[senco-forum] ADD/ADHD ?difference

I was under the impression that ADD/ADHD were different disorders, one quite

Yes they are the same disorder, but the terms ADHD and ADD are
sometimes used to denote the principal subtypes of this disorder. In a
nutshell ADHD is principally characterised by hyperactivity, whereas
ADD is principally characterised by distractibility. Both are usually
treated where necessary by prescribing stimulant medication that
paradoxically has the opposite affect of stimulation at the medicinal
doses used for this condition. Think in terms of ADD as the core
condition, with extreme often 'in your face' hyperactivity laired on
top in the case of ADHD.

One other condition you might come across is early-onset bipolar
disorder, which is usually characterised by episodes of manic or
hypomanic behaviour. This is serious but less common disorder that's
often initially miss-diagnosed as ADHD. Stimulant medications usually
tends to exacerbate rather than relieve the 'ADHD like' manic
behaviour that's characteristic of this disorder. It's more serious
because of the much increased risk of suicide or extreme high risk
behaviours, for example having the delusion one can fly or come to no harm
if one jumps out of a high window!

Hope this helps.

David Bowles

> I was under the impression that ADD/ADHD were different disorders, one quite
> passive and one hyperactive. I was looking up ADD on the Internet today as I
> have a child who is not particularly hyperactive (quite laid back really)
> but has very poor concentration/attention. However all the sites seemed to
> lump the two together as the same condition.

> Can anyone steer me in the right direction to find more info.

> Thanks
> Kitty