Recently I've been told that the accepted term is now ADHD, yet people still say ADD. Which is it? :S

The proper term as set up by the DSM-IV for diagnostic purposes is ADHD, and is further defined by its subtypes. ADD is not a proper documentable diagnosis, but is in general conversation referring to the inattentive type without the hyperactive component. For more information wiki is great.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention-Deficit_Hyperactivity_Disorder

In my journeys and experiences, I would have a tendency to be slightly annoyed, skeptical, and offended of the expertise and training and education of any practitioner, particulaly one who is prescribing meds, if they referred the condition as ADD. And I actually have. :D

In my journeys and experiences, I would have a tendency to be slightly annoyed, skeptical, and offended of the expertise and training and education of any practitioner, particulaly one who is prescribing meds, if they referred the condition as ADD. And I actually have. :DPeople say ADD because it is easier. People say ADD because that might be how they first learned about it and it would be a shame to dismiss an experienced, qualified practioner because of semantics. How did prescibing meds get into the discussion? :confused:

Being technically accurate (in other words, picky), it's neither of them....

It's now called AD/HD.

Being technically accurate (in other words, picky), it's neither of them....

It's now called AD/HD.I rest my case. :D

People say ADD because it is easier. People say ADD because that might be how they first learned about it and it would be a shame to dismiss an experienced, qualified practioner because of semantics. How did prescibing meds get into the discussion? :confused:I do feel very strongly that an experienced, qualified practitioner would use the proper terminology and in turn educate a patient as such, as in any other area of medical practice and expertise. Before meds are prescribed, they use the DSM-IV criteria to evaluate and determine the presence of AD/HD and the subtypes, so it is important for the practitioner to be clear to the patient on their diagnosis and treatment. This is pretty standard and important in gaining the patient's respect and confidence. So, knowing what I do know now, yes, I would dismiss a practitioner for not using the proper terminlogy if they were in the position to be diagnosing and prescribing treatment, and, as I have said, I have, and have no regrets. That is just my personal preference, and I realize this quirk may not bother others as much. In general conversation, I use ADD too. After all, this IS the ADD Forums! :D

In general conversation, I use ADD too. After all, this IS the ADD Forums! :DGood point! I totally forgot about the site name. :faint:

Techinically? Both names are attached to this site...check your address bar, then check the marquis at the top of the page :D.

Techinically? Both names are attached to this site...check your address bar, then check the marquis at the top of the page :D.Walks away muttering to herself . . . attention to details . . .

Provided that most of the members are intelligent enough (which that seems to be the case) to associate ADD, ADHD, and AD/HD with the same thing (all being methods of adding numbers together...), there should be no reason to worry about it. :)

Yeah, right. Tell that to the OCD devil on my shoulder who gets grumpy when I miss things. :eek:

its totally different conditions, I do not have the hyperactivity of ADHD, I just have a very poor concentration level.

its totally different conditions, I do not have the hyperactivity of ADHD, I just have a very poor concentration level.Actually, they have to share some symptoms in order to be under the same umbrella. Poor concentration is a symptom of several conditions including cognitive impairment. And the jury is still out re: how inattentive and hyperactive AD/HD present themselves - sort of like the differences between boys and girls with the same AD/HD.

This may just be me, but I've always used ADD as shorthand for the Inattentive sub-type.

When ADHD was first discovered, there was only one type, and that was Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Inattentiveness on its own was not discovered until later on, it was only hyperactive and combined types that were given the ADHD label.

But as time progressed, psychologists and doctors and scientists ect.. started to discover that it was possible to have inattentiveness symptoms without the hyperactive symptoms, and they gave the inattentive diagnostics the ADD label on its own.

But not too long ago they wanted to make it less complicated by putting it all into one label and that is ADHD.

ADHD sub types:

ADHD (Hyperactivity)
ADHD (Inattentiveness)
ADHD (combined)

Seems much more complicated now if you ask me.... :rolleyes:

Apologies if my information is inaccurate, its late over here, and I'm really tired, I will probably read this post tomorrow and be like wtf? :D

Fraz, it made sense to me.

I do feel very strongly that an experienced, qualified practitioner would use the proper terminology and in turn educate a patient as such, as in any other area of medical practice and expertise. Before meds are prescribed, they use the DSM-IV criteria to evaluate and determine the presence of AD/HD and the subtypes

Actually my technical diagnosis is ADHD - I had to actually look it up.

Back in the day when I got diagnosed one had ADHD with hyperactivity or ADD meaning without. There was no inattentive or combined. . . . . . sub-types only distinguished weather or not you were hyperactive as well having problems with attention.


For those who are OCD about these things here ya go just to show ya I am not talking out of my posterier aspect. . . .{I still have it. . . . ;) }


Used for the histroical presentation only. . . .

A Brief History of ADD (http://www.faithchristianmin.org/articles/history.htm)


The DSM-III, published in 1980 recognized these new developments. Perhaps the most controversial change from the DSM-II was the subdivision of the previous category of Hyperkinetic Reaction of Childhood. This resulted in the following two categories: Attention-deficit with hyperactivity (i.e., ADHD) and Attention-deficit Disorder Without Hyperactivity (ADD/WO). Thus, it became possible to diagnose a patient as experiencing an impairment of attention without his or her actually being hyperactive.


In subsequent revisions, DSM-III went on to further subdivide the category. DSM-III-R used the term "Undifferentiated Attention-deficit Disorder" (UADD) and restricted its use to disturbances in which the prominent feature is the persistence of developmentally inappropriate and marked inattention that is not a symptom of another disorder, such as Mental Retardation or Attention-Deficit Hyper-activity Disorder (ADILD), or of a disorganized and chaotic home environment. The DSM-III-R also substituted two disorders, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Undifferentiated Attention deficit Disorder (UADD), for the previous ADD terms (Goodyear & Hynd, 1992).

In the decade from 1980 to 1989, thousands of new research studies were published, making ADHD the most studied childhood psychiatric disorder of the decade, and most likely in the entire history of pediatric psychology.

Not only was ADHD the most studied of childhood disorders, it is perhaps the most labeled. DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) defines the disorder into subtypes based on the predominant symptom pattern. The syndrome that was once covered under the blanket term "Minimal Brain Damage" now has an entire menu of divisions and subtypes:

Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder Predominantly Inattentive Type;
Attention- Deficit/ Hyper-activity Disorder. Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type
Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder Combined Type.


***End Quote

~Underlining Mine~

I was diagnosed in 1993 a year before Hallowell's Driven to Distraction. Which means technically I am ADHD meaning ADD with hyperactivity = H Factor :D