Adhd and Crime

ADHD AND CRIME

In this paper I am going to discuss Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) behaviors and why I believe that this disorder contributes to criminal behaviors in life.

As defined by www.chadd.org Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder. It is characterized by developmentally inappropriate impulsivity, inattention, and in some cases, hyperactivity. As defined by www.adult-child-add-adhd.com Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a condition that develops within some children in their early childhood years, but can continue into adulthood. It is estimated that between 2 and 9 percent of all American children have Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and that the disorder or condition is more prevalent in males than it is in females. On top of that fact the disorder is a lot higher among relatives than it is when dealing with the general population.

It is my opinion that and the opinion of many others that children with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are more likely to commit or be involved criminal activities if the disorder goes undetected or untreated. A study conducted by the Yale School of Public Heath that was published in the Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics stated that schoolchildren with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are substantially more likely to engage in many types of criminal activity such as burglary, theft and drug dealing as they grow older (www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles). During this study an analysis of more than 10,000 adolescents who were later surveyed as young adults found that children with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were two times as likely to commit theft later in life and had a fifty percent higher incidence of selling illegal drugs (www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles). Researchers estimate that crimes that are committed with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as a factor costs between two and four billion dollars annually. It is estimated that approximately two million children across the United States have some type of Attention deficit disorder. This is important because it means that in a group of 25 to 30 children it is more than likely that at least one child has either Attention deficit disorder or Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. This also means that a business or corporation that employs 45 to 50 people will have at least one or two adults who have adult Attention deficit disorder or Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (www.adult-child-add-adhd.com/definition_of_adhd).

A child or adult for that matter that was either of the two disorders has a difficult but not insurmountable task ahead. The problem is that the majority of the children and adults who have the disorder are unaware that they have it. We have come a long way in the past ten or twenty years but the fact of the matter is that in both children and adults the disorder is not detected early enough and in a lot of cases is not detected at all. This in my opinion is because we all have some of the symptoms at some point in time in our lives. This can lead to misdiagnosis as well as not being diagnosed at all.

There are three basic subtypes of Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. They are ADHD the primarily inattentive type, the primarily hyperactive and impulsive type, and lastly a combination of the two types listed above. All three types have different symptoms that are associated with them. These symptoms usually arise at a young age or in early childhood. This can make detection very difficult if not nearly impossible. We often hear the saying "let the kids be kids" or boys will be boys" but if this type of behavior has been ongoing for six months or more with no end in sight your child may have one of the two disorders or a combination of both.

Some of the symptoms of the Primarily Inattentive Type of ADHD are that the child/adult fails to pay attention to details are often makes careless mistakes, has difficulty focusing or sustaining attention, does not appear to listen, struggles to follow through or have the ability to complete instructions, has trouble or difficulty being organized, avoids and dislikes tasks that require an ongoing mental effort, very easily distracted, and forgets activities that they do on a daily basis. In my opinion we all have some of these symptoms. We all forget things from time to time and I myself sometimes have a hard time focusing on the task that I am trying to complete. This does not mean that I have adult ADD or ADHD but it could be a possibility. This is why it is so difficult to identify even though we are so technologically advanced and have completed various studies on these common disorders.

The symptoms of the primarily hyperactive/impulsive type of ADHD are that the child/adult fidgets with their hands or feet, squirms in their chair, has a difficult time remaining seated, runs around or climbs excessively, has difficulty in participating in quite activities, feels the need to talk excessively, blurts out answers or statements before asked to do so, has difficulty waiting or taking turns, and interrupts others. Again we all get a little impatient from time to time and we just call it human nature. I personally fidget and I do not know why. I can be reading a book or watching television and my leg and sometimes my foot just shakes on its own. Does this mean I had childhood ADD or ADHD and now have adult ADD? With that being said does that mean I am more likely to commit a crime? No it does not mean I have the disorder it just shows that the possibility is there and because I do not have the disorder I am not more inclined or likely to commit a crime. Do I believe that a child that did have childhood ADHD and now has adult ADD is more likely to commit a crime? Yes I do.

The combined type of ADD/ADHD is simply a combination of the two. A person with the combined type can have all of the above stated symptoms or just about any combination of the symptoms. The bottom line is that Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a psychological problem. It is a common one but none the less a psychological problem and it seems that in the United States our criminal justice system has become the new home for individuals with psychological problems. Two of those psychological problems are attention-deficit disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century the role of genetics in crime was widely accepted (Joesph 2001). Prominent researchers believed that genes and genes alone were fully responsible for all criminal activity and behavior. Along with this information and the idea of a eugenics movement during the same time period, it was not surprising to learn that acts of sterilization took place to