Although ADHD affects more than 15 millions Americans every year, many people don’t believe the condition exists. People deny that is symptoms which include hyperactivity, distractibility, and uncontrollable impulses are anything more than disobedience or lack of self control. Here are some answers to the more common misconceptions and myths about ADHD.

ADHD has been proven to be a real medical disorder by the National Institute of Health, the American Psychiatric Society, and the U.S. Department of Education. ADHD has been proven to be an imbalance of chemical messengers within the brain which results in a lack of concentration and an increase in impulsiveness and hyperactivity. People affected with ADHD have a hard time with daily tasks such as time management and organization.

Despite popular belief ADHD affects girls and boys the same. Gender makes no difference in the symptoms that come from this disorder. Since it is commonly believed that only boys are affected ADHD, it is no surprise that there is a greater number of girls affected by ADHD that go undiagnosed.

Another common misconception about ADHD is that it only persists through childhood. It is proven that over 70% of children that are affected by this condition carry it with them into adolescence, and 50% of adolescence carries it with them into adulthood. Although it is estimated that roughly 6% of the adult population is affected by ADHD, only 1 and 4 seek treatment. Adults that go untreated are much more likely to abuse drugs, alcohol, have legal and financial problems, and lead troubled personal relationships.

The most disturbing misunderstanding about children with ADHD is that it is due to a failure in parenting. Parents tend to become tougher and tougher on children who are constantly acting out. But the children are not being acting out because they don’t know right from wrong; they simply cannot control their impulses. Punishing a child for things that he or she cannot control has even been shown to make ADHD symptoms worse.

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) show the following symptoms:

1) Poor attention span and concentration - unless totally engrossed in something (like a computer game). 2) Poor concentration and memory 3) Impulsivity - doing things without thinking first 4) Easily frustrated - often leading to temper tantrums and outbursts

Of course all children (and adults) show difficulties such as these at various times. For the child with ADHD, however, these difficulties are so great that they have experienced failures in various areas such as

a) at school (getting work done, paying attention, daydreaming, losing homework, talking in class, being disruptive, etc.),

b) at home (are not able to finish chores, are clumsy, get into fights with siblings and more)

c) Participate and contribute actively in social activities such as being tolerant and accommodating of others, controlling temper and aggression, not playing practical jokes on others etc.

ADHD is not a malfunction of any body part as it is in conditions like asthma or diabetes. This condition of ADHD happens because parts of brain are not working at full efficiency

ADHD can be called a hereditary condition, where parents and children show similar symptoms. The symptoms and the ADHD condition does not go away in short span of time and takes a long time to get under control. Sometimes children suffer from ADHD through their teens into their adulthood also.

How do you manage ADHD?

Children suffering from ADHD can get long term complications which may run into their adulthood as well. These complications could be:

a) because they can not concentrate, they may fail in school and so drop out,