Is ADD classified as a mental illness, or a learning disability?
It can be as simple as being easily distracted by others' voices, music or tv in the background. In my case I had great difficulty in university where it was nearly impossible to get away from others' noise or finding a quite spot to study...even the library was noisy. Other students 'talking over' the professors would cause me a lot of grief...lectures were completely diluted... Most of what I learned I learned in the privacy of home.
My kids, however, studied with their loud music full blast and all did very well in high school and Uni.
I still find it difficult to focus when there are several convos going on around me.
My brain doesn't know what to listen to, and can't tune out. I work best in an office of my own, with a door that closes, not an open office.
It made me wonder what kinds of challenges DG faced when he went to U of A and then dropped out. Many intelligent people have to find their own ways to cope.
Anyway, my point is that there are many faces of ADD. It doesn't necessarily mean an individual can't focus or see things through on a daily basis.
ADD was replaced with the term ADHD in the 1990s. ADD (the old term) and ADHD (the new term) are the same thing. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the correct term today.
By Chris Iliades, MD | Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH
"Society first heard the term ADD in 1980; today it's ADHD.
• 1980. The third edition of the manual uses the name "attention deficit disorder" (ADD). ·
• 1994. The manual's fourth edition recognizes the disorder as "attention deficit hyperactivity disorder," with three subgroups."
"Today we know that younger children are more likely to show hyperactivity ADHD symptoms and older children or
adults are more likely to have symptoms of inattention. For most people with ADHD, symptoms are mixed and they change over time," explains Hunter.
The three subtypes of ADHD recognized today are:
•Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
•
Predominantly inattentive
•Combined hyperactive and inattentive (mixed type)"
http://www.everydayhealth.com/adhd-awareness/an-adhd-timeline.aspx
"This is a disorder of chronic, long-standing, unchanging disorganization, inattention, and forgetfulness," said Dr. David Goodman, a psychiatrist and director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center in Baltimore, Maryland. "A lot of people don't know they have this condition and just kind of muddle through their lives."
http://www.everydayhealth.com/adhd/adult-adhd.aspx