ADD
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Attention deficit disorder |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Medical, Transportation & Travel |
ADD has three meanings. The most common are Attention deficit disorder (mental health & psychiatry) and Near addition (add power) (ophthalmology & ENT); it can also stand for Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.
Meanings of ADD at a glance
| # | ADD stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Attention deficit disorder | Medical › Mental Health & Psychiatry |
| 2 | Near addition (add power) | Medical › Ophthalmology & ENT |
| 3 | Addis Ababa Bole International Airport | Transportation & Travel › Airport Code |
1. Attention deficit disorder
Medical · Mental Health & Psychiatry Abbreviations
Former official name, used in DSM-III from 1980, for the condition now called ADHD. It remains common in everyday speech, usually to describe the predominantly inattentive presentation without obvious hyperactivity.
Example: Patient reports childhood ADD diagnosis in 1985; current symptoms fit ADHD, predominantly inattentive presentation.
DSM-III offered "ADD with or without hyperactivity"; the 1987 revision (DSM-III-R) renamed the condition attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and current manuals no longer list ADD. Many adults diagnosed in the 1980s and 1990s still describe themselves as having ADD. In eyeglass prescriptions ADD means the near-vision add power, an unrelated meaning.
2. Near addition (add power)
Medical · Ophthalmology & ENT Abbreviations
Extra plus power on an eyeglass prescription for reading and close work, added to the distance prescription in bifocal, progressive or reading lenses. It corrects presbyopia, the age-related loss of focusing ability that typically starts in the 40s.
Example: Progressive lenses: ADD +2.00 OU.
Add powers usually range from about +0.75 to +3.00 diopters, increasing with age until the 60s. The add is the same for both eyes in most prescriptions. In psychiatry ADD means attention deficit disorder, an entirely different meaning.
3. Addis Ababa Bole International Airport
Transportation & Travel · Airport Code Abbreviations
Hub of Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's largest airline, located in Addis Ababa. It is one of the continent's busiest transfer hubs, connecting Africa with Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Example: Ethiopian routes almost everything through ADD, so expect a connection there.
ICAO code HAAB. At about 2,330 meters elevation, it is one of the highest major international airports in the world. Ethiopian Airlines has announced plans for a much larger new airport at Bishoftu, southeast of the capital. Bole is the name of the district.
Related abbreviations
More mental health & psychiatry abbreviations
- 5150 – California Welfare and Institutions Code section 5150 (involuntary…
- ACEs – Adverse childhood experiences
- ACT – Acceptance and commitment therapy
- ADHD – Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
- AH – Auditory hallucinations
- AIMS – Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale
- AN – Anorexia nervosa
- AOT – Assisted outpatient treatment
See all 100 mental health & psychiatry abbreviations →
More ophthalmology & ENT abbreviations
- ABR – Auditory brainstem response
- ABRS – Acute bacterial rhinosinusitis
- AMD – Age-related macular degeneration
- anti-VEGF – Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor
- AOM – Acute otitis media
- AR – Allergic rhinitis
- AREDS – Age-Related Eye Disease Study
- ARMD – Age-related macular degeneration
See all 74 ophthalmology & ENT abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.