ADHD: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

When it comes to behavioural problems, they are frequently associated with the brain and referred to as mental disorders, which is incorrect. People make a big deal out of it because they think it's a mental illness. There is, however, a distinction between mental disorders and behavioural disorders. Both are psychological, but they are not the same. They have different factors that act as a trigger or causes. Whatever the disorder, every human being deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. A person with a disorder requires special care.

ADHD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental and behavioural disorder in which the child is hyperactive and unable to focus on tasks. at hand. It manifests symptoms as early as childhood and can last into adulthood. Not every child who isn't focusing or playing around more is suffering from ADHD; it's normal for children their age to be unable to focus and play for extended periods. However, if the behaviour persists, they may have ADHD. Adults, as well as children, suffer from similar disorders. The disorder's severity varies. Depending on the symptoms, it can be mild, moderate, or severe.

Various Symptoms an ADHD person shows are:

• They are overly active. They can’t stay still for a long time. Like children jumping from one place to another throughout and not staying still even for a short period.
• They daydream a lot. You can find them lost in another world unaware of their surroundings or whatever is happening around them.
• They often forget things. They often lost their things. We have seen that most children have sharp memories but one’s with ADHD are forgetful.?
• They have problems controlling their actions. They act on impulse and have no control over their feelings like anger, frustration etc.
• They keep squirming and fidgeting if they have to sit for long hours or if they are the centre of attention.?
• They sometimes start talking non-stop and get to some decisions carelessly. They don’t think thoroughly while taking risks.
• They have trouble maintaining relations and getting along with others.

Causes of ADHD?

The causes have yet to be determined. Scientists are looking into it. Many studies claim that genetic factors are to blame for ADHD. Blood relatives facing such conditions may result in a genetic transfer.

Premature birth, lower birth weight, or alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in brain damage which can further cause behavioural changes.?

Environmental risks

ADHD comes with other disorders as well such as anxiety, stress, OCD, Social Anxiety and many more. They get highly attached to themself and get distracted easily in a little period.?

The different types of ADHD found are:

• Predominantly inattentive presentation: characterised by high inattentiveness without any hyperactive character, Like trouble following instructions, difficulty listening to others, not paying attention to details, bad organisation of things etc.
• Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation: shows the character of hyperactivity like being unable to stay still for long hours, talking endlessly, interrupting others, acting without thinking etc.
• Combined Presentation: a combination of hyperactivity and inattentiveness.

Diagnosis:?

There’s no single diagnosis/ test available for identifying ADHD. A no. of tests including Visual or Hearing Impairments test, Background check, Treatment history, family history, and concentration/ focus check is included.

Studies show that about 6 million children of age group 3 to 17 are diagnosed with ADHD as of data collected in the US between 2016-2019.

Therefore Scientists are researching a proper diagnosing method for this.?

Conventional methods used include behavioural testing in different types of environmental setups which are still considered the most used method by doctors and psychiatrists.?

Future of Medical Diagnosis and Artificial Intelligence?

Use AI/ML in the diagnosis of ADHD:

Medical images of brain structure are taken into consideration for the diagnosis of ADHD and other medical conditions. This is helpful due to the high spatial and temporal resolution of these images. Along with Artificial Intelligence, Scientists are working on various machine learning algorithms which have a strong presence for neuroimaging processing. This will be helpful by integrating it with the Deep Learning model of CNN(Convolution Neural Networks) that is applied to imaging and tumour segmentation. It will be considered powerful and the most accurate if exhibited successfully.

Use of EEG (Electroencephalography):

This involves the use of a deep learning model of CNN which has presented a very good performance in image detection and processing. The process is carried out by the continuous working of the brain by giving them a no. of tasks. It has shown around 99.06%, and 97.81% of accuracy in different test cases.

AI and MRI:

An environment is set up where the brain is tested by taking it as a tool and performing MRI. Various tasks include gamification, Questionnaires, testing their reactions and physiological signals, motions, and performance tests.

Scientists are looking forward to developing a strong tool out of it that will be clinically powerful and can show better results.

AI and VR:

Researchers believe that integrating Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence will give great results in the diagnosis. This will include giving ADHD ratings to the patient who will be performing various tasks in multiple VR setups, where the reaction of the patient, how severely it triggers their behaviour, and whether they are responding at all or not will be recorded which is then inputted to the AI model which will classify them as severe, moderate or none and if they are hyperactive, or impulsive, or a combination. This has provided a different vision to the Doctors and they are hoping for it to be successful.

Treatment:

• Eating a healthy diet, including physical exercise, Yoga and concentration postures in daily life can help a lot.
• Regular psychiatric consultation/ sessions, behavioural therapy and medications can help.?
• Less Screen-time and proper sleep can help them as well.?
• Studies show that dietary intervention is important and they help to reduce the condition's symptoms. Including Fish Oil and Elimination diets help. But some conflicts are going on regarding its successful intervention.

Just a reminder: Adults too can have this condition but they are more likely to ignore the symptoms or are unable to accept it. It hampers their lifestyle, be it education or career, or focusing on monetary needs. They delve into unacceptable behaviours like alcoholism, bribery, stealing, aggression, or make themselves heavily depressed. ADHD in children can be treated, Medications work well in severe conditions but in the case of Adults, it is quite difficult to treat. They are surrounded by peer pressure, work pressure, building their lifestyle, and supportive/ unsupportive surroundings which also is an important factor in treating ADHD, monetary needs, unbalanced life, and a lot of ongoing changes in body and life which they are unable to share with family/friends. These factors impact how they react to medications. A healthy lifestyle and support is the key to getting better and winning over ADHD.

Conclusion:

ADHD is just a behavioural disorder not any kind of illness. Society needs to understand them and treat them respectfully. They face problems in schooling, getting educated, making friends, maintaining relations, keeping up with normal people, organizing things, or focusing on tasks at hand. Help them rather than shoo them away. We need to treat them equally for them to get better. Rest, We believe Scientists and Doctors will come up with solutions to diagnose and treat them well.?