ADHD Flashcards
What is ADHD?
A persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development
Describe Inattention ADHD.
Six of the following symptoms (at least 5 for age 17 and older) have persisted for at least 6 months:
a. Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, at work, or during other activities
b. Often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities
c. Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly
d. Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace
e. Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities
f. Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort
g. Often loses things necessary for tasks or activities
h. Is often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli
i. Is often forgetful in daily activities
Describe hyperactivity and impulsivity ADHD.
Six (at least 5 for age 17 and older) of the following symptoms have persisted for at least 6 months:
a. Often fidgets with or taps hands or feet or squirms in seat.
b. Often leaves seat in situations when remaining seated is expected
c. Often runs about or climbs in situations where it is inappropriate.
d. Often unable to play or engage in leisure activities quietly.
e. Is often “on the go,” acting as if “driven by a motor”
f. Often talks excessively.
g. Often blurts out an answer before a question has been completed
h. Often has difficulty waiting his or her turn
i. Often interrupts or intrudes on others
What is the other major diagnostic criteria for ADHD?
B. Several inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were present prior to age 12 years.
C. Several inattentive or hyperactive-impulsive symptoms are present in two or more settings
Describe the severity of ADHD.
Mild: Few, if any, symptoms in excess of those required to make the diagnosis are present, and symptoms result in no more than minor impairments in social or occupational functioning.
Moderate: Symptoms or functional impairment between “mild” and “severe” are present.
Severe: Many symptoms in excess of those required to make the diagnosis, or several symptoms that are particularly severe, are present, or the symptoms result in marked impairment in social or occupational functioning.
What is the prevalence of ADHD?
5% of children and about 2.5% of adults.
What are the termperamental risk factors?
ADHD is associated with reduced behavioral inhibition, effortful control, or constraint; negative emotionality; and/or elevated novelty seeking. These traits
may predispose some children to ADHD but are not specific to the disorder.
What are the environmental risk factors?
Very low birth weight conveys a two- to threefold risk for ADHD, but most children with low birth weight do not develop ADHD. Although ADHD is correlated with smoking during pregnancy, some of this association
reflects common genetic risk. There may be a history of child abuse, neglect, multiple foster placements, neurotoxin exposure, infections, or alcohol exposure in utero. Exposure to environmental toxicants has been correlated with subsequent ADHD, but it is not
known whether these associations are causal
What are genetic and physiological risk factors?
ADHD is elevated in the first-degree biological relatives of individuals with ADHD. The heritability of ADHD is substantial.
Describe sex-related diagnostic issues in ADHD.
ADHD is more frequent in males than in females in the general population, with a ratio of approximately 2:1 in children and 1.6:1 in adults. Females are more likely than males to present primarily with inattentive features.
What other diagnoses are comorbid with ADHD?
In the general population, ODD co-occurs with ADHD in approximately half of children with the combined presentation and about a quarter with the predominantly inattentive presentation.
CD co-occurs in about a quarter of children or adolescents with the combined presentation, depending on age and setting.
Most children and adolescents with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder have symptoms that also meet criteria for ADHD; a lesser percentage of children
with ADHD have symptoms that meet criteria for disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.
Specific learning disorder commonly co-occurs with ADHD.
Anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder occur in a minority of individuals with ADHD but more often
than in the general population.
Intermittent explosive disorder occurs in a minority of
adults with ADHD.
Although substance use disorders are relatively more frequent among adults with ADHD in the general population, the disorders are present in only a minority of adults with ADHD.
In adults, antisocial and other personality disorders may co-occur with ADHD.
Other disorders that may co-occur with ADHD include obsessive-compulsive disorder, tic disorders, and autism spectrum disorder.
