Distraction of attention - what is it, reasons, how to get rid of it

Absent-mindedness is a malfunction of the nervous system. Distracted attention in adult men and women can be considered normal if it occurs occasionally. For example, at the end of a busy day at work, many people become inattentive. Chronic fatigue, lack of sleep or heavy physical activity, and somatic deterioration of well-being during a cold give a similar result.

But what to do if absent-mindedness and forgetfulness follow a person everywhere? If, due to your inattention, relationships with loved ones deteriorate, problems arise at work or in school. There is only one answer - to look for the reasons for absent-mindedness, inattention, and forgetfulness. Let's take a closer look at why absentminded attention occurs in adult women and men and how to treat it. But first, let’s define what absent-mindedness is in psychology.

What is absent-mindedness

Distraction of attention is the inability to concentrate on one thing (object, phenomenon, matter) for a long time. Simply put, these are problems with voluntary attention.

Voluntary attention is a type of attention in which a person needs to make volitional efforts to focus on something. There is also involuntary and post-voluntary attention. In the first case, we are talking about weak-willed attraction of attention: a door slammed, a dog barked, a siren screeched, etc. In the second case, we are talking about concentrating attention through volitional efforts, but to a lesser extent than with voluntary attention.

Distraction of attention is not an independent disease. As a rule, it occurs with psychopathy, asthenia, atherosclerosis, hypertension, chronic cerebrovascular insufficiency, diabetes mellitus, and hypothyroidism. In healthy people - against the background of fatigue.

In children, absent-mindedness is often combined with ADHD - attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

general characteristics

The basis of absent-mindedness is a violation of the ability to concentrate attention on certain actions or objects.
Normally, attention provides direction and concentration of mental activity. These properties are understood as a person’s ability to go deeper into an activity and distract from extraneous signals. The opposite of the state of concentration is absent-mindedness - the inability to maintain concentration on a chosen object: the topic of conversation, physical or mental work. According to the mechanism of attention disorder, several types of absent-mindedness are distinguished. The true one can be felt as drowsiness or dullness, manifested by unclear and vague perceptions, decreased intellectual functions, aimless fixation of gaze into emptiness. Imaginary absent-mindedness occurs when there is intense concentration on one object and the inability to distribute attention to others. For example, a scientist who is constantly thinking about a new theory looks absent-minded.

The student form of absent-mindedness is caused by excessive switchability and mobility of thought processes. This disorder is typical for children and is associated not with a lack of concentration, but with the inability to maintain it for a long time. The causes of senile forgetfulness are poor switching ability and insufficient concentration. Therefore, in a conversation, older people sometimes get “stuck” on one topic: they don’t develop it, talk for a long time about unimportant details, and cannot quickly start a conversation about something else.

Directed, selective and motivational inattention are considered as types of absent-mindedness. When a person deliberately ignores certain thoughts, memories, sensations, we are talking about directed inattention. Thus, a woman who has recently experienced a divorce may seem distracted when discussing the reason for the separation. Habitual inattention - ignoring daily repetitive signals: ticking clocks, barking dogs, snoring. The concept of motivationally caused inattention was introduced by S. Freud. It implies forgetfulness when visiting certain places, meeting certain people by chance.

Types of absent-minded attention

Psychologists distinguish three types of absent-minded attention:

Functional. Absent-mindedness, inattention and forgetfulness are caused by monotonous, monotonous work. In everyday life, people call this “blurred eyes.” In addition, functional absent-mindedness occurs due to somatic health problems, against the background of insomnia or restless sleep, lack of sleep, and also due to headaches. Remember your condition after a sleepless night or during a cold. I'm sure your attention span leaves much to be desired. Like all people in a similar condition.
Poetic. This is absent-mindedness due to daydreaming. It is always difficult for creative people to concentrate on one thing for a long time, especially monotonous ones. However, once they enter a state of flow, they can create for hours and even days. But we are talking specifically about creativity, about what interests them.
Minimal. This is inattention due to excessive immersion in one’s own thoughts and personal experiences. For example, have you ever read a few paragraphs or a whole page of a book, and then caught yourself thinking that you didn’t understand anything because you were thinking about something else? Or has it ever happened that while communicating with someone you said: “Sorry, I overheard you and got lost in thought”? These are all examples of minimal distraction.

