ADHD and CBT - Free Essay Example

ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental disorder in children. Unfortunately, if an individual is diagnosed with ADHD as a child there is a good chance it will become chronic and persist into adulthood (Robinson, Rogers, 2018). The condition is a neural development disorder that affects an individuals attention span, organization skills, impulsive behavior, and hyperactivity. ADHD comes with negative problems that can impact an individuals well-being. Problems such as academic performance, social life, interpersonal relationships, and lower self-esteem (Ramos-Galarza, C., Fiallo-Karolys, X., Ramos, V., Jad?- n-Guerrero, J., Paredes-N?z, L. 2018). Not only do these impairments affect the individual with ADHD it also affects the family associated with the individual (Hodgkins, Shaw, McCarthy, Sallee, 2012). Literature Review Prevalence/Diagnosis/Symptoms Research shows that over the past couple of decades the number of Americans diagnosed with ADHD have steadily increased (Robinson, Rogers, 2018). From 1997 to 2006 research recorded a three percent increase rate of diagnosing those with ADHD (Robinson, Rogers, 2018). The prevalence rate of the American population is five percent; the majority of individuals diagnosed are male, and in children 90% diagnosed are boys (Schlachter, S. 2008). Increasing evidence suggests that there is a 60% chance children with ADHD will have clinically ADHD symptoms as adults (Saleh, A., Fuchs, C., Taylor, W. D., Niarhos, F, 2018). However, most boys are diagnosed between the ages of 7 and 12 (Schlachter, S. 2008). The diagnosing process for children is usually done by a variety of medical professionals such as pediatricians, general practitioners, or mental health specialist. In most cases teachers, parents, coaches, and other caregivers notice ADHD symptoms and thus play a role in diagnosing a child (Schlachter, S. 2008). Compared to children, diagnosing adults is much more complicated and requires more work. The process for adults to be diagnosed includes experimental tasks, application of scales, test, and a deep clinical analysis (Ramos-Galarza, C., Fiallo-Karolys, X., Ramos, V., Jad n-Guerrero, J., Paredes-Nz, L. 2018). Comorbidity If a family member is diagnosed with ADHD it can cause the family to experience hardships financially and emotionally and ultimately can result in a family breakdown. ADHD individuals often causes problems for spouses, family member, and friends who complain about them not listening, being forgetful, and overreacting. Family members are also exhausted from the mental and physical labor involved with caring for an ADHD child (T. Hirvikoski E. Waaler,T. Lindstrem, S. Belte, J. Jokinen). It is considered a public health concern because ADHD is associated with substance disorder and crime, thus there is a need for effective treatment. Studies have shown that ADHD also associates with severe traffic accidents, relationship issues, and problems at the workplace. More importantly studies have been done to test the impact ADHD has on an individuals health related quality of life (HRQL). The studies have showed negative association of adults and children between ADHD and HRQL. However, studies shows that when effective treatment is in place for ADHD individuals the HRQL increases (Hodgkins, P., Shaw, M., McCarthy, S., Sallee, 2012). Studies suggest that 65% children with have ADHD also are diagnosed with a psychiatric or behavioral issue (Schlachter, S. 2008). The National Comorbidity Survey Replication shows that adults who have ADHD can be comorbid with mood disorder, anxiety disorders, impulse control, and substance use disorder. Results indicate a comorbidity between ADHD and mood disorder is 38%, 47% in anxiety disorder, 20% for impulse control, and 15% for substance use disorder Saleh, A., Fuchs, C., Taylor, W. D., Niarhos, F. (2018). Adolescent/Parents ADHD is often detected early on in childhood, between 5-10% of children is estimated to have ADHD. Originally, to be diagnosed symptoms had to be present before the age of 7. Further studies were done and indicated that 7 was too strict to identify an onset of symptoms. Thus leading to the DSM-5 to require an onset of symptoms prior to the age of 12 instead of 7 (Taylor, M. J., Larsson, H., Gillberg, C., Lichtenstein, P., Lundstrem, S. 2018). For a child to be diagnosed with ADHD there must be evidence of symptoms affecting their function in multiple settings. For example, a child is observed at home by the parents of the child and at school by their teacher. Health care professionals evaluate a childs behavior and interpret their observations to test for ADHD. However, there remains a debate because no objective test is given, it is up to clinical judgement on whether or not an individual has ADHD (Holland, J., Sayal, K. (2018). Adult The college population is also heavily affected by ADHD, many studies associate untreated ADHD with lower academic success. The studies also suggests higher psychiatric problems in those with ADHD compared to the whole student population (Saleh, A., Fuchs, C., Taylor, W. D., Niarhos, F, 2018) ADHD in adults often affects individuals in the workplace. In the U.S labor force ADHD accounts for 120 million days of annual lost work, which results in 19.5 billion lost human (Saleh, A., Fuchs, C., Taylor, W. D., Niarhos, F, 2018). Treatment Since ADHD is one of the most common psychiatric disorders it is important that there are treatment options for those individuals. The condition is associated with numerous of impairments that affects ones life (Hodgkins, P., Shaw, M., McCarthy, S., Sallee, F. R. 2012).