With the name of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD, an acronym that stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, it indicates a neurobiological disorder characterized by hyperactivity, inability to concentrate and maintain concentration, impulsiveness.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: the hyperactive-impulsive type
Specialists identify three subtypes of patients with ADHD:
- hyperactive-impulsive : symptoms related to hyperactivity prevail;
- inattentive : symptoms related to difficulty concentrating and maintaining concentration prevail;
- combined : there are both symptoms of hyperactivity and those of inattention, more or less equally.
In the present article we analyze above all the hyperactive-impulsive and the combined type.
The characteristic symptoms of hyperactivity are the following:
- The child is often restless, moves excessively and cannot sit;
- Switch from one activity to another without stopping and never completing the previous one;
- Does not respect his turn if he is in line or during a game;
- He continually speaks and interrupts others as they speak;
- He cannot foresee the consequences of his actions, he is too impulsive and often incurs in small accidents; it is common to get hurt;
- Answer the questions before they are completed.
Lively child or ADHD?
The liveliness has nothing to do with the pathology. Running, being on the move often, jumping, climbing, having difficulty maintaining concentration in the classroom or when doing homework, hitting a wall without anticipating the consequences are all common things in the age of development. How can we distinguish normal hyperactivity in children from pathological hyperactivity?
The child with attention deficit and hyperactivity has a vivacity and an impulsiveness very over the lines and manifestations that compromise the social relationships with the peers and those with the relatives; a chronic and constant inattention that prevents learning and results in a very poor academic performance. Here, these are the symptoms that can make you suspect the existence of a disorder, always keeping in mind, however, that only a doctor can diagnose ADHD, according to the criteria of the DSM IV, the manual of the American Psychiatric Association which describes and classifies psychiatric diseases.
Environmental factors and hyperactivity
The causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are not certain and therefore it is also complicated to apply a preventive strategy. Many studies insist on the genetic basis of ADHD; however, the trials that have been conducted so far have highlighted some environmental factors that could cause hyperactivity in the child.
- Smoking of cigarettes and alcohol consumption of the mother during pregnancy;
- Exposure to lead, which can be found in the materials with which old buildings were built;
- Excessive consumption of refined sugars. In reality, the relationship between the amount of dietary sugar and ADHD is quite controversial. When we talk about the causes of hyperactivity syndrome in children we often refer to the issue of sugar, but the results of clinical studies do not converge and some seem to oppose this theory.
- Excessive consumption of foods with artificial additives . A recent British study, published in the scientific journal The Lancet, highlighted a possible link between hyperactivity and the consumption of food additives, including preservatives and artificial colorings. However, the scientific community is waiting to find out more and to confirm this link.
By virtue of this possible link between hyperactivity and excessive consumption of refined sugars and food additives, some doctors advise, in support of a therapy against ADHD, a natural diet as free as possible of these ingredients.
