Life can be a balancing act for any adult, but if you find yourself constantly late, disorganized, forgetful, and overwhelmed by your responsibilities, you may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), previously known as ADD. ADHD affects many adults, and its wide variety of frustrating symptoms can hinder everything from your relationships to your career.
adult add or adhd
Fact: Many adults struggle all their lives with unrecognized ADHD symptoms. They haven't received help because they assumed that their chronic difficulties, like depression or anxiety, were caused by other impairments that did not respond to usual treatment.
The causes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are unclear, but the condition often runs in families. There appears to be a genetic and neurobiological basis for ADHD. Usually, adults with the predominantly inattentive form of ADHD first developed it during childhood and adolescence. They were likely reprimanded in elementary or middle school, were consistently distracted and turned in incomplete work. However, because children with this form of ADHD usually aren't usually hyperactive, the disorder may have gone unrecognized until they reached adolescence or adulthood. This is especially true for girls and women with inattentive ADHD. Girls may be more quiet and passive than those who don't have the disorder, and thus don't stand out in the classroom. At times, adult women can go undiagnosed until one of their children is diagnosed with ADHD. At this point they might recognize similarities in their own behavior patterns and seek professional help.
Although there is no cure for the disorder, it can be successfully treated. There are several different approaches for treating adults, but generally some combination of medication and behavioral therapy yields the best results.
Prescription drugs that are used to treat ADHD in children usually are effective for most adults with the predominantly inattentive form of ADHD. However, the dosage and frequency of medications may have to be adjusted early during the course of treatment. It is important to match the needs of the person with ADHD with the characteristics of the drug.
Various approaches may be used to treat adults with inattention problems. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps patients identify problem behaviors and create and implement strategies to self-regulate (control your behavior, emotions and thoughts), change behavior and achieve goals. With CBT, patients identify automatic or irrational thoughts that may result in negative behavior and replace them with positive thoughts and behaviors. Acceptance Commitment Therapy is another form of therapy designed especially to empower individuals to pursue personal values and engage in behavior consistent with their values as opposed to trying to change the individual. Other programs have been developed to enhance self-management, but these are not yet widely available. Group therapy may be effective for adults with ADHD, especially for women.
ADHD is a disorder that begins in childhood and continues into adulthood. Adults who are diagnosed with ADHD experienced several symptoms of ADHD before the age of 12. As adults, they currently experience at least five persistent symptoms of inattention and/or five persistent symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity. These symptoms must be present in two or more settings (for example, home, work, or school; with friends or relatives; in other activities) and interfere with, or reduce the quality of, social, school, or work functioning.
A person may not be diagnosed with ADHD until adulthood because teachers or family did not recognize the condition at a younger age, they had a mild form of ADHD, or they managed fairly well until they experienced the demands of adulthood, especially at work. Sometimes, young adults with undiagnosed ADHD have academic problems in college because of the intense concentration needed for college courses.
It is never too late to seek a diagnosis and treatment for ADHD and any other mental health condition that may occur with it. Effective treatment can make day-to-day life easier for many adults and their families.
As with all prescriptions, individuals should disclose other medications they take when discussing potential ADHD medications with a health care provider. Medications for common adult health problems, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression, may interact with stimulants. In this case, a health care provider can suggest other medication options.
Psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy, might help an adult with ADHD become more aware of attention and concentration challenges and work on skills to improve organization and use of time in completing daily tasks. For example, they might help individuals break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Psychotherapy also can help adults with ADHD gain confidence and control impulsive and risky behaviors. Some adults also may find it helpful to get support from a professional life coach or ADHD coach who can help with different skills to improve daily functioning.
Adults with ADHD may gain social support and better coping skills by talking with family, friends, and colleagues about their diagnosis. If the people in your life are aware of your diagnosis, they will better understand your behavior. Psychotherapy for families and couples can help relationship problems and teach everyone involved about ADHD. There are also support groups for adults with ADHD.
Thought to be biological and most often genetic, ADHD takes place very early in brain development. Adults with ADHD may exhibit the same symptoms they had as children, and although hyperactivity often diminishes by adulthood, inattentiveness and impulsivity may persist.
About 50 percent of adults with ADHD also suffer from an anxiety disorder. Adult ADHD symptoms that coexist with an anxiety disorder or other disorders may significantly impair the ability to function.
Medication is a cornerstone of treatment for adults with ADHD. Research has shown that stimulants and some nonstimulants can improve the symptoms of ADHD, helping people pay attention, concentrate, and control their impulses.
ADHD does not begin in adulthood, but it can be newly diagnosed in adults. To be diagnosed with ADHD, some of the symptoms must have been experienced before the person turned 12 years old. However, they may have gone unnoticed or undiagnosed until adulthood, so some people don't learn they have ADHD until they're adults.
Symptoms of ADD or ADHD must be present during childhood in order to make a diagnosis. However, if an individual has mild illness or is of high intelligence, they may be able to compensate for their symptoms until their school, work or life demands pass a certain threshold (such as starting college, graduate school, having a child, or a new job). Thus, individuals do not develop the illness as an adult, but rather their symptoms become problematic as an adult.
Difficulty with focus can be the result of non-psychiatric medications, medical illness, the onset of a mood or anxiety disorder, alcohol or illicit substance use, stress, diet or difficult life circumstances. Often individuals assume that they have adult ADD or adult ADHD (when in-reality, the root of their symptoms lies elsewhere). On the contrary, individuals often fail to recognize that they have a treatable medical illness (adult ADHD) if they were not diagnosed as a child. Proper diagnosis and psychiatric treatment requires a full medical and psychiatric workup (often including laboratory studies).
Best treatment for adult ADHD should be tailored to the individual and can consist of therapy, psychiatric medication management and/or behavioral modification. It is vital that the physician or mental health provider take into consideration life stressors that could be affecting concentration, behaviors that could be improved to increase productivity, any history of substance abuse or dependence (as some medications should be avoided or used with caution) and the possibility of a new onset mood or anxiety disorder when making a diagnosis and starting treatment.
A recent government report shows that up to 11 percent of children aged 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives. Boys are nearly three times more likely to have been diagnosed with ADHD (13.2 percent) than girls (5.6 percent). In adults, the rate is about 4 percent or 8-10 million adults, but experts caution that since adults who were not diagnosed in childhood are more likely to remain undiagnosed, the true prevalence of adult ADHD may be significantly higher than reported.
Attention Deficit Disorder can be a very serious disability. Almost 35% of children left untreated are held back one or more years in school and a high percentage will develop serious drug/or alcohol problems. Arrests for juvenile delinquency are common. For adults, moving up the career ladder is much more difficult and relationships are more problematic. Those with ADD frequently have low self-esteem and often lead unsatisfying lives. Unfortunately, many with ADD are never diagnosed and of those that are very few receive the type of comprehensive treatment that research has found to be most effective
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that encompasses symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. These symptoms interfere with functioning at school, at work, and in social situations. ADHD is a chronic condition that persists into adulthood for a majority of people, but mindful symptom management can greatly improve quality of life for people with ADHD.
Many ADHD symptoms are similar to symptoms of sleep deprivation. Among others, adult ADHD sleep problems can lead to forgetfulness and difficulty concentrating during the day. In children, fatigue may present through hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. It can be difficult to tell whether these issues are brought on by ADHD or by a lack of sleep. This may lead to misdiagnoses or may allow sleep disorders to go undetected. Therefore, experts generally recommend screening patients for sleep problems before prescribing medication for ADHD. 2ff7e9595c
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