It is a general complaint of parents that children do not obey them. On account of this they get very much upset. Sometimes they become sad and worried. At times it also causes them despair. They have no idea of what to do and how to guide the children on the right path. The children keep on indulging in mischief, antics, tantrums, throwing and breaking things etc. They never remain quiet even for a while. They neglect their studies. What they do at home, they repeat in school as well. Teachers become upset with their doings and send complaints to the parents that their wards do not listen properly in the class, disturb the attention of other children and indulge in fighting with classmates. These daily complaints further add to the distress of parents. Searching solution of the problem, the parents quarrel among themselves, too. These quarrels further embolden the children. The helplessness of parents give them added encouragement to increase their acts of mischief. This is not an imaginary concept, but a psychological fact, which the child psychologists all over the world have proved by several experiments. According to the psychologist George A. Miller, our fast daily social routine has weaned the children away from us. The lack of sufficient emotional attention and proper care causes the children to become more and more unreceptive and unresponsive and more and more mischief gets into their activities. At times this mischief crosses the limit and shapes into a disease, which the experts in psychology have called "Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)". Experts say that earlier, this disease was found only in children of foreign countries. Its percentage in India was negligible. But now due to breaking up of joint families and both father and mother being working persons, the percentage of this disease in India has increased considerably. According to a research conducted by Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Science, 74 Lakh children in India are in the grip of this disease. Since, due to ignorance and being busy in work, parents do not happen to pay attention to it, 22 Lakh of these children grow up to become unsocial/antisocial. As a result of an extensive research survey conducted by experts of Vidyasagar Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Science (VIMHANS), these facts have come to the fore. According to the psychiatrists of this Institute these children should not simply be neglected as mischievous ones, but the activities of those in the age group of 7 to 11 years should be carefully watched with the help of their teachers and if things are found going out of control, psychiatrists should be consulted. The psychiatrists of VIMHANS say that the Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) can be of many kinds. Mild in the beginning, it may grow into Hyperactive Attention Deficit Disorder (HADD). According to the psychiatrist Dr. Nagpal of VIMHANS there are three main symptoms of HADD. The first one is lack of concentration, second is hyperactivity and the third is need of compulsion to do something. In addition to these symptoms, scattering of mind, unstable and violent behavior, inferiority complex, doing things that attract peoples attention, building castles in the air, tendency of not to stay together, very poor memory, lack of patience, behavior that troubles others, thieving tendency etc. are commonly found in the children affected by this disease. They leave out studies. Often they fail to complete even school education. They get frequent attacks of depression. At such occasions, controlling them becomes very difficult.

- courtesy Akhand Jyoti