By: Abigail Scott

What is ADD/ADHD?What is ADD/ADHD?

➲ ADD is an attention deficit disorder.

➲ ADHD is an attention deficit hyperactive disorder. ➲ People who have ADD/ADHD often have trouble with focus, impulsiveness, sitting still, and chronic restlessness.

ADD/ADHD and Brain FunctionADD/ADHD and Brain Function

➲ Focus ➲ Activation ➲ emotion

➲ Action➲ Memory➲ Effort

➲ People suffering from ADD/ADHD have a hard time with most, if not all, of these brain functions.

Pisecco, S., Wristers, K., Swank, P., Silva, P., & Baker, D. .

Pisecco, S., Wristers, K., Swank, P., Silva, P., & Baker, D.

➲ People struggling with ADD/ADHD have a very hard time with focusing on everyday tasks.

➲ This inability to concentrate makes it hard to complete anything in general.

➲ ADD/ADHD also affects a persons ability to shift focus. ➲ Reading takes twice as long as it would for a person who does

not have ADD/ADHD.

➲ People struggling with ADD/ADHD often have problem getting started on a task.

➲ Chronic procrastination has been associated with people who have ADD/ADHD.

➲ People often delay task until the very last minute even though they have had plenty of time to finish it.

Pisecco, S., Wristers, K., Swank, P., Silva, P., & Baker, D. .

➲ Everyone has strong emotions from time to tine, but people with ADD/ADHD often have very short fuses.

➲ Mood swings are very common in people who have ADD/ADHD

➲ A person with ADD/ADHD usually has problems controlling emotion.

➲ Effort involves being alert when in a lecture, or driving, and processing speed.

➲ People with ADD/ADHD often have a hard time staying awake when they are not actively involved.

➲ Drowsiness has often been reported with ADD/ADHD. When sitting down for long periods of time, one might become very drowsy and fall asleep even if they have had enough sleep.

➲ It usually takes a person with ADD/ADHD a very long time to finish a task due to slow processing. Many people with ADD/ADHD have reported problems with getting “stuck” on a task.

Memory and ADD/ADHD go hand in hand. For a long time it was thought that ADD/ADHD affects

short term memory, but it is now believed that a dysfunction in working memory plays a part in ADD/ADHD

Working memory has to do with maintaining functioning in cognitive academic and social activities.

There are two types of working memory, verbal and non verbal.

Non verbal working memory involves holding on to representation of events in mind and before acting them out through a motor response.

Verbal working memory is the ability to use language to describe reflect upon events.

➲ It is no secret that people diagnosed with ADD/ADHD have a problem hyperactive and impulse behavior. It's this kind of behavior that makes it hard for people to slow down and put more thought into what they are doing instead of just taking action.

➲ The impaired ability to inhibit is said to be the main reason for ADD/ADHD.

➲ Other functions like development and executive function actually depend on the ability to inhibit because it involves controlling your actions.

ADD/ADHD in Adults and Children

➲ 8 million adults have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD in the United States.

➲ Adults with ADHD usually have a variety of psychological issues including anxiety, depression, and anti social personality disorder/

➲ ADHD affects about 3-7% school aged children

➲ It is said that problems within the prefrontal cortex is associated with ADD/ADHD.

➲ The prefrontal cortex includes executive centers that have to with judgement, organization, reasoning, and deep cognitive thought. ➲ Lack of the

neurotransmitter Dopamine, which is located in the executive centers, may explain symptoms associated with ADD/ADHD.

Schweitzer J, Hanford R, Medoff D. .

➲ Abnormality in the Basal Ganglia has been associated with ADD/ADHD

Parts of the Basal Ganglia include the caudate, putamen, globus pallidus.

➲ Studies have showed that boys who have ADHD have a relatively smaller Basal Ganglia than regular developing boys.

Knouse, Laura E

Causes of ADDCauses of ADD

➲ Unfortunately, there is not really a known cause for ADD and ADHD at this time.

➲ Many believe that ADHD can be cause by environmental factors, T.V, high sugary foods, and genetics.

Treatment used for ADD/ADHDTreatment used for ADD/ADHD➲ Stimulant medications such as Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall

and Concerta are generally prescribed to children and Adults with ADD/ADHD.

➲ These medication tend to come with a number of side effects such as weight loss, depression, high blood pressure and can be easily abused if not taken exactly as stated by your doctor.

➲ release dopamine or nor-epinephrine across synaptic gap. The re-uptake of dopamine in the brain helps increase concentration and can help depression.

➲ Unfortunately these medications only help alleviate ADD/ADHD when the drug is active in the system but as soon as drug is out of system the ADD/ADHD symptoms come back.

Davis-Berman, J. L., & Pestello, F. G.

Validity of ADD/ADHDValidity of ADD/ADHD

➲ Now while there are some people who fake having ADD/ADHD in order to get on the medication, it is still a real problem for people.

➲ People who have ADD/ADHD are often criticized for being lazy or an underachiever.

➲ It is important for a person who has been diagnose with ADD/ADHD to receive proper treatment and have regular check ups with doctor and psychiatrist.

Annotated BibliographyAnnotated BibliographyBrady D, Kohls G. Addictive tendencies in ADD/ADHD. Nutritional Perspectives: Journal Of The Council On

Nutrition [serial online]. April 2005;28(2):7. Available from: CINAHL with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 13, 2012.

This article gave me information on working memory and ADD/ADHD. I also learned that ADHD affects adults and children in different ways from this article.

Pisecco, S., Wristers, K., Swank, P., Silva, P., & Baker, D. (2001). The effect of academic self-concept on ADHD and antisocial behaviors in early adolescence. Journal Of Learning Disabilities, 34(5), 450-461.

This article talks about antisocial behaviors associated with ADD/ADHDBrown, Thomas. . New Haven : Yale University Press, 2005. PrintThis book gives a bibliography of people struggling with ADD/ADHD. It discussing the brain functions associated

with the disorder and compares different symptoms from different people

Schweitzer J, Hanford R, Medoff D. Working memory deficits in adults with ADHD: is there evidence for subtype differences?. Behavioral & Brain Functions [serial online]. January 2006;2:1-11. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 13, 2012.

This article talked about the different brain functions having to do with ADD/ADHD. Talked about the prefrontal cortex and executive centers.

Davis-Berman, J. L., & Pestello, F. G. (2010). Medicating for ADD/ADHD: Personal and Social Issues. International Journal Of Mental Health & Addiction, 8(3), 482-492. doi:10.1007/s11469-008-9167-z

This article discussed medication used for ADD/ADHD and people who had ADD/ADHD were interviewed and talked about their experience with ADD/ADHD and medication. Children and teens were asked a series of questions about taking medication for the attention deficit and most reported that it helped them to focus better.

Brown, Thomas. . New Haven : Yale University Press, 2005. PrintThis book gives a bibliography of people struggling with ADD/ADHD. It discussing the brain functions associated

with the disorder and compares different symptoms from different people.

Additional Sources

Stearns, C., Dunham, M., Mcintosh, D., & Dean, R. S. (2004). ATTENTION DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AND WORKING MEMORY IN CLINICALLY REFERRED ADULTS. International Journal Of Neuroscience, 114(2), 273-28

Knouse, Laura E., PhD. "Abnormalities in Basal Ganglia in ADHD Boys." The ADHD Report 17.4 (2009): 12-3. ProQuest Family Health. Web. 18 Aug. 2012.