Attention deficit is characterized by the inability to concentrate on a single thing.
Attention deficit is a disorder that is diagnosed when a child does not have the ability to concentrate on a single thing. This lack in the selection and maintenance of attention and the consequences that this attitude can have on a psychological level are studied by specialists.
Someone who suffers from the disorder is a person who has difficulty staying still, acts without thinking first, or starts doing something but never finishes it, among other situations. Experts speak of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ), a behavioral syndrome that has its origin in the genes and cells of the nervous system.
In order to define the concept more clearly, we must understand in advance what the deficit is. The term refers to the lack or absolute absence of what is considered necessary in a certain context. With regard to psychology , it is linked to abilities and skills, that is, a deficit exists when a person cannot carry out a certain action or a group of actions that they could carry out with normal functioning. Deficit is generally linked to words such as insufficiency, disability , deficiency and limitation .
Characteristics of attention deficit
Attention deficit is a neurological disorder that affects behavior and has as its main characteristics difficulty maintaining attention , emotional imbalance , recurrent distraction and movements generated by restlessness , among other behaviors.
From the perspective of neurology , attention deficit is caused by a brain dysfunction suffered by children and adults and that can be diagnosed by presenting symptoms of unusual behavior , such as: hyperactivity , attention deficit and impulsivity .
The authors Ardila and Rosselli assure that this disorder is closely related to a lack of ability to pay attention, which is linked to lesions in the brain and must be treated with some urgency. Therefore, anyone who presents symptoms such as attention fluctuations, inability to concentrate, motor difficulties should be treated urgently as they may be suffering from some pathology related to the frontal lobes; They assure that these types of symptoms also tend to occur in people who have previously suffered from craniocerebral disorders .
A brain injury or neurological disorder can be causes of attention deficit.
The diagnosis
For its part, the American Psychiatric Association assures that attention deficit can be diagnosed in patients with the following characteristics:
*They make mistakes because they cannot pay attention to details;
*They cannot keep their mind on one thing for a long time, for example in games and similar tasks;
*They appear not to be listening when someone speaks directly to them;
*They cannot finish their tasks and obligations;
*They avoid those activities that may require mental effort that they do not believe they can perform;
*Be easily distracted by stimuli that are not relevant;
*Not even being able to carry out daily activities .
With all this we can affirm that attention deficit is manifested through physiological , cognitive, motor symptoms and is extremely harmful to the good performance of a person, in their individuality and in their performance within a certain circle (family, school, work, community ).
Treatment for attention deficit
People with attention deficit should receive the help of a therapist , who must determine the causes of said behavior and establish which areas of the individual's functioning are related to this disability. To do this, a psychological examination is performed, investigating those aspects of the patient's life that may reveal the cause of the disorder. The treatment is carried out jointly between various specialists, where each one analyzes the disorder and proposes a certain way of treating it, from the area that is their responsibility.
The causes of ADHD are usually genetic , with factors that are inherited in eight out of ten cases. There are, however, certain factors that are not hereditary, such as exposing the uterus during pregnancy to nicotine.
In daily life, attention deficit usually leads to behavior that tends towards conflicts and produces problems when it comes to integration and inclusion in groups. This deficit also favors unsatisfactory academic results, depression and a greater predisposition to the consumption of addictive substances .
Being mostly biological, the symptoms of ADHD are usually treated with drugs. Dexamphetamine (part of the medication marketed as Dexedrine ), d,l-amphetamine (found in Adderall ), and methylphenidate ( Ritalin ) are some of the most commonly prescribed drugs.
Nicotine and caffeine , on the other hand, are two legally sold stimulants that people often use when they want to treat themselves.
Notably, some of the most brilliant personalities in history suffered from ADHD, such as Thomas Alva Edison , Leonardo Da Vinci , and Albert Einstein .