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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder : Real Or Not?

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Real or Not? We must first understand what ADHD is and how it affects the people diagnosed with it. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders that can continue through adolescence and into adulthood. Approximately 3 to 5 percent of children are diagnosed with this disorder, which translates into about 2 million children in the United States. Symptoms of this disorder include the inability to stay focused on tasks and pay attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a diagnosis of ADHD in children ages four to seven is rising with a total of approximately 11% (6.4 million) children being diagnosed in 2011. Rates of diagnosis seem to be increasing by 3% per year between 1997-2006 and 5% per year between 2003-2011. The National Institute of Mental Health argues that ADHD is a real and very common disorder in childhood. NIMH claims that some of the major causes of ADHD are genetics and the organization of the child’s brain. Environmental and social factors don’t cause the disorder, but they could exacerbate the problem. The genetics theory suggests that family members of the child could also have ADHD. Studies show that, of people diagnosed with ADHD, about 25% usually have a close relative with ADHD as well. NIMH’s studies on which treatment works more efficiently lead to the findings that

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