Everything You Need to Know About ADHD in 10 Tweets

By Liz Neporent March 12, 2014

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

By Dr. Sharma Neha, ABC News Medical Unit

Can you recall an instance where you just couldn't focus on your work or assignment and felt distracted? Doesn't everyone feel distracted sometimes?

For patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or A.D.H.D., distraction may be long term, and may be an obstacle for success if left undiagnosed and untreated.

No one with this disorder chooses to misbehave or lose his or her train of thought. A.D.H.D. is a developmental condition of greater-than-normal inattention and distractibility, with or without accompanying hyperactivity. And it has nothing to do with intellectual ability.

A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study showed that A.D.H.D. is on the rise. The report found that an estimated 6.4 million children ages 4 through 17 have received an A.D.H.D. diagnosis at some point. That's 1 in every 10 children in the United States. And it's a 41 percent increase in the past decade.

This week's ABC Health tweet chat, moderated by ABC News chief health and medical correspondent Dr. Richard Besser, highlighted the diagnosis, treatment and management of A.D.H.D. If you missed it, here's the entire transcript. For just the highlights, see below.