Hyperactivity has long been part of the human condition.Sir Alexander Crichton describes "mental restlessness"in his book An Inquiry Into the Nature and Origin of Mental Derangement written in 1978. Then again in 1846, the typical
symptoms of ADHD were recorded and
described in "The Story of Fidgety Phillip",
by Henirch Hoffman. Although pervasive,
the medical field did not begin to
take attention disorders seriously
until it was officially described in 1902.
When was ADHD finally recognized by the
American Psychological Association as a
medical diagnosis?
- 1902 First known formal description by British physician George Still
- 1910's Children characterized as highly intelligent but lacking "moral control" when displaying symptoms as ADHD
- 1922 Children survivors of encephalitis lethargica (sleepy sickness) found to be distractible and impulsive; these behaviors ascribed to neurological dysfunction
- 1930's Children with impulsivity and distractibility assumed to have had sleepy sickness
- 1937 Dr. Charles Bradley reports on the effect of stimulant medication to control behavior of children who are impulsive and distractible
- 1956 Ritalin identified as an effective medication for children who are impulsive and distractible.
- 1960's Term minimal brain dysfunction (MBD) used to describe children's hyperactivity
- 1968 Term hyperkinetic disorder of childhood (HDC) replaces MBD to describe children's hyperactivity
- 1970's Lack of focus added to identified symptoms of HDC; impulsivity extended to verbal and cognitive as well as motor domain
- 1980 Term attention deficit disorder (ADD), with or without hyperactivity, introduced by American Psychiatric Association (APA)
- 1987 Term attention deficit hyperactivity disorder replaces ADD; APA noted condition is a medical diagnosis
- 1996 Adderall approved for the treatment of ADHD
- 1999 Concerta approved for treatment of ADHD
- 1999 First report published from the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD treatment conducted at six unversity medical centers
- 2001 Focalin approved for treatment of ADHD
- 2003 Strattera, first non-stimulant ADHD medicationapproved for use
- 2009 Follow-up of children in MTA research indicates that benefits of medication and other treatments wane over time; many of the children continue to have social and academic difficulties
