Concentration disorders: what are the causes of concentration and attention disorders?

In most cases, concentration disorders are not isolated, but are associated with other disorders, such as intellectual, behavioural, emotional or memory impairment. In most cases, the cause is structural or functional damage to the part of the brain responsible for these brain functions.

Sometimes attention disorders are also associated with emotional disorders. Alternatively, they may be caused by an injury or trauma to the brain or a brain tumour.

Often, attention disorders affect people with manic-depressive disorder, which is a disorder characterised by different phases. A person loses concentration and attention especially during the depressive phase, when he or she has mood disorders, is depressed and uninterested in the environment.

Even in dementia, which is a mental illness that affects memory or intellect, there are problems with concentration, especially in older people who also have reduced intelligence and behavioural changes.

In some sleep disorders, concentration is impaired due to general exhaustion and fatigue. A person is excessively sleepy, for example during sleep apnoea.

Sleep apnoea is a disorder involving brief stops in breathing during sleep, even multiple times during the night. In typical insomnia, sleep disturbances, interrupted sleep or very early awakenings can occur, causing sleeplessness, nervousness, lack of energy and resulting disturbed attention.

Certain diseases of the nervous system are also problematic, for example, mild brain dysfunction is typical in children. This is known as ADD or ADHD, and the characteristic symptom is concentration and attention disorder. ADHD is associated with hyperactivity.

Some symptoms of ADHD:

• Inability to maintain attention.
• frequent switching of activities
• restlessness
• inability to control behaviour and emotions, outward displays of anger
• inability to adapt, socialise
• inattention and distractibility even during activities, frequent accidents
• tics and muscle twitches
• bedwetting

The child is unable to concentrate on something for a long period of time, such as learning. People with chronic fatigue syndrome have similar problems with concentration, with chronic fatigue and exhaustion.

Other causes of attention deficit disorder

When blood pressure is low, people also have problems concentrating. This is due to fatigue, excessive sleepiness, muscle weakness and headaches. Cold extremities may also occur. In some cases, the cause must be sought in iron deficiency.

Concentration problems can also be of physical origin. They often occur, especially in children, when a person has head lice. This disease is known professionally as pediculosis. It is an infectious disease caused by parasites, affecting children, for example, and manifesting itself in itchy scalp and general nervousness.

Disturbances in concentration are also common with elevated hormone levels in the body, for example in hyperthyroidism. The person suffers from sleep disorders, has a racing body, has frequent mood disorders and cannot concentrate and focus. Also, in the systemic disease lupus erythematosus, which affects several organs in the body, there are disturbances in attention, learning, memory and also behavioural changes. Often the disease is accompanied by symptoms of dementia.