Separately, it is worth noting that absent-minded attention can be normal and pathological. The first includes forgetfulness due to fatigue. The second is inattention and forgetfulness, which have medical grounds. We'll talk more about the causes of concentration problems below.

Causes of Memory Loss

Certain injuries and pathologies of the brain - these include, for example, cancer, traumatic brain injury, stroke;
Disruption of certain systems of the human body;
Negative factors - sleep problems, stress, lifestyle changes, increased brain load, incl. for memory;
Addictions – alcohol, nicotine, drugs, systematic use of sedatives;
Age-related changes that reduce memory function.

Manifestations of absent-minded attention syndrome

We have already examined the general specifics of the manifestations of absent-minded attention syndrome. However, in practice there are different manifestations:

insufficient concentration – problems with remembering what you see or hear;
rigidity – inhibition of attention, problems with switching attention from one object (phenomenon) to another;
unstable attention - involuntary and very rapid jumping from one subject to another, forgetfulness.

The first type often occurs against the background of fatigue, anxiety or lack of sleep. The second is for hypomania and epilepsy. The third is for ADHD.

Interesting! Scientists distinguish a special type of memory. People of science tend to forget everything that does not relate to their professional activities. The same effect is noticeable in some other professions.

Causes of forgetfulness

The most common cause is lack of sleep and overexertion. For normal rest, 7-8 hours of sleep are required; in order not to overexert yourself during the day, it is recommended to alternate brain and physical activity. But most young people do not sleep enough, having worked 8-9 hours in front of the computer, after work they sit down at the computer at home. Excessive stress greatly impairs memory. Due to stress, the brain works too actively and quickly loses vitamins and microelements. Moreover, excessive energy expenditure affects not only the brain, but the entire body. By not receiving enough nutrients, the brain depletes its resources. As a result, the ability to both memorize and concentrate, logic, and reproduce information deteriorates. Poor nutrition is a rarer cause, but with a poor lifestyle, such a cause is possible. Common causes include insufficient water consumption, weight loss diets, and consumption of high-calorie foods instead of healthy vegetables and fruits. Consumption of alcohol, drugs and smoking contributes to forgetfulness.

Causes

Causes of absent-minded attention in adults:

Exhaustion and overwork. Hard work without rest, weekends and holidays can lead to this. Particularly vulnerable are people whose profession involves intellectual work, for example, teachers, writers.
Reluctance to do something. In some cases, forgetfulness is an attempt by the brain to protect us from unpleasant information or an unpleasant task.
Working in a multitasking environment. If a person is literally torn between several jobs, tasks or completely different areas of life, then very soon his memory and attention begin to fail.
Other attention disorders, such as ADHD.
Other diseases, for example, alcoholism, drug addiction. This also includes working in hazardous industries and other intoxications of the body.
Hormonal changes. We are talking about pathologies of the thyroid gland or other problems with the production of hormones, as well as about natural hormonal changes, for example, during pregnancy in women and during adolescence in children.
Age-related changes. Many adult women and men over the age of 30 experience absent-mindedness, forgetfulness and poor memory. This may be due to a lack of intellectual activity or, conversely, to mental overload. It is also associated with bad habits and stress. As a treatment, it is recommended to reconsider your lifestyle.

Note! Distracted attention can be a consequence of intellectual, physical or psychological exhaustion.

