ADHD symptoms & assessment
The most common symptoms of ADHD are:
Inattention
Sufferers are easily distracted, prone to daydream, do not finish work, have problems listening and some are clumsy.
Impulsiveness
Acting before thinking of the consequences, jumping from one activity to another, disorganisation and a tendency to interrupt other people's conversations.
Hyperactivity
restlessness, often characterised by an inability to sit still for long, fidgeting, climbing on things, and troubled sleep.
ADHD may also accompany other disorders
Some of the other associated conditions with ADHD include:
- Oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder – both disorders are characterised by anti-social behaviour. Examples of this behaviour might include aggression, stubbornness, stealing, lying, frequent temper tantrums and general deceitfulness. Oppositional defiant disorder occurs in around 35% of sufferers and conduct disorder occurs in around 25%.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – shares many of the same characteristics as ADHD as well as, it is commonly believed, a generic component.
- Bipolar disorder (previously called manic depression) – occurs in around 25% of children with ADHD. These children may show signs of behavioural problems including being overly aggressive.
- Anxiety disorder – more likely in girls than boys, especially those with a subtype of ADHD known as inattentive ADHD.
- Mood disorders – are more frequently diagnosed in boys with the combined subtype of ADHD.