I felt a cleaving in my mind,
As if my brain had split
I tried to match it—seam by seam
But could not make them fit
The thought behind I strove to join
Onto the thought before
But sequence revelled out of sound
Like balls—upon a floor
Emily Dickenson 1864
Aims
ADD/ADHD among the general public and provide support for sufferers and their families.
Meetings: Last Thursday of each month 8:30pm in Galway City Partnership, Town Park Centre, Tuam Road, Galway.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) more commonly known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a neurobiological condition estimated to affect between 3% and 5% of the population, the majority being male. One reason for the increased interest in ADHD is the realisation that if the condition goes undetected and untreated, children are at greater risk of school failure, substance abuse, and criminal behaviour. In children, the symptons include:
- Short attention span
- Impulsive behaviour
- Inability to concentrate
- Shifting from one uncompleted task to another
- Difficulty sitting still/taking turns in games
- Doing things that are dangerous without thinking about the consequences
- Learning difficulties
- High pain threshold
- Abnormal thirst
Sufferers rarely have all traits of the condition—and depending on personality, severity will display them differently. When undiagnosed and untreated, it can lead to major problems both at home and in school, with families and society suffering the consequences.
Adults with ADD display a different range of symptoms but would suffer depression and lack of self-esteem due to a lifetime of getting it wrong. When ADD is diagnosed early in a child’s life and treated appropriately, the outcome is very positive. In Ireland, many who suffer from ADD remain untreated.
Further information, contact Rose Kavanagh, Iniscarraig, Cloon, Claregalway. Tel: (091)798266
