How Do You Know If You Have Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder?

The only way to know for sure if you or your child has attention deficit hyperactive disorder (usually referred by doctors as AD/HD for short) is to actually be diagnosed by a medical professional. But no one wants to go to the doctor for every little sneeze - especially not your doctor. So here are some warnings signs that you need to pay attention to in order to know when to see the doctor.

Did You Have It As A Child?

It's not true that children outgrow attention deficit hyperactive disorder once they hit puberty. Most children with AD/HD wind up as adults with AD/HD. Sometimes symptoms might seem to disappear in a growing child, only to reappear as an adult. The medical profession did not realize this until the 1980's, so if you never heard of this, don't blame yourself.

Problems With Sleeping

One of the big signs that you might have attention deficit hyperactive disorder is that you can't get any sleep. You have terrible trouble falling asleep and practically have to be pulled out of bed by a team of wild elephants. In a child, this sign can be hard to spot, as kids have funny sleep patterns anyway. But in an adult, this is not normal. A kid can get through life without much sleep (all college students are living proof of that), but lack of sleep can seriously deplete an adult's quality of life.

Can't Stop Moving

Probably one of the more obvious signs of attention deficit hyperactive disorder that you can't seem to sit still. You could be waiting to get a knighthood from the Queen of England and be twitching, kicking your legs, fiddling with your hands and looking constantly about the room. This is not lack of will power. You are moving because your body will not give you any other choice. In an adult, this can seriously affect any employment situation.

Other Signs

If you begin a lot of projects and can't seem to ever get one finished, you may have attention deficit hyperactive disorder. You just seem to be distracted by any little thing - like an idea for a great new project. Attention deficit hyperactive disorder can also leave you feeling very impatient, more irritable than usual and an inability to concentrate. If you have a few of these signs (you don't have to have all of them), please make an appointment with your doctor for a firm diagnosis.

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