History of ADHD - Find Out How Did ADHD Come About and What Can You Do About It?

Before the term "ADHD" came into the medical journals and books, the history of ADHD is quite astonishing and intriguing.

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is a behavioral disorder where a patient is seen to have instability in terms of being hyperactive, impulsive and has a short attention span. This is evident among children, ranging from early pre-school age to around 7 years old.

Before the medical documentation of ADHD, it was in 1845 when Dr. Heinrich Hoffman, a German physician described hyperactive behavior in one of his children's stories called "Fidgety Phil."

Dr. George Frederic Still was the first doctor to document a disorder relating to impulsiveness in 1902. He has written and published several lectures on twenty (20) children who are overly emotional, hyperactive and defiant that were beyond control. These patterns were discussed at the Royal College of Physicians where Defect of Moral Control was tagged as the first official name of ADHD.

Another occurrence in the early 1920's wherein a patient having similar symptoms seen that is associated with ADHD was said to be named "Post-Encephalitic Behavior Disorder". This name did not appear in many research materials though.

In 1937, Dr. Charles Bradley introduced stimulants as means to treat children with hyperactivity. In 1956, a stimulant called Ritalin was introduced as the leading choice among physicians to treat hyperactive patients.

Hyperactivity has been the only condition formally documented until the early 1960s. The name Minimal Brain Dysfunction was given to ADHD because doctors believed it to be a mental condition.

At the end of 1960's, the condition was also seen as biological, genetic and environmental in character, thus the name was changed to Hyperkinesia or Hyperkinetic Disorder of Childhood.

In the 1970's, there were new symptoms that were regarded as being closely associated with hyperactivity. It was during that time when lack of focus and impulsivity were added to the list.

In the 1980's, Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD has been given to the condition. It was also at that time wherein there are instances wherein the patient showed hyperactivity while other did not. This was documented by the American Psychiatric Association wherein they said ADD and ADHD were two different conditions.

In 1987, ADD was then changed to its current name Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The doctors also believed that this is a medical condition, not psychological, although they were not ruling out the possibility that this may also cause behavioral issues. This has also been seen in kids who had emotional problems, such as diffuculty in dealing with parent's divorce, death of a loved one, or moving to another place.

While it is essential to know the history of ADHD, the fact remains that the symptoms have been with us for a very long time. It is a problem that lies inside the brain, and it manifests through the actions of the children. Without ample and effective treatment, ADHD may continue until adulthood. Utmost love and understanding is important. Patients need the care and support from family and friends.

Controlling and regulating food intake, such as not giving the patients too much sugar and junk foods, is helpful too.

While it is truly important that your pediatrician should work with you in the treatment of ADHD, natural supplements can aid in fighting the disorder. And we aree not just talking about regular supplements. They should be well-studied, developed by experts, safe, 100% natural and effective.

These natural herbal remedies are actually becoming more popular because of the use of herbs and plant extracts known to reduce restlessness, over-excitability, constant stimulation, reduce temper tantrums, and sooth nerves. Some of these are Hyoscyamus, Tuberculinum, Arsen iod and Verta alb.

Seed Newsvine

Bookmark this article in your preferred program

Comments

Add Comment

Popular Articles in this cathegory

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.