Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

When researching attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), I first thought about the word attention. Attention occurs when an individual focuses his or her mental resources (Santrock, 2010). There are different ways that one can focus his or her attention. An example would be when talking on the phone and watching television at the same time. This would be a form of divided attention as an individual is focusing on more than one thing at the same time (Santrock, 2010). ADHD is one of the most common childhood disorders and can continue through adolescence and adulthood. Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (National Institute of Mental Health, 2008). This disorder affects millions of people today and my friend and college roommate is one of those individuals. Even though there has been extensive research on ADHD, there has not been a definitive cause found for the disorder. There is even less data available on the prevalence of ADHD symptoms among college students which is when my roommate was diagnosed.

When interviewing my roommate, he believes he had the disorder as a child, but during that time the disorder was not being diagnosed as frequently or commonly as it is today. The major characteristic my friend has is inattention. As my friend and I were talking, I remembered several instances of his inattention. Many times we would be walking to class together and my friend would be holding a bottle of water and drop it along the way. He would not even realize that he did this until I picked it up and gave it back to him. When I would ask him about this, he would just reply that he had forgot he was holding it. This follows what was recorded in a study of college students in which three groups were identified; those never diagnosed with ADHD, those previously diagnosed but not currently under pharmacologic treatment, and those currently prescribed medication to treat ADHD. All three of these groups reported significantly more inattention symptoms, on average than hyperactive symptoms (Garnier-Dykstra, Pinchevsky, Caldeira, Vincent, & Arria, 2010).

Currently, my friend is taking prescribed medication to help him cope with this disorder. For the past four years, he has been taking amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall). This drug is stimulant similar to Ritalin only with less side-effects that has been effective in approving attention in individuals with ADHD (Santrock, 2010). Like with most any drug, stimulants such as Ritalin or Adderall come with their share of side effects. One common side effect is a decreased appetite (National Institute of Mental Health, 2008). This is especially important to pay attention to with younger children as it can affect their physical development. Another side effect of these drugs is sleep problems which is a condition my friend reported as having when he first started taking Adderall. One suggestion many doctors have given to patients using Adderall is to take the medication earlier in the day or stop taking doses in the afternoon or evening (National Institute of Mental Health, 2008). This advice was also given to my friend. When he started taking the drug, he was very inconsistent in the timing of his