Hyperactivity, or ADHD, is often first noticed in childhood and includes symptoms such as inattention, impulsiveness, and excessive activity. It can affect schoolwork, social skills, and relationships, and can continue into adulthood. Diagnosis involves a screening collection, including a history, patient interview, physical exam, and behavioral screening. Other conditions can produce similar symptoms.
Hyperactivity, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as it is commonly referred to, is often first noticed in childhood. The main symptoms of hyperactivity include inattention, impulsiveness and excessive activity. These symptoms can certainly go beyond the childhood years and manifest themselves in adolescents and adults.
Inattention includes difficulty concentrating and organizing, as well as an inability to remember what is being presented or studied. A person with inattentive signs of hyperactivity has difficulty initiating activities or completing them. Monotonous tasks are especially difficult for those with inattentiveness, but difficult and demanding tasks could also be annoying.
Impulsivity, another of the common symptoms of hyperactivity, causes those affected to speak or act before thinking about a situation. This symptom prevents a person from making wise decisions or solving problems effectively. It can also affect a person’s ability to form and maintain personal relationships, keep a job, or spend money wisely.
A high level of physical activity, or hyperactivity itself, causes those with the behavior to talk a lot, squirm or fidget frequently, and have difficulty with activities that tend to be quiet or peaceful. This excessive activity level often causes problems when children with signs of hyperactivity try to interact with children with an average activity level.
Because preschoolers are likely to be inattentive and have a high level of activity, it is difficult to diagnose hyperactivity at this age. With school-age children it is a little easier to discern problems because symptoms of hyperactivity often interfere with schoolwork and social skills. Some common indicators of hyperactivity in a school-age child include or more of the following: self-esteem issues, problems with low grades or test scores, lack of study and organizational skills, and problems socializing.
With adolescents, hyperactivity symptoms are less likely to be destructive. Stresses such as changing schools or starting college could exacerbate symptoms of hyperactivity in adolescents and young adults. Children and adolescents identified as hyperactive are often labeled as less mature than their peers. Adults with hyperactivity may find it difficult to keep a job or relationship.
The diagnosis of hyperactivity is often made after a screening collection, including a history, patient interview, physical exam, and behavioral screening, most often completed by parents and teachers. Since there are other conditions that share the symptoms of hyperactivity, it’s important for professionals to consider all factors. Gifted, undernourished, or abused or neglected children may exhibit symptoms similar to those related to hyperactivity. Other medical conditions, such as conduct disorders, depression and anxiety, as well as autism, can produce similar symptoms.
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