Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is characterized by neurological impairments in human behavior that begin in childhood. The disease often manifests itself at the age of seven years or with the start of regular schooling or preparatory group. ADHD is characterized by inattention and high distractibility of the child in almost any activity, excessive physical activity, impulsive behavior, and problems in social communication. There are forms with a predominance of hyperactivity, inattention, impulsivity, or combined. ADHD is a medical diagnosis that a neurologist or psychiatrist can make after a detailed examination of the child, questioning, and parents consultation.
Scientists have studied the syndrome for more than twenty years. According to studies, 4 to 12% of school-age children have ADHD (Mohr-Jensen et al., 2019). The disease is the most common cause of school failure and communication difficulties. Suppose by adulthood; a person still learns to restrain his excessive activity. In that case, absent-mindedness, impulsivity, and difficulty concentrating without timely therapy remain with the patient forever and significantly affect his life. In recent years, significant progress has been made in studying one of the most relevant problems of neuropediatrics – attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. Children with Attention Deficit Disorder have average or high intelligence but do poorly in school. In addition to learning difficulties, attention deficit disorder is manifested by motor hyperactivity, attention defects, distractibility, impulsive behavior, and problems in relationships with others. It should be noted that attention deficit disorder is observed in both children and adults.
Most researchers suggest the genetic nature of the syndrome. Families of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder often have close relatives who had similar conditions at school age. To identify hereditary burdens, a long and detailed question is necessary since the difficulties of learning at school by adults are consciously or unconsciously “amnesiac.” Pedigrees of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder also often show a burden of obsessive-compulsive disorder (obsessive thoughts and compulsive rituals), tics, and Gilles de la Tourette’s syndrome. Probably, there is a genetically determined relationship between neurotransmitter disorders in the brain in these pathological conditions.
The child is hyperactive if he makes fidgety movements with his arms and legs, often jumps up from his seat, and is hypermobile in situations where hypermobility is unacceptable. The child has an attention deficit if he ignores details and makes mistakes in work; with difficulty maintaining attention in position and play; he does not listen to what is said to him and cannot follow instructions. Symptoms in adults are the inability to focus on details and inattention errors. Moreover, ADHD in adulthood is characterized by an inability to persevere and long concentration, and active resistance to involvement in the performance of tasks.
The system of treatment and observation of children with attention deficit is not developed enough due to the ambiguity of the pathogenesis of the disease. There are non-drug and drug methods of correction. Non-drug correction includes behavior modification, psychotherapy, and pedagogical and neuropsychological correction forms. The child is recommended a gentle training regime – the minimum number of children in the class, and a shorter duration of courses.
Drug therapy for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is appropriate if non-drug methods of correction are ineffective. Psychostimulants, tricyclic antidepressants, tranquilizers, and nootropic drugs are used. In international pediatric neurological practice, the effectiveness of two drugs has been empirically established – the antidepressant amitriptyline and Ritalin, which belong to the amphetamine group. Thus, medical therapy is undesirable and occurs in the absence of visible improvements with behavior modification.
A constant and clear correlation between disease and crime is not detected. However, ADHD is associated with increased recidivism among offenders and behavioral problems that require a prompt diagnosis. Timely treatment and stabilization of the condition can have a successful outcome in the recurrence of crimes. ADHD is associated with several indicators of criminal activity, including petty offenses, which people with the condition most commonly commit. People with this diagnosis often neglect the road rules significantly when speeding. Additionally, people with ADHD commit crimes that are punishable by imprisonment. Thus, people with ADHD are more likely to steal other people’s property and openly carry firearms. People with this condition are most often convicted of drug possession and high levels of aggression.
Since the impulsivity that occurs in children at an early age can persist into adulthood, it impairs a person’s ability to regulate and control their behavior. Analyzes show that men with childhood ADHD are arrested, convicted, and imprisoned more often than people without the condition. Research shows that impaired self-control is correlated with criminal behavior that leads to dire consequences (Shug & Fradella, 2015). When reviewing other factors that may lead to criminal behavior, including gender, ethnicity, social status, and education, ADHD and its association with crime dominate. Such statistics may also correlate with the expectations of economic models of crime. People with ADHD have lower expectations from the labor market, which leads to a greater likelihood of committing crimes.
Moreover, the correlation of abuse with ADHD depends on the symptomatology of each case. Individuals with impulsive symptoms of the disease show the highest level of criminal activity than other groups with ADHD (Schoepfer et al., 2019). Thus, it can be concluded that the whimsical nature of the illness induces a person to commit criminal acts (Schoepfer et al., 2019). At the same time, high illegal activity is not observed among people with a combined type of disorder. Even though the connection between the disease and crimes is increasingly recognized in court and during interrogations, ADHD suspects are not always vulnerable (Young et al., 2018). As a result, they are not afforded the necessary protection in court. Thus, when a detainee is observed to have symptoms of a disease, the suspect needs a full screening of the illness.
Thus, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder disappears by 12-13, even without treatment, but another pathology appears. The hyperactive child has already learned to treat society the way society treated him, that is, to reject him. His behavior becomes asocial: a tendency to destruction, lies, theft, arson, and running away from home is manifested. The will is not formed, so the teenager quickly falls under the influence of more muscular and strong-willed guys. And since he is trusting, simple-hearted, suggestible, and unable to separate the main from the secondary, the authority under whose influence he fell is often asocial. Such teenagers easily fall into criminal structures and have problems with the law.
Many of them become drug addicts, become addicted to alcohol, and commit crimes. Therefore, children who have ADHD in childhood need more parental control than healthy peers in adolescence. On the other hand, the child should feel loved, so negativity cannot prevail in communication with him. In addition, it is essential to find him some exciting activities. The causes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are not fully understood. Still, they are mainly distinguished by genetic predisposition, gene mutation, social status of the family, neuropsychological disorders, and alcoholism of the mother, disorders in the prenatal period.
References
Mohr-Jensen, C., Bisgaard, C. M., Boldsen, S. K., & Steinhausen, H. C. (2019). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in childhood and adolescence and the risk of crime in young adulthood in a Danish nationwide study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 58(4), 443-452. Web.
Schoepfer, A., Reitzel, J. D., & Norris, A. (2019). Low self-control and ADHD: Similar yet different concepts in the study of crime. Journal of Crime and Justice, 42(3), 288-299. Web.
Shug, R. A. & Fradella, H. F. (2015). Mental illness and crime. SAGE Publication Inc.
Young, S., Gudjonsson, G., Chitsabesan, P., Colley, B., Farrag, E., Forrester, A.,… & Asherson, P. (2018). Identification and treatment of offenders with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the prison population: A practical approach based upon expert consensus. Bmc Psychiatry, 18(1), 1-16. Web.