ADHD and ADD have often been considered to be one and the same. While they are very similar in many ways, they are slightly different in both symptoms and diagnosis.
 ADD, or Attention-Deficit Disorder, is actually a form of ADHD known as ADHD-PI, or Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Predominantly Inattentive.

ADD is a common term to describe the disorder, but it is, in essence, a part of ADHD, in which only a portion of the symptoms is significantly present. One who suffers from “ADD” is actually experiencing ADHD, but only suffering from a single symptom of the disorder on a large scale.


ADHD is basically “ADD” with hyperactivity and impulsivity (among others) symptoms along with it. Because ADHD is such a prominent disorder covering several symptoms, it is often broken into sub-categories, the most common being “ADD”.