Why are symptoms of attention deficit disorder increasing?

Why are symptoms of attention deficit disorder increasing?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is on the rise among adults, and researchers say smartphones could be partly to blame, according to what was published by the British “Daily Mail”.

Doctors are trying to figure out whether the steady rise in ADHD in adulthood is simply due to improved screening and diagnosis methods or environmental and behavioral factors.

The epidemic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

A study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, linked that people who use their smartphones for two or more hours a day are 10% more likely to develop attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The disorder is primarily associated with young children, with the possibility that a child can outgrow it as they grow, but the distractions created by smartphones such as social media, texting, streaming music, movies or television are creating an epidemic of ADHD among adults.

Communication media

Researchers believe that social media bombards people with constant information, causing them to take frequent breaks from their tasks to check their phones.

People who spend their free time using technology do not allow their minds to rest and focus on a single task, and common distractions can lead to adults developing shorter attention spans and becoming easily distracted.

Chicken and egg question

“For a long time, the association between ADHD and heavy online use has been a chicken-and-egg question,” said Elias Abu Jaoude, a behavioral psychiatrist at Stanford University. “Do people become heavy online consumers because they have ADHD and because... Online life suits their attention span, or do they develop ADHD as a result of excessive online consumption.”

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that can cause people to have a limited attention span, hyperactivity, or impulsivity, which can affect their daily lives, including relationships and jobs, making them less productive.

Constant distraction

More adults may be turning to ADHD due to the constant distraction posed by smartphones, researchers say, adding that people who are constantly using their devices are not allowing their brains to rest in default mode.

Acquired attention deficit

“It's legitimate to look at the possibility of learned attention deficit,” said John Ratey, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, noting that some are constantly pushed to multitask in today's society, and extensive use of technology can cause screen addiction, which can lead to screen addiction. It may lead to a shortened attention span.

Genetic and lifestyle disorder

ADHD has historically been defined as a genetic disorder that can be managed through medication and therapy. But researchers are now discovering that lifestyle changes later in life, such as excessive reliance on a smartphone, may make ADHD an acquired disorder.

Follow comments and likes

If a person is constantly scrolling through social media on his phone, during work hours he may feel the need to take frequent breaks to see if someone has commented or liked his post. This practice can become almost subconscious, leaving a person feeling distracted while working or feeling unable to concentrate, which can develop into ADHD.

366 million adults around the world

The number of adults diagnosed with ADHD worldwide jumped from 4.4% in 2003 to 6.3% in 2020. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 8.7 million adults in the United States suffer from it. Of ADHD, while nearly six million children ages 3 to 17 are diagnosed.

“This means that there are approximately 366 million adults worldwide currently living with ADHD, which is approximately Population of the United States.

Brain functions and behavior

According to the study, evidence suggests that technology affects brain function and behavior, leading to increased symptoms of ADHD, including poor emotional and social intelligence, technology addiction, social isolation, poor brain development, and sleep disturbance.

Symptoms appear after 24 months

The researchers looked at several studies dating back to 2014 that analyzed the relationship between ADHD and social media use. Teens who did not have symptoms of ADHD at the start of the studies showed that there was a “significant association between Frequent digital media use and ADHD symptoms after 24-month follow-up.

Teenage class

A separate study, conducted in 2018, focused on whether smartphones contributed to ADHD symptoms in teens over a two-year period. The results revealed that 4.6% of the 2500 high school students who said they did not use digital media had frequent symptoms of ADHD by the end of the study.

Meanwhile, 9.5% of teens who reported frequent social media use at the start of the study showed ADHD symptoms by the time the study ended.

Tips for adults

For adults who want to eliminate the unwanted side effects that come with overuse of their smartphones, they should take steps to develop a healthy relationship with their technology that includes spending less time on their phones, and setting phone timers.

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