ADHD is well-known by the general public. Sometimes we easily think that someone has ADHD if he/she finds it difficult to sit still, but what are the specific symptoms of ADHD? A less well-known type of ADHD is ADD, which has the same symptoms as ADHD, but lacks the hyperactivity. In this article, we describe the ADHD characteristics and what possible types of treatment there are.

ADHD characteristics: what are the characteristics of ADHD?

The main characteristics of ADHD is the hyperactivity. Children and youths with ADHD have a lot of difficulties when it comes to sitting still or concentrating on one thing for a long period of time. Oftentimes, children want to play with something, and are tired of it already after 5 minutes. Their favorite subject, in most of these children, is physical education, because they can enjoy themselves. School is often difficult for them, because they have to sit still the whole time, and constantly concentrate. If you have children with ADHD, you often also need to guide them when it comes to doing their homework, because they find it difficult to constantly focus on this. The concentration problem and the hyperactivity are the main characteristics of ADHD, but these children or youths also often have issues with impulse control. This means that, when they want something, they do not want to wait for it and they want it right away. They also sometimes find it difficult to express emotions and sometimes to understand them.

ADHD characteristics: what can worsen the ADHD characteristics?

Stress can worsen ADHD characteristics. It namely is so that stress causes a physical reaction, which makes it difficult to sit still. Stress also makes it so that we find it more difficult to focus. Stress is thus something which is best to avoid if you have ADHD, because it will cause your symptoms to become even worse.

ADHD characteristics: treatment

If you have ADHD and stress, it is important to deal with this stress. 15 Minutes 4 Me developed an online self-help program which helps you in dealing with stress, depression, or anxiety. If you treat your stress, it can be so that your ADHD characteristics reduce or become less severe.

ADHD characteristics: take the stress test!

To discover if your stress influences your ADHD characteristics, you can always take the free stress test. This test will namely tell you to what extent stress might influence your ADHD characteristics. After filling out the test, you will receive your personal score right away.