Abstract
The diagnosis of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) defines a child who has an extraordinarily poor attention span, is hyperactive and impulsive, or has both problems. It is often difficult to distinguish between symptoms of ADHD and other childhood problems. The differential diagnosis includes anxiety, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, mood disorder, and learning disabilities including dyslexia. Often the diagnosis is a combination of these entities. An ADHD child has difficulty paying attention and completing tasks, being aware of details related to a task, and is easily distracted by external stimuli. The hyperactive impulsive child is constantly moving, is interested in everything, has trouble keeping quiet and is constantly on the go, has trouble waiting his or her turn, and often interrupts.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
American Psychiatric Association (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Barkley R (1990) Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment. New York: Guilford.
Carlson CL, Bunner MR (1993) Effects of methylphenidate on the academic performance of children with attend on-deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities. School Psychol Rev 22:184–198.
Dunne JE (1999) Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and associated childhood disorders. Prim Care 26:349–372.
Elia J, Ambrosini PJ, Rapoport JL (1999) Treatment of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder. N Engl J Med 340:780–788.
Higgins R (1997) ADHD: the role of the family physician. Am Fam Physician 56:42, 44.
Johnson T (1997) Evaluating the hyperactive child in your office: is it ADHD? Am Fam Physician 56:155–160, 168–170.
Kendall PC, Braswell L (1993) Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Impulsive Children. New York: Guilford.
Stein DB (1999) Ritalin Is Not the Answer: A Drug-free, Practical Program for Children Diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Taylor MA (1997) Evaluation and management of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Am Fam Physician 55:887–897.
Zametkin AJ (1999) Problems in the management of attention-defkit-hyperactivity disorder. N Eng J Med 340:40–46.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bloom, M.V., Smith, D.A. (2001). Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder. In: Brief Mental Health Interventions for the Family Physician. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0153-0_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0153-0_18
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-95235-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4613-0153-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive