1. By: Abigail Scott

2. What is ADD/ADHD?
➲ ADD is an attention deficit
disorder.
➲ ADHD is an attention
deficit hyperactive
disorder.
➲ People who have
ADD/ADHD often have
trouble with focus,
impulsiveness, sitting still,
and chronic restlessness.

3. ADD/ADHD and Brain Function
➲ Focus ➲ Activation ➲ emotion
➲ Effort ➲ Memory ➲ Action
➲ People suffering from ADD/ADHD have a hard
time with most, if not all, of these brain functions.
Pisecco, S., Wristers, K., Swank, P., Silva, P., & Baker, D. .

4. ➲ People struggling with ADD/ADHD have a very hard time with
focusing on everyday tasks.
➲ This inability to concentrate makes it hard to complete anything
in general.
➲ ADD/ADHD also affects a persons ability to shift focus.
➲ Reading takes twice as long as it would for a person who does
not have ADD/ADHD.
Pisecco, S., Wristers, K., Swank, P., Silva, P., & Baker, D.

5. Pisecco, S., Wristers, K., Swank, P., Silva, P., & Baker, D. .
➲ People struggling with ➲ People often delay task
ADD/ADHD often have until the very last minute
problem getting started on even though they have
a task. had plenty of time to finish
it.
➲ Chronic procrastination
has been associated with
people who have
ADD/ADHD.

6. ➲ Everyone has strong
emotions from time to tine,
but people with
ADD/ADHD often have
very short fuses.
➲ Mood swings are very
common in people who
have ADD/ADHD
➲ A person with ADD/ADHD
usually has problems
controlling emotion.

7. ➲ Effort involves being alert ➲ People with ADD/ADHD
when in a lecture, or often have a hard time
driving, and processing staying awake when they
speed. are not actively involved.
➲ It usually takes a person ➲ Drowsiness has often
with ADD/ADHD a very been reported with
long time to finish a task ADD/ADHD. When
due to slow processing. sitting down for long
Many people with periods of time, one
ADD/ADHD have might become very
reported problems with drowsy and fall asleep
getting “stuck” on a even if they have had
task. enough sleep.

8.  Memory and ADD/ADHD go hand in hand.
 For a long time it was thought that ADD/ADHD affects
short term memory, but it is now believed that a
dysfunction in working memory plays a part in ADD/ADHD
 Working memory has to do with maintaining functioning in
cognitive academic and social activities.
 There are two types of working memory, verbal and non
verbal.
 Non verbal working memory involves holding on to
representation of events in mind and before acting them
out through a motor response.
 Verbal working memory is the ability to use language to
describe reflect upon events.

9. ➲ It is no secret that people diagnosed with ADD/ADHD have
a problem hyperactive and impulse behavior. It's this kind
of behavior that makes it hard for people to slow down and
put more thought into what they are doing instead of just
taking action.
➲ The impaired ability to inhibit is said to be the main reason
for ADD/ADHD.
➲ Other functions like development and executive function
actually depend on the ability to inhibit because it involves
controlling your actions.

10. ADD/ADHD in Adults and Children
➲ 8 million adults have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD in
the United States.
➲ Adults with ADHD usually have a variety of psychological
issues including anxiety, depression, and anti social
personality disorder/
➲ ADHD affects about 3-7% school aged children

11. ➲ It is said that problems ➲ The prefrontal cortex
within the prefrontal cortex includes executive centers
is associated with that have to with
ADD/ADHD. judgement, organization,
reasoning, and deep
➲ Lack of the cognitive thought.
neurotransmitter
Dopamine, which is
located in the executive
centers, may explain
symptoms associated with
ADD/ADHD.
Schweitzer J, Hanford R, Medoff D. .

12. ➲ Abnormality in the Basal Parts of the Basal Ganglia
Ganglia has been include the caudate, putamen,
associated with globus pallidus.
ADD/ADHD
➲ Studies have showed that boys who have ADHD have a
relatively smaller Basal Ganglia than regular developing
boys.
Knouse, Laura E

13. Causes of ADD
➲ Unfortunately, there is not
really a known cause for
ADD and ADHD at this
time.
➲ Many believe that ADHD
can be cause by
environmental factors,
T.V, high sugary foods,
and genetics.

14. Treatment used for ADD/ADHD
➲ Stimulant medications such as Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall
and Concerta are generally prescribed to children and
Adults with ADD/ADHD.
➲ These medication tend to come with a number of side
effects such as weight loss, depression, high blood
pressure and can be easily abused if not taken exactly as
stated by your doctor.
➲ release dopamine or nor-epinephrine across synaptic gap.
The re-uptake of dopamine in the brain helps increase
concentration and can help depression.
➲ Unfortunately these medications only help alleviate
ADD/ADHD when the drug is active in the system but as
soon as drug is out of system the ADD/ADHD symptoms
come back.
Davis-Berman, J. L., & Pestello, F. G.

15. Validity of ADD/ADHD
➲ Now while there are some people who fake having
ADD/ADHD in order to get on the medication, it is still a
real problem for people.
➲ People who have ADD/ADHD are often criticized for being
lazy or an underachiever.
➲ It is important for a person who has been diagnose with
ADD/ADHD to receive proper treatment and have regular
check ups with doctor and psychiatrist.

16. Annotated Bibliography
Brady D, Kohls G. Addictive tendencies in ADD/ADHD. Nutritional Perspectives: Journal Of The Council On
Nutrition [serial online]. April 2005;28(2):7. Available from: CINAHL with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed
August 13, 2012.
This article gave me information on working memory and ADD/ADHD. I also learned that ADHD affects adults and
children in different ways from this article.
Pisecco, S., Wristers, K., Swank, P., Silva, P., & Baker, D. (2001). The effect of academic self-concept on ADHD and
antisocial behaviors in early adolescence. Journal Of Learning Disabilities, 34(5), 450-461.
This article talks about antisocial behaviors associated with ADD/ADHD
Brown, Thomas. . New Haven : Yale University Press, 2005. Print
This book gives a bibliography of people struggling with ADD/ADHD. It discussing the brain functions associated
with the disorder and compares different symptoms from different people
Schweitzer J, Hanford R, Medoff D. Working memory deficits in adults with ADHD: is there evidence for subtype
differences?. Behavioral & Brain Functions [serial online]. January 2006;2:1-11. Available from: Academic
Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed August 13, 2012.
This article talked about the different brain functions having to do with ADD/ADHD. Talked about the prefrontal
cortex and executive centers.
Davis-Berman, J. L., & Pestello, F. G. (2010). Medicating for ADD/ADHD: Personal and Social Issues. International
Journal Of Mental Health & Addiction, 8(3), 482-492. doi:10.1007/s11469-008-9167-z
This article discussed medication used for ADD/ADHD and people who had ADD/ADHD were interviewed and
talked about their experience with ADD/ADHD and medication. Children and teens were asked a series
of questions about taking medication for the attention deficit and most reported that it helped them to focus
better.
Brown, Thomas. . New Haven : Yale University Press, 2005. Print
This book gives a bibliography of people struggling with ADD/ADHD. It discussing the brain functions associated
with the disorder and compares different symptoms from different people.

17. Additional Sources
Stearns, C., Dunham, M., Mcintosh, D., & Dean, R. S. (2004). ATTENTION
DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER AND WORKING MEMORY IN CLINICALLY
REFERRED ADULTS. International Journal Of Neuroscience, 114(2), 273-28
Knouse, Laura E., PhD. "Abnormalities in Basal Ganglia in ADHD Boys." The ADHD Report 17.4
(2009): 12-3. ProQuest Family Health. Web. 18 Aug. 2012.