(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat- One-third of the cases Al Massarah Hospital receives are of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dr Muna al Shekaili, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at Al Massarah Hospital, Ministry of Health (MoH) has said.
She said that lack of awareness among teachers is a problem too. ADHD is a group of behavioural symptoms that include inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Dr Muna said, 'There is no national record for the disorder. Children with ADHD don't reach us unless they have severe behavioural problems.'
When asked about the percentage of children suffering from hyperactivity and conduct disorder, poor school performance, and behavioural disorders, she said, 'There is no official data but according to a study done by Dr Marwan al Sharbati (Sultan Qaboos University Hospital), 7.8 per cent of schoolchildren suffer from ADHD.' Regarding awareness among teachers, Dr Muna said, 'There are teachers who seek help but there are many who cannot recognise this disorder and consider the child to be naughty or misbehaving.'
She said that there is no figure as such if the number of cases is increasing or not. 'Figures among the GCC is almost same as worldwide between five and ten per cent. More males suffer from the disorder than females. The ratio is 3:1.'
Based on a study titled, ADHD Research in Arab Countries: A Systematic Review of Literature, published in 2016, there has been an increase in ADHD research in Arab countries in recent years. A total of 1,502 schoolboys from eight randomly selected schools representing the urban population of Oman were chosen.
'Prevalence of hyperactivity was 7.8 per cent and was strongly associated with conduct disorder, poor school performance, and behavioural disorders. Child's rank, number of siblings, and parental education were not significant,' Dr Sharbati had stated in the report. Dr Muna said that there is not just one reason that causes ADHD.
'Genetics has a big load on most of the cases,' she said adding that researches have shown that there is a difference in the structure of brain in ADHD cases. 'Other factors are extremely premature birth (before 34 weeks), drinking alcohol and smoking during pregnancy.'
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