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Hey everyone š
This is a subject that until a few years ago, I had absolutely no idea about, other than the cliched stereotype that only naughty kids who canāt be controlled are diagnosed with ADHD. So I thought I would take a little look into it…
What exactly is ADHD and how should it be officially categorised?
ADHD is a Neurodiverse condition which is a term used to describe ‘natural variations in the human brain’. This is in conjunction with the way people think, learn, process and behave. Other Neurodiverse conditions include Autism, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Tourette’s syndrome plus many others.
Fun Fact:
Did you know, of the global adult population,10% are dyslexic, 5% are dyspraxic, 4% have ADHD, and 1-2% are autistic
āAttention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in childhood, enduring through adolescence and adulthood and presenting with symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity and significantly impairing functioning.ā(1)
For further information on the 3-types of ADHD or how ADHD affects sleep, check out my blogs: What exactly is ADHD & How does ADHD affect sleep?
Disorder or Illness – What is the difference?
I have checked out the Oxford English Dictionary for the meanings of these two words and they are:
Firstly, ‘disorder’ is described in conjunction with three other nouns*, ‘illness’ is described alone
* (noun: a word (other than a pronoun) used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things (common noun), or to name a particular one of these (proper noun), they are Confusion, Illness and Situation (i.e. angry situation),
As you can see by the 2nd example for disorder, the 2 words are interlinked stating that disorder is ‘an illness of the mind or body’. This to me shows that both phrases are comparable and produce very similar outcomes when used in regard to mental health diagnosis.
So, is ADHD a Mental Disorder or Mental Illness?
Well, it turns out that in the UK at least, in the NHS, ADHD is recognised by the NHS as a āneurobehaviouralā condition, meaning that the primary focus of the NHS is treating it as a neurodevelopmental condition with consequences on behaviour.
For many other associations, ADHD is classed as a ‘Mental Health Condition’, although it is listed within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
In the US it is described by the American Psychiatric Association as ‘one of the most common mental disorders affecting children, it also affects many adults’
There is no physical test a doctor can do to detect ADHD, the simple way to explain diagnosed by gathering information from parents / teachers if a child or talking to the adult and their family / friends, also arranging a medical evaluation which would be done to rule out the possibility of medical problems such as vision or hearing difficulties.
I have some reviews about toys/books that could be an interesting read for you, please feel free to check them out here
Please feel free to drop me a comment below or private message to pete@weareneurodiverse.com if you agree, disagree or want to discuss anything I have written in any of my posts .š
Refererences:
(1) Sleep disorders in patients with ADHD: impact and management challenge | NSS (dovepress.com)
Neurodiversity in the workplace | Texthelp
Oxford English Dictionary
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