Causes of absent-mindedness

Subjectively, absent-mindedness is experienced as a state of vagueness and vagueness of consciousness, insufficient mobility of the thought process, and inexplicable forgetfulness. The emotional-volitional component is represented by instability of interest, indifference, lack of intensity of effort, and passivity. The causes of absent-mindedness are varied - fatigue, monotony, physical illness, and some diseases.

Physiological absent-mindedness

Most people are not distracted all the time, but only at certain times - after illness, at the end of the working day, when experiencing unfavorable life events. Their forgetfulness and lack of concentration are caused by physiological factors, which are based on the depletion of the body's resources and natural fluctuations in hormonal levels. Restoration of previous attentiveness and performance occurs immediately after the cause is eliminated. The physiological basis of absent-mindedness can be:

Lack of sleep.
Lack of sleep due to insomnia or external causes is the most common cause of inattention. Sleep deficiency negatively affects brain function and provokes a slowdown in all processes - attention, memory, thinking, emotional and volitional acts. A sleep-deprived person is distracted, lethargic, and performs his usual tasks worse.
Fatigue.
The activity and focus of intellectual activity naturally decreases after a period of stress. Fatigue is essentially exhaustion. Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness appear as a result of long hours of work without rest breaks.
Monotonous work.
Monotony is a negative mental state caused by monotonous activities and lack of rest breaks. It is characterized by a decrease in the speed of mental processes and a deterioration in the ability to switch attention. Develops long before true fatigue.
Pregnancy, menopause.
The periods of pregnancy and menopause are accompanied by hormonal imbalance. An excess or deficiency of hormones leads to changes in the functioning of the brain. This affects the emotional sphere and performance: women become impressionable, irritable, and forgetful.
The period after illness.
Serious illnesses deplete the body and remove a person from their usual social environment. Therefore, after an acute period, it takes some time to restore strength and adapt to a normal daily routine and stress. Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness usually resolve within 1-2 weeks, and a return to previous levels of activity indicates complete recovery.
Intoxication.
The state of intoxication (intoxication) develops as a result of taking alcohol and drugs. The psychoactive effect of substances is manifested by absent-mindedness, slowed reactions, and impaired coordination of movements. A slight decrease in concentration in combination with an elevated mood is observed at the initial stage of intoxication. As intoxication increases, speech disorders develop and orientation in space is lost.

Psychological factors of absent-mindedness

Sometimes absent-mindedness is the result of a person’s attitude to the activity being performed and surrounding objects. In interesting, personally important situations, people become collected, in unimportant, unpleasant situations - on the contrary. The inability to concentrate and maintain attention is associated with emotional and volitional qualities, personal hobbies and preferences, and general rules of mental functioning. Common psychological causes of absent-mindedness:

Preoccupation with one object.
The condition is typical for people who are very passionate about some object - another person, scientific developments, an interesting hobby. Their attention is narrowed and is not distributed to other situations and people, so when they try to distract themselves, confusion arises. Examples of such people are scientists engaged in new research, artists in periods of creative upsurge.
Intense distractions.
Concentration and stability are functions of voluntary attention. When there are many extraneous intense stimuli in a situation - noise, bright light, voices - an involuntary switching occurs. Attention becomes scattered between many objects. Therefore, for example, many find it difficult to read a book while traveling on public transport.
Limited RAM.
According to experimental psychological studies, people are able to simultaneously hold in their consciousness from 5 to 9 objects (the exact number varies from person to person). When there is more information, forgetfulness occurs because the least significant stimuli no longer attract attention.
Reluctance to perform activities.
The condition is noted when performing tasks that are perceived as uninteresting, seem meaningless, or cause personal dislike. In such cases, a person has to make great volitional efforts to organize his own purposeful activity.
Character traits.
Sometimes there is no particular reason for forgetfulness and lack of composure; these qualities are part of character. People are described as dreamy, quirky, creative, and sometimes childish. Often this is based on a lack of need or experience of purposeful, organized activity.

Absent-mindedness as a symptom of illness

Absent-mindedness is not a specific manifestation of any one disease. In neurotic-type disorders, it is largely due to changes in the emotional-volitional and motivational component: patients find it difficult to concentrate due to depression, lack of interest in what is happening, or focus on a personal problem. Patients with neurological pathologies experience a decrease in all cognitive functions: memory, intelligence, thinking, attention. The most common causes of absent-mindedness:

Neurotic disorders.
In people with depression, all cognitive processes are inhibited, they lack involvement in surrounding events, and their motivation for activity is reduced, so they look forgetful and unfocused. With anxiety disorders, patients are overly concentrated on thoughts that bother them and are unable to focus on anything else. They show confusion in everyday affairs, often make mistakes, and are slow to engage in new activities.
Schizophrenia.
With this disease, biochemical changes occur in the brain, which are manifested by changes in emotions, personal qualities, and intellectual processes. The reasons for the absent-mindedness of patients in the initial stages of the disease are a decreased need for communication and a craving for loneliness. Patients spend a long time in their fantasies and thoughts, and when communicating with others they become confused. With a long course of the schizophrenic process, a neurocognitive deficit occurs, absent-mindedness increases against the background of a general decrease in intellectual abilities.
Organic brain lesions.
This group includes a large number of pathologies that occur with dystrophic changes in nervous tissue, disruption of the functioning of neurons, and death of nerve cells. Examples: traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, vascular pathologies, brain tumors. Patients are characterized by difficulty switching from object to object, decreased performance, increased distractibility to minor, unimportant stimuli, and forgetfulness. For this reason, elderly and senile people are often absent-minded.
Endocrine diseases.
The emotional state changes with dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary system, ovaries, adrenal glands, and thyroid gland. Characterized by increased irritability and tearfulness, the appearance of depression, and rapid fatigue. The causes of absent-mindedness are an excess or lack of hormones that affect areas of the brain that are responsible for emotions, self-control, and cognitive processes.
Drug withdrawal syndrome.
Abrupt cessation of taking certain medications is accompanied by the development of withdrawal syndrome - the body’s reaction to the lack of previously received compounds with the resumption of symptoms of the disease. Absent-mindedness becomes stronger after an abrupt cessation of therapy with nootropics and sedatives. Other manifestations are headache, dizziness, lethargy, insomnia. To prevent this condition, drugs should be discontinued gradually.
Nicotine withdrawal syndrome.
After quitting smoking, during the first 2-5 days there is a sharp decrease in blood sugar levels. This process is accompanied by various ailments, the most common of which are absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, and dizziness. Poor health often becomes the reason for returning to smoking.

Symptoms

Signs of absent-mindedness:

You cannot focus on one thing for a long time. Every now and then you need to drink tea or coffee, smoke, scroll through your social network feed, chat with a friend, etc.
You constantly forget something: meetings, calls, shopping lists, agreements, some things.
You often lose things or don't remember where you last put them.
In written (printed) work, you make so-called “careless” errors. For example, you mix up letters, miss the endings of words, or copy incorrectly from the board or book.
You forget what happened last week or don't remember entire chunks of your life.
You immediately forget the names of new acquaintances or information that was told to you.

If all this haunts you every day, in every activity for a long time, then it’s worth thinking about the causes of problems with attention.

What does the doctor do?

First, the doctor will ask the patient in detail about his medical history (amnesis). A physical examination and possibly further testing may help determine the organic cause of the inattention.

Thus, the doctor can perform either a tomography (if arteriosclerosis or dementia is suspected) or conduct other studies. For example, blood tests (for example, if iron deficiency, renal failure, or hypothyroidism are suspected) or blood pressure measurements (if hypotension is suspected).

If an underlying disorder is behind the concentration disorder, it should be treated first. It usually also improves your ability to concentrate.

How to get rid of absent-mindedness

How to deal with absent-mindedness? Exercise and lifestyle changes will help. At first, in order not to forget anything important, you can use lists, alarm clocks, and visual notes. For example, you can make a to-do list in the evening and hang it above your desk. In principle, many people cannot imagine life without a diary. So this technique is suitable for everyone.

How to become more attentive? Regularly perform several exercises to improve concentration:

Watch your fingers. Keeping your back straight and your shoulders back, take a comfortable position on a chair or armchair. Raise your right arm to shoulder level and move it to the side. Then turn your head to the right, concentrate your gaze on the fingers of the abducted (right) hand. After a minute, do the same with your left hand and turn your head to the left.
We follow the arrow. Watch the movement of the second hand for five minutes. Don't look away and don't get lost in your thoughts. Think only about the arrow and its movement. If you get lost, start over.
We draw a line. Take a pen and paper. Start drawing a straight line, don’t get distracted, think only about this process. If you find yourself distracted, make a small note and continue to draw a straight line. A good result is considered if you can draw a line for 2-3 minutes without being distracted by anything. This exercise helps not only to increase concentration, but also to track the dynamics of training. If the trend is positive, you will see that there are fewer and fewer nicks each time. You can also use this exercise to check your initial level of concentration.

At the same time, do not forget to train your memory:

We repeat the row. Place several objects in a row in front of you. Look at them for 30-60 seconds. Turn away or close your eyes and recreate the order in which things are located. You can arrange objects not in a row, but, for example, in a square.
We study the details. Look at an object for a minute. Then close your eyes and try to describe in detail what you saw. Open your eyes and compare. You can complicate the task: remember and describe several objects at once.
Let's repeat the day. Before going to bed, try to remember the faces and voices of all the people you interacted with. And also remember all the events of the past day.

And, of course, it’s useful to memorize poetry, read, and solve crosswords. All this trains the memory and prevents the brain from relaxing.

If we are talking about functional absent-mindedness, then it is enough to get a good rest. Perhaps you should take a vacation or change jobs.

If absent-mindedness is caused by mental disorders or physical illnesses, then medical treatment is indicated. It is aimed at the root cause, and not at the absent-mindedness itself.

If absent-mindedness, poor memory, weakened concentration and forgetfulness are associated with organic lesions, somatic diseases, hormonal disorders, then medical treatment is indicated. Only a psychologist can identify the exact cause of cognitive problems and select the optimal treatment.

Diagnostics

Only a doctor can tell you what to do and how to cope with absent-mindedness in a given case, after examination and clarification of the etiological factor and the full clinical picture. In this case, you may need to consult clinicians with the following specialization:

neurologist;
psychotherapist;
child psychologist;
neurosurgeon.

The diagnostic program includes the following activities:

physical examination;
neuropsychological testing;
blood sampling for biochemical analysis;
CT, MRI of the brain;
electroencephalography;
Doppler examination of the vessels of the head;
genetic research.

Based on the results of the study, the attending physician will be able to determine how to deal with absent-mindedness and prescribe effective treatment.

Prevention

To prevent absent-mindedness and forgetfulness, live by the following rules:

Adjust your sleep schedule. An adult needs to sleep at least 7 hours, and it is important to go to bed and get up at the same time. You cannot leave the regime even on a day off. Make healthy sleep your habit, watch it.
Get plenty of rest. Alternate physical and intellectual work, take short breaks during the working day and set aside an hour for lunch. It is recommended to take a 15-minute break every 45 minutes of work.
Play sports. Regular exercise helps maintain normal hormonal levels, blood circulation and oxygen exchange. In addition, physical activity helps relieve psychological stress and improves mood.
Take a walk. It is especially useful to walk in the morning and before bed. You can combine sports and walking. For example, you can quickly walk a couple of stops to work. Try to avoid transport and walk as often as possible.
Develop awareness. This means that you need to live everything according to the “here and now” principle, give up autopilot, live everything at the level of thoughts, feelings and body. Make it a rule to do small workouts: hold a toothbrush or spoon in your left hand rather than your right, pronounce and constantly change your route to work, etc.
Plan. It's time to turn to schedules, lists and charts. Do not take on several tasks at once, do not accumulate unfinished tasks. Use the Eisenhower Matrix to understand your affairs and tasks.

Interesting! If you suspect that forgetfulness is your defense mechanism, then analyze when it happens. Perhaps it's time for you to give up something, change your priorities and goals in life.

Treatment methods

We'll tell you what to do if your child has distracted attention. There are several correction methods. First of all, you need to remember about an integrated approach: one thing is not enough; you may need both drug therapy and sessions with a psychologist.

Proper nutrition and adherence to a convenient training regimen play an important role. At this time, a lot depends on both parents. Not only the mother, but also the father should participate in the fate of the child. They must create a daily routine for their child and always find time for him. This is the only way to raise a completely healthy child.

Medication method

Medicines are not always prescribed, only if serious attention problems have been identified in the child, worsening his quality of life and preventing him from socially adapting to the team.

Under no circumstances should you prescribe medications for your child on your own, even if there are many laudatory reviews about them. The medicine should only be prescribed by the attending physician!

Taking some sedatives may be indicated to reduce children's nervous excitability. In childhood, potent drugs are contraindicated, therefore, along with sedatives, they may prescribe tablets aimed at improving brain activity, for example, Glycine (an alternative is Biotredin), or improving blood supply to the brain (Phenibut).

Schedule

If a child suffers from lack of attention syndrome, then a clear daily routine is indispensable. Parents must demand that their children comply with it. This is the only way to instill discipline, which is sometimes absent even in healthy children.

The daily routine should be compiled and printed, hanging in a place convenient for the child, for example, above a desk or bed. Be sure to leave a few hours of free time so that the child can do what interests him.

Here is an example of a daily routine, you can change it according to your preferences:

Time	Action
07:00 — 07:05	The child wakes up
07:05 — 07:20	Exercise, hygiene
07:20 — 07:35	Breakfast
07:35 — 08:00	Getting ready for school
08:00 — 08:30	Road to school
08:30 — 13:05	Lessons
13:05 — 13:30	Way home
13:30 — 13:40	Changing clothes, hygiene
13:40 — 14:00	Dinner
14:00 — 16:00	Free time, sections
16:00 — 18:00	Doing homework
18:00 — 18:30	Dinner
18:30 — 20:00	Free time
20:00 — 21:00	Preparation for sleep
21:00 — 07:00	Night sleep

If poor attention and excessive activity interfere with studying in a regular school and communicating normally with his peers, then it may make sense to transfer him to an institution where he is taught according to an adapted program, or switch to home schooling. To make such a decision, you need to consult with different specialists to hear several opinions.

Classes with a psychologist

This stage should not be neglected - it is mandatory. A psychologist will help you get rid of excessive emotionality and impulsiveness. The child will become calmer, behave better, be able to adapt better in a given situation, and will try to concentrate in classes.

Usually classes with children are carried out in a playful way. The psychologist models certain situations and closely monitors the child’s behavior. If necessary, gives advice on what to do in a specific situation.

Psychologists also use a variety of relaxing techniques that will help the child get rid of accumulated tension. Therefore, psychological training is very important for attention disorders.

Parental control

Parents should take an active part in the treatment process. A child with an attention disorder requires special upbringing, and first of all, you need to give your child more independence.

The baby must perform certain household duties. Of course, they don’t have to be very complicated; they are selected depending on the age and physical fitness of the child. You need to give him tasks that he can handle, for example, washing dishes, dusting, or putting away toys.

At first, the child may not succeed in everything; you should not actively help him. He must learn to be persistent when trying to complete tasks on his own. Don’t forget about rewards; you need to praise your child for successfully completing a particular task.

You can resort to sports by sending your child to some section or working out with him yourself. Sport helps to waste excess energy for health benefits, and also teaches self-organization and discipline.

Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness in children are the main signs of ADHD

Often, absent-mindedness and forgetfulness in children and very young people are characterized by an inability to control themselves. A child’s attention depends on many psychological processes that occur in the body. At the very beginning of his journey, he needs motivation and control from his parents.

Causes and symptoms

Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness in young children can be provoked by seemingly harmless factors and reasons:

various preservatives, flavorings, and other food additives that are found in large quantities in modern delicacies;
medications that are derivatives of salicylic acid;
if there is an increased craving for sweets;
problems with carbohydrate metabolism;
the occurrence of allergic reactions to food;
if there is a lack of necessary chemical components for the child’s body, especially iron and magnesium;
if there is an increased level of heavy metal - lead in the blood. Its excess can lead to severe pathologies of the central nervous system and mental retardation.

If a child develops ADHD, he or she may exhibit the following symptoms:

a state of hyperexcitability, restlessness, constant fuss;
often switches from one activity to another, while not completing the previous task;
the child cannot concentrate himself on one specific task;
he has poor memory, jerky movements, absent-mindedness and forgetfulness.

In addition to these symptoms, you should pay attention to other signs:

the child cannot concentrate on a specific task and is constantly distracted from it;
often loses or forgets his school supplies, things, toys;
constantly refuses to perform certain work, during which concentration and perseverance are required;
problems with academic performance due to the fact that the child cannot complete even simple tasks;
slowness;
is in constant daydreaming;
does not listen to instructions;
can quickly switch to another task without fully completing the previous one.

Goals and methods of diagnosis

The primary stage of diagnosis for attention disorders and absent-mindedness includes the following examinations:

Examination by a neurologist . During the examination, the doctor should assess the state of fine motor skills, as well as identify neuralgic symptoms.
Conducting a survey with filling out a diagnostic card.
Conducting neuropsychological testing . During this examination, the level of attention, intellectual abilities, performance on a long task and other conditions are assessed.

In addition, instrumental examinations are carried out and laboratory tests are taken:

biochemical blood test , which determines the level of sugar, trace elements - iron, magnesium and lead, and studies dopamine metabolism;
genetic tests;
conducting ultrasound of the blood vessels of the head with Doppler ;
electroencephalography (EEG, video-EEG) using evoked potentials (EP) methods;
carrying out magnetic resonance imaging .

Set of measures

Treatment for ADHD and related disorders should be comprehensive and should consist of the following steps:

behavior correction techniques;
psychotherapeutic methods;
neuropsychological correction.

Correcting absent-mindedness in a child can be done with the help of activities that are aimed at improving concentration. During these classes, various puzzles and logical problems are solved. All activities must be clearly distributed throughout the day, and the main time must be allocated for physical activity and rest. However, if this treatment does not work, other types of treatment may be used.

The main medications that help combat absent-mindedness, forgetfulness and inattention in a child are psychostimulants, which should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor:

Glycine . This remedy increases performance, improves mental activity, and has a beneficial effect on the central nervous system. Take 1 tablet under the tongue per day.
Piracetam . Improves mental activity. Take 30-50 mg per day.
Biotredin . Has a positive effect on cognitive functions. Increases alertness and improves memory. The dose of the drug is 2 mcg per 1 kilogram of body weight, taken for 3-10 days.
Phenibut . Improves blood circulation in the brain, improves mental activity and memory properties. The dosage is up to 250 mg per day.

All drugs have contraindications and side effects, so be sure to read the instructions for use before use.

During physiotherapeutic treatment the following procedures are performed:

laser therapy, the full course consists of 7-10 procedures, during each of which 3-5 zones of the body are irradiated;
DMV therapy, it consists of 8-10 procedures;
inhalation procedures 5-10;
UV treatment of the nasopharynx, the full course consists of 3-5 procedures;
a course of magnetic therapy, which consists of 8-10 procedures.

How to develop attentiveness will be useful for both children and adults: