Attention Deficit- Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

At some point, everyone has experienced having trouble concentrating on the task at hand. Especially as children, most of us probably would have rather been outside on a nice day instead of sitting in a classroom concentrating on schoolwork. Even so, most of us could focus if we needed to. Now, imagine being a child or an adult who is not able to focus on or complete any task, no matter how hard he or she tries. Or imagine being hyperactive all the time and not having the ability to control it...this is what life is like for a person with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Documented cases of ADHD can be found as early as the 1930s, but it wasn't until the 1990s that ADHD gained notice as a true psychiatric condition. ADHD, or ADD as it is sometimes called, is defined as "a disorder of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that presents early in life." This condition is thought to be predominately genetic in nature. Most of the patients that are diagnosed with ADHD will have a family history of ADHD or another psychiatric condition. Risk factors play an important role in how this condition develops. Currently there is no cure, but treatment is available to help patients function better in society and in their daily lives.