Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one such disorder The most common Pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders, usually diagnosed in children. But ADHD tends to be underdiagnosed slim And People of colorwhich may lead to some people reaching adulthood before they realize they may have the condition.
Busy Phillips is one of them. The actress recently revealed that she was diagnosed with ADHD after she went to a doctor's appointment for her daughter. “My eldest daughter was having some problems at school and we took her in for an evaluation. And literally in the evaluation, my ex-husband, Mark, We would look at each other because every time the doctor would ask Birdie and talk about, I would say, “But that's me.” “This is what I have,” the 44-year-old said. Us Weekly.
Phillips said she felt like “there was something wrong” with her before her diagnosis, only to learn that the challenges she had with completing tasks and scheduling were likely due to ADHD. “There are ways to deal with it, and there are medications. It changed my life,” she said.
Phillips is not the only person who has gone through this. Over the past few years, “there has been a significant increase in the number of people seeking an ADHD diagnosis,” he says Justin A. barterian, Ph.D., psychologist and assistant professor at The Ohio State University – Wexner Medical Center. “There currently appears to be less stigma surrounding ADHD and other mental health disorders in our culture today, prompting some individuals who meet criteria for ADHD to seek a diagnosis for the first time,” he adds.
But Barterian says there are also “misleading” social media and influencer accounts that “misrepresent” the symptoms of the condition, “leading many to believe they have the disorder when they don’t meet the full criteria.”
All of this has raised a lot of questions about ADHD in adults, along with how it's diagnosed. The specialists who treat these patients break it down.
How does ADHD differ in adults from children?
ADHD is the same condition in children and adults, but it can present differently in adults, he says joshua m. langberg, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist at Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and director Social Emotional Wellness Center for Youth.
“Childhood ADHD is often characterized by high levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity,” he says. “In contrast, ADHD in adulthood is defined primarily by difficulties with inattention, concentration, organization, and time management.”
While hyperactivity is more noticeable in children who suffer from it, it tends to create internal feelings of anxiety in adults, Langberg says. “Although symptoms of ADHD may not be as visible to others in adulthood, they are no less important and vulnerable,” he says. “Difficulties with sustained attention, attention to detail, organization, and planning can lead to significant problems in postsecondary educational attainment, occupational performance, and relationships.”
Symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder In adults
People with ADHD have a pattern of experiencing certain symptoms. These include inattention, which means having difficulty paying attention; Hyperactivity, or having too much energy. Impulsivity, which is acting without thinking or having trouble with self-control Dr. James McGoughprofessor of clinical psychiatry and co-director of the ADHD Clinic at UCLA.
People with ADHD may experience mostly symptoms of inattention or mostly symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity, while some have both types of symptoms. National Institute of Mental Health Nimah says.
People with unnoticed ADHD may have difficulty performing these tasks, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):
- Extreme attention to detail
- Taking care of long tasks, such as preparing reports, filling out forms, or reviewing long papers
- Listen closely when speaking to him directly
- Follow instructions and complete duties at work
- Organizing tasks and activities
- time management
- Performing tasks that require constant attention
They may also lose things like keys, wallets, and phones, get easily distracted, and forget things like paying bills, keeping appointments, or answering calls.
People with hyperactivity and inactivity may experience these symptoms, according to the NIMH:
- Severe insomnia and difficulty sitting for long periods of time
- Fidgeting, tapping hands or feet, or swaying in the seat
- – He finds it difficult to do quiet leisure activities
- Talking excessively
- Answer questions before they are fully asked
- Having trouble waiting in line
- Interrupting others
but Hilary AmmonPsyD, clinical psychologist at Center for Women's Anxiety and Emotional WellnessHe confirms that all adults suffer from some of these symptoms here and there. “Every now and then, it may be difficult to accomplish everything you want to achieve, or you may find yourself forgetful,” she says. “It may not be ADHD, but instead, you may have too much to do at once, causing forgetfulness or mistakes.”
People with ADHD often have a chronic history of running down to-do lists, with little success in getting the list done, constantly choosing fun over boring tasks, having actual consequences for mistakes or not completing tasks, or procrastinating on tasks that seem ” “Too much” Ammon says: “large” or “overwhelming”.
But if you suddenly start experiencing symptoms of ADHD, it's unlikely to be due to the disorder, McGough says. “You can't get to 50 as a partner in a law firm and suddenly develop ADHD,” he says. “That would be hard to believe.”
How is ADHD diagnosed in adults?
A diagnosis of ADHD in adults usually begins with someone realizing they have the disorder, McGough says. “Some people who are smarter or have a family with more resources may make it to or out of college without realizing something is going on,” he says. But suddenly facing more challenging life situations can highlight these issues.
“I've had people start medical school or law school who were smart or had enough support in the past that this had never been an issue before,” McGough says.
He says doctors usually ask a lot of questions during the initial meeting Dr. A.S. Shazia Savul, a psychiatrist at Penn Medicine. “We ask them what is currently happening and what difficulty they are facing,” she says. People with ADHD tend to have problems in many areas of life — work, academics, relationships — and hearing how things are going in those areas can be helpful for doctors, she says.
But doctors will also want to know about your past. “We will also ask whether they had these problems while growing up, and whether they had similar symptoms in elementary or middle school,” Savol says.
Savol points out that factors like major depression or severe anxiety can also mimic ADHD symptoms, making it important to rule them out as well. “People who smoke marijuana will often start to have symptoms very similar to ADHD as well,” Savol says. “We have to take these things into consideration.”
While your doctor may ask you to fill out questionnaires, you should also expect an in-person or virtual meeting that lasts a few hours, Langberg says. “The doctor's primary job is to determine why symptoms of inattention are concerned and whether they can best be attributed to ADHD, anxiety, depression, sleep, stress, changes in context, etc.,” he says. “There is a diagnostic manual that doctors use, and in order to meet criteria for ADHD, specific, well-defined symptom thresholds must be met currently and in childhood.”
Langberg stresses that there is no single test for ADHD. “If someone tells you that they can check your blood type, your brain waves, or your performance on a computer task and use that information alone to diagnose ADHD, they are not following recommended procedures or best practices and are not acting ethically.” ,” He says.
What is the treatment for ADHD in adults?
Treatment for ADHD in adults is similar for children and adults, Barterian says. This includes the use of stimulant medications such as amphetamine/dextroamphetamine salts (Adderall) or lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse, Elvanse), which come with potential side effects including headaches, anxiety and sleep problems, according to Mayo Clinic.
Other options include non-stimulant medications, Savol says, and drug-free treatments.
“Adults may also benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy aimed at addressing skill deficits related to executive functioning,” Barterian says. “Skills learned through treatment can help an individual with ADHD learn how to modify their environment to reduce the impairment associated with ADHD symptoms.”
If you suspect you have ADHD, doctors stress the importance of getting evaluated by a licensed mental health care provider. “Sometimes I see anxiety misdiagnosed as ADHD,” Ammon says. “To be clear, individuals can suffer from both anxiety and ADHD. However, I have evaluated clients who suspected they had ADHD, when in fact the roots of their procrastination habits were driven by anxiety. This is why appropriate assessment very important.”
If you're diagnosed with ADHD, McGough says proper treatment can change your life. “I have one friend who got on medication for his ADHD and got a glowing review at work. Lawyers will say, ‘I now have three times the bills.’ Those are very noticeable results.”
Savol agrees that proper treatment can have a big impact. “The majority of patients respond,” she says. “They feel better about themselves, and they start to do better in their careers and academics. We have a lot of stories of people doing well after they started treatment.
