Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common disorders of neuropsychic development in childhood are usually diagnosed in children. But ADHD tends to be underdiagnosed. women And colored peoplewhich may result in some people reaching adulthood before realizing they may have the condition.
Busy Philipps is one of them. The actress recently revealed that she was diagnosed with ADHD after going to see a doctor for her daughter. “My eldest daughter was having problems at school and we took her for a check-up. And literally in the assessment of my ex-husband Mark, we looked at each other because everything the doctor asked Birdie and talked about, I said, “But it’s me.” This is what I have,” said the 44-year-old man. Us weekly.
Philipps said that before she was diagnosed, she felt like there was “something wrong” with her, only to learn that her problems completing tasks and planning were likely related to ADHD. “There are ways to deal with it, there are medications. It changed my life,” she said.
Philipps isn’t the only person to go through this. Over the past few years, “there has been a significant increase in the number of people seeking an ADHD diagnosis,” says Justin A. Barterian Ph.D., psychologist and assistant professor at The Ohio State University-Wexner Medical Center. “There seems to be less stigma around ADHD and other mental disorders in our culture these days, leading some people who meet criteria for ADHD to seek diagnosis for the first time,” he adds.
But Barterian says there are also “misleading” social media and influencer accounts that “distort” the symptoms of the disease, “leading to many thinking they have the disorder when they don’t meet all the criteria.”
All this has raised many questions about ADHD in adults and how to diagnose it. Specialists who treat such patients understand this.
How does ADHD differ in adults and children?
ADHD is the same condition in children and adults, but it can present differently in adults, ADHD says. Joshua M. Langberg Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist at Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and Director Center for Youth Social-Emotional Health.
“ADHD in childhood is often characterized by high levels of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity,” he says. “In contrast, ADHD in adulthood is primarily defined by difficulties with inattention, concentration, organization, and time management.”
According to Langberg, although hyperactivity is more obvious in children who experience it, it tends to cause internal feelings of anxiety in adults. “Although the symptoms of ADHD may not be as noticeable to others in adulthood, they are just as important and harmful,” he says. “Difficulties with sustained attention, attention to detail, and organization and planning can lead to serious problems with postsecondary school performance, professional functioning, and relationships.”
ADHD symptoms in adults
People with ADHD tend to struggle with certain symptoms. These include inattention, which causes problems concentrating; hyperactivity or too much energy; and impulsivity, which manifests itself in rash actions or problems with self-control, says Dr. James McGoughProfessor of Clinical Psychiatry and Co-Director of the ADHD Clinic at UCLA.
People with ADHD may have primarily inattentive symptoms or hyperactive-impulsivity symptoms, while some have both types of symptoms: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) says.
According to the NIMH, people with inattentive ADHD may have difficulty performing these tasks:
- We pay close attention to detail
- Focusing on time-consuming tasks such as preparing reports, filling out forms, or reviewing long documents.
- Listen carefully when people speak to you directly
- Follow instructions and perform duties on the job.
- Organizing tasks and events
- Time management
- Performing tasks that require constant attention
They may also lose things like keys, wallets, and phones, and become easily distracted and forget about things like paying bills, attending meetings, or returning calls.
According to the NIMH, people with hyperactivity and inactivity may experience the following symptoms:
- Extreme restlessness and trouble sitting still for long periods of time.
- Drives, taps hands or feet, fidgets in the seat.
- I try to have quiet leisure time
- Talk too much
- Answer questions before they are asked completely
- Problems with waiting in line
- Interrupting others
But Hillary AmmonPsyD, clinical psychologist in Center for Women’s Anxiety and Emotional Health, emphasizes that all adults experience some of these symptoms here and there. “At times it may be difficult to achieve everything you want, or you may find yourself forgetful,” she says. “It may not be ADHD, but instead you may have too many things to do at once and that’s causing forgetfulness or mistakes.”
People with ADHD often have a chronic history of making to-do lists with little success in completing them, constantly choosing entertainment over boring tasks, real consequences for making mistakes or not completing tasks, or putting off tasks that seem “too hard.” big” or “overwhelming,” Ammon says.
But if you suddenly develop ADHD symptoms, it’s unlikely to be due to the disorder, McGough says. “You don’t make it to 50 years old, working as a partner in a law firm, and suddenly you develop ADHD,” he says. “It would be hard to believe.”
How is ADHD diagnosed in adults?
A diagnosis of ADHD in adults usually begins with someone realizing they have a problem, McGough said. “Some people who are smarter or have wealthier families may go to college or go beyond college without even realizing anything is happening,” he says. But suddenly encountering more difficult life situations can shed light on these problems.
“I’ve had people come to me who were going to medical school or law school who were smart and had enough support in the past that it was never an issue before,” McGough says.
Doctors usually ask a lot of questions during the first meeting, says Dr. Shazia Savul, a psychiatrist at Penn Medicine. “We ask them what is happening now and what challenges they are facing,” she says. People with ADHD tend to have problems in multiple areas of their lives—work, school and relationships—and information about how they’re doing in those areas can be helpful to clinicians, she says.
But doctors will also want to know about your background. “We’ll also ask if they had similar problems as children—whether they had similar symptoms in elementