One Word, Different Worlds

We’ve all heard of “ADHD,” but few people, including parents, really understand the many ways this condition manifests itself. However, understanding that is essential to be able to properly treat this “popular” condition.

Although I’ve just designated ADHD as a popular disorder, the percentage of people formally diagnosed with this syndrome varies depending on who you ask. The World Health Organization cites a global prevalence of 5% for children and 2.5% for adults. The United States records 11.5% for kids (14.5% of boys and 8% of girls) and widely varying numbers for adults (4.4%, 5% or 10.2% depending on the source).

I refer to this syndrome as “popular” because so many of us believe that we or our kids have undiagnosed ADHD. This is because many of us have symptoms but don’t go to the trouble of getting a diagnosis; many others have a mild form that doesn’t significantly interfere with our functioning; and quite a number of us and our kids have a few symptoms, but less than the full number required to confirm a formal diagnosis.

Now here’s the question: What do we mean when we say that someone has ADHD? The actual diagnosis includes a bunch of symptoms that indicate difficulty focusing one’s attention on boring tasks (tasks that don’t generate enough chemical excitement in the brain, essentially anything that doesn’t appeal to the individual). These are the “attention deficit” characteristics.