Do you know these eight facts about ADHD?

1.     Sir Alexander Crichton, a Scottish physician, first mentioned an ADHD like disorder in 1798.  Crichton described “two possibilities of abnormal inattention.”  (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity)

Portrait of Alexander Crichton via Wikimedia Commons

2.     Half of all children with ADHD will have ADHD symptoms as adults.  (WebMD)

3.     The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , first published in 1952, did not mention ADHD until 1980.  (About Health)

By F.RdeC via Wikimedia Commons

4.     Not all children with ADHD have lots of energy.  Some children are quiet and calm, but still have problems with attention.  (Psychology Today)

5.     Stimulant medications were first used to treat hyperactivity in 1937 when an “Oregon scientist named Charles Bradley noticed that Benzedrine perked up the attention levels of several children in the special school where he worked.”  (Washington Post)

Wikipedia

6.     ADHD like behaviours were referred to as “minimal brain damage.”  (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity)

7.     Although more boys are diagnosed with ADHD than girls are, this does not mean fewer girls have the disorder.  Girls’ symptoms are often subtle in comparison to boys.  (Understood)

Brad Flickinger on Flickr

8.     Initially, Ritalin’s manufacturer marketed the drug as a type of “pep pill.”  It was used to perk up adults suffering from depression.  (Dr Matthew Smith)