When it comes to understanding the difference between ADD and ADHD, things aren’t really as complicated as they may seem. While much confusion continues to abound on this issue, the fundamental difference lies in the terms themselves. In fact, Attention Deficit Disorder is now considered to be an expired term in the medical community. Whereas ADD used to be the official diagnosis of primary symptoms like inattentiveness and distractibility, the label ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is now used as the primary term to describe this attention disorder. Now, let’s take a deeper look at this issue to see what else defines the difference between ADD and ADHD.
The Main Difference Between ADD and ADHD
In general terms, ADD can be considered a subtype of ADHD. To put it simply, ADD is merely ADHD without the added hyperactivity. Today, ADHD is diagnosed based on three primary symptoms. These symptoms are inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity. Naturally, some children, teens and adults may experience one of these symptoms to a greater degree than the others or he or she may experience all three of them fairly equally. So, just because a certain individual may not exhibit signs of hyperactivity, that does not necessarily indicate that they do not have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. So, to put it in a nutshell, ADD is basically a term used to describe an individual that has ADHD but does not experience symptoms of hyperactivity or heavy impulsivity. In essence, this is the main difference between ADD and ADHD.
The Difference Between ADD and ADHD: Final Notes
Today, ADHD is the official term used by the American Psychiatric Association to label the primary symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, there are actually three subtypes of ADHD. The first subtype is ADHD with a notable hyperactive and impulsive type. This subtype covers individuals who experience heavy symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity. Constant feelings of being unable to sit still, speaking out at inopportune times, and always being on the move are common in this ADHD subtype.
The second ADHD subtype is the ADHD with notable inattention subtype. Symptoms experienced by individuals with this subtype typically involve heavy periods of inattention without much impulsivity or hyperactivity. In fact, this subtype is closest to what used to be called ADD, which is simply inattention without the other two main symptoms of ADHD. Finally, the third subtype of ADHD is known as ADHD with a semi-balanced combination of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. Today, this subtype is simply known as combined type ADHD.
As you can see, the main difference between ADD and ADHD lies in the fact that ADD is no longer an official term being used by the medical community. However, in a general sense, the term ADD does still do a good job of describing the ADHD inattentive subtype. Over time, this issue should begin to resolve itself as more and more people recognize ADHD as the primary term for the disorder hallmarked by symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. Hopefully, the difference between ADD and ADHD is now clear to you as well.