Skip to content
- ADHD is a medical neurobiological disorder, included in the field of mental health
- ADHD conservatively occurs in 4% of adults and 5% of children worldwide
- 80% of children maintain their diagnosis into adolescence
- 60% are still affected by core symptoms in adulthood
- Research shows that ADHD is most often inherited
- There are three subtypes of ADHD, depending on the three core symptoms, inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity present:
- predominately inattentive (previously referred to as ADD)
- predominately hyperactive (very rare)
- combined (most prevalent)
- Symptoms of ADHD include difficulty with the regulation of attention. Inattention, difficulties prioritizing attention and difficulty breaking and shifting attention (over-focusing) can all be an issue.
- Executive functioning impairment and mood dysregulation can also impact many children and adults with ADHD
- ADHD is still under-diagnosed and under-treated in Canada
- Parenting styles do not cause ADHD
- Diets and limiting food additives and sugar will not cure ADHD
- Treatment for ADHD should always be multi-modal
- Children, adolescents and adults with untreated ADHD are at a greater risk for:
- learning difficulties, less academic success, school dropout, and fewer years of schooling
- additional mental health disorders and problems with self esteem
- substance abuse and a greater chance of becoming involved in the justice system
- sustaining injuries and more accidents as well as automobile accidents
- ADHD impedes the acquisition of human and social capital. By not recognizing and treating ADHD costs to the Canadian economy increase
