Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is a neuropsychic disorder typical of children, which causes obvious and frequent episodes of inattention (or decline in concentration), hyperactivity and / or impulsivity .
After years of studies, mental health experts have noticed that there are at least three variants of ADHD : inattentive, overactive-impulsive and combined .
In the inattentive variant, attention and concentration skills are almost exclusively affected; in the hyperactive-impulsive variant, aspects of hyperactivity and impulsiveness dominate; finally, in the combined variant, problems can be found attributable to both the inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive variant.
In general, patients with the inactive ADHD variant stand out because:
- They can't be careful and easily distracted.
- They fail to pay attention to details and commit frequent distraction errors (especially at school).
- In some situations they don't seem to listen to who is talking to them.
- They easily forget things and what they did.
- They do not follow the instructions given to them and they almost never manage to complete on-time (or in time) class assignments, daily chores and work duties (NB: adults can also suffer from ADHD).
- They lose what they would need in a school / work environment (pens, books, notebooks, tools, etc.) and in their extracurricular activities (toys, etc.).
- They have organizational difficulties.
- They struggle to start any activity that requires attention, concentration and a certain dedication. They might seem lazy, even if that's not the problem.
- They pass suddenly and continuously from one activity to another and another again, without any reason.
Moreover, very often they also denote the following weaknesses:
- Difficulties in or fear of facing changes;
- Punctuality problems;
- Fear of expressing one's feelings;
- Inability to relax;
- Depression.
