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  • Essay / Living a Distracted Life with Attention Deficit Disorder

    Attention Deficit Disorder is a disability that affects 1.21% of Americans (CDC Fast Stats). For a percentage that seems so small, the effects of living with ADD are significant. People with ADD have difficulty in school or in everyday situations, but they can learn ways to manage this disability. During childhood, unknowingly struggling with ADD made things more complicated throughout school and life, and the problem remained neglected and undiagnosed into adulthood. Some people may not believe that it is a real disorder and that it only affects children, but it does exist. ADD does not discriminate based on age, race or gender. This complex disorder can begin to be understood through its history, myths, facts, symptoms, causes and treatments. The first aspect to understanding ADD comes from examining its history of misunderstanding and misdiagnosis. The first awareness of ADD occurred in 1902 by a pediatrician who described the disorder as "an abnormal defect of moral control in children" (Sir George Still). Beginning with further progression in the 1950s, ADD was considered a minimal brain dysfunction and was only diagnosed in children below the age of puberty. It wasn't until the 1960s that the American Psychiatric Association first recognized ADD as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In 1968, the DSM-II first attempted a more specific definition, emphasizing that hyperactivity was referred to as a "hyperkinetic reaction of childhood." In 1980, the DSM-III changed the name of the condition Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), moving the definition away from hyperactivity and more toward problems focusing attention; creating two subtypes: ADD with hyperactivity and ADD without hyperactivity. In 19...... middle of article......://www.healthline.com/health-slideshow/history-adhd-timeline#promoSlide>."Types of ADHD: inattentive, hyperactive and combined Types." WebMD. WebMD and Web. April 22, 2014. "Shire Launches Educational Resources for People with ADHD, Their Families and Healthcare Professionals; The ADHD: A Shared Focus TM Program and ADHD and You Website Are Designed to Provide Education About the Deficit attention/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).” M2 Presswire January 16, 2013. ProQuest. Internet. April 24, 2014. “What is Attention Deficit Disorder?” Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? » What is attention deficit disorder? Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder? National Clearinghouse for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY), 1996. Web. April 24. 2014. .