactive.
* Your child is very active, aggressive, impulsive, and has difficulty concentrating.
* Your child's activity level is causing social difficulties, or difficulty with schoolwork.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What to Expect at Your Office Visit:
The doctor or nurse will perform a physical exam and ask questions about the symptoms and medical history, such as:
* Is this a new behavior for the child, or has the child always been very active?
* Is the behavior getting worse?
* Exactly what behavior have you noticed?
* Is the child physically active?
* Is the child easily distracted?
* Does the child have trouble following directions?
* Have you noticed anything that makes the child more or less active?
* Is the child more active at school than at home?
* What other symptoms are present?
The doctor or nurse may recommend a complete psychological evaluation. There may also be a review of the home and school environments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alternative Names:
Activity - increased;
Hyperkinetic behavior
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Types of ADHD: Making the Diagnosis
In some people, the signs of ADHD seem obvious -- fidgeting constantly, difficulty paying attention in school or at work, and leaving tasks unfinished. For others, particularly those without behaviors problems, ADHD may be more difficult to diagnose.
The symptoms of ADHD may mimic those of other conditions, and sometimes the signs are subtler and harder to distinguish. One psychiatrist, Daniel Amen, MD, believes that to get a truly accurate diagnosis of ADHD, it is necessary to look inside the brain to see how well various areas are functioning. He has developed his own set of ADHD subtypes based on brain scans of children with ADHD, which he says can better target treatment and determine whether it's working.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How Is ADHD Usually Diagnosed?
Most psychologists, psychiatrists, and pediatricians diagnose ADHD based on a series of inattention and hyperactivity symptoms outlined in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). For someone to be diagnosed with ADHD, the behaviors must have lasted for at least six months, and be severe enough to disrupt school and other aspects of the individual's life.
Inattention symptoms of ADHD include:
* Not paying attention to detail
* Making careless mistakes
* Failing to pay attention and keep on task
* Not listening
* Being unable to follow or understand instructions
* Avoiding tasks that involve effort
* Being distracted or forgetful
* Losing things that are needed to complete tasks
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Hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms of ADHD include:
* Fidgeting {fidgeting is the act of moving about restlessly as a result of nervousness, agitation, boredom or a combination of these}
* Squirming {wriggling or twisting the body from side to side, especially as a result of nervousness or discomfort}
* Getting up often when seated
* Running or climbing at inappropriate times
* Having trouble playing quietly
* Talking excessively or out of turn
* Interrupting
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Based on the above symptoms listed in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the American Psychiatric Association has identified three subtypes of ADHD: -
1. ADHD, Combined Type: Both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms
2.ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Type: Inattention, but not enough (at least 6 out of 9) hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms
3. ADHD, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type: Hyperactivity-impulsivity, but not enough (at least 6 out of 9) inattention symptoms
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADHD Diagnosis Based on Brain Scans
Daniel Amen, MD, a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist who serves as medical director of the Amen Clinics in California, Washington, and Virginia, has used a combination of symptoms and brain scans to come up with his own types of ADHD.
Amen considers these to be the hallmark symptoms of ADHD:
* Short attention span
* Distractibility
* Disorganization
* Procrastination
* Poor internal supervision
Based on these symptoms, and the use of brain scans to measure blood flow (SPECT), to highlight activity in the parts of the brain related to attention, short-term memory, and forethought, Amen described these six types of ADHD:
Type 1 -- Classic ADHD.
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******************************
Types of ADHD: Making the Diagnosis
In some people, the signs of ADHD seem obvious -- fidgeting constantly, difficulty paying attention in school or at work, and leaving tasks unfinished. For others, particularly those without behaviors problems, ADHD may be more difficult to diagnose.
The symptoms of ADHD may mimic those of other conditions, and sometimes the signs are subtler and harder to distinguish. One psychiatrist, Daniel Amen, MD, believes that to get a truly accurate diagnosis of ADHD, it is necessary to look inside the brain to see how well various areas are functioning. He has developed his own set of ADHD subtypes based on brain scans of children with ADHD, which he says can better target treatment and determine whether it's working.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How Is ADHD Usually Diagnosed?
Most psychologists, psychiatrists, and pediatricians diagnose ADHD based on a series of inattention and hyperactivity symptoms outlined in the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition-Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). For someone to be diagnosed with ADHD, the behaviors must have lasted for at least six months, and be severe enough to disrupt school and other aspects of the individual's life.
Inattention symptoms of ADHD include:
* Not paying attention to detail
* Making careless mistakes
* Failing to pay attention and keep on task
* Not listening
* Being unable to follow or understand instructions
* Avoiding tasks that involve effort
* Being distracted or forgetful
* Losing things that are needed to complete tasks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms of ADHD include:
* Fidgeting {fidgeting is the act of moving about restlessly as a result of nervousness, agitation, boredom or a combination of these}
* Squirming {wriggling or twisting the body from side to side, especially as a result of nervousness or discomfort}
* Getting up often when seated
* Running or climbing at inappropriate times
* Having trouble playing quietly
* Talking excessively or out of turn
* Interrupting
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Based on the above symptoms listed in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the American Psychiatric Association has identified three subtypes of ADHD: -
1. ADHD, Combined Type: Both inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms
2.ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Type: Inattention, but not enough (at least 6 out of 9) hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms
3. ADHD, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type: Hyperactivity-impulsivity, but not enough (at least 6 out of 9) inattention symptoms
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ADHD Diagnosis Based on Brain Scans
Daniel Amen, MD, a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist who serves as medical director of the Amen Clinics in California, Washington, and Virginia, has used a combination of symptoms and brain scans to come up with his own types of ADHD.
Amen considers these to be the hallmark symptoms of ADHD:
* Short attention span
* Distractibility
* Disorganization
* Procrastination
* Poor internal supervision
Based on these symptoms, and the use of brain scans to measure blood flow (SPECT), to highlight activity in the parts of the brain related to attention, short-term memory, and forethought, Amen described these six types of ADHD:
Type 1 -- Classic ADHD.
Symptoms of ADHD, plus hyperactivity and impulsivity; responds well to stimulant medications
Type 2 -- Inattentive ADHD.
Type 2 -- Inattentive ADHD.
Features of ADHD, but instead of
hyperactivity, there is low energy; responds well to stimulant
medications
Type 3 -- Overfocused ADHD.
Type 3 -- Overfocused ADHD.
Symptoms of ADHD and negative
thoughts and behaviors, such as opposition and arguing; tends to respond
better to an antidepressant (such as Prozac) combined with a stimulant
Type 4 -- Temporal Lobe ADHD.
Type 4 -- Temporal Lobe ADHD.
The hallmark features of ADHD, plus
irritability, aggressiveness, and memory and learning problems; responds
better to antiseizure medications (like Neurontin) than to stimulants
Type 5 -- Limbic ADHD.
Type 5 -- Limbic ADHD.
Combines ADHD with depression and low
energy and decreased motivation; responds better to stimulating
antidepressants than to stimulants
Type 6 -- The Ring of Fire.
Type 6 -- The Ring of Fire.
Cross between ADHD and bipolar disorder; characterized by
moodiness, aggressiveness, and anger; Anticonvulsants or newer
antipsychotic medications tend to work better than stimulants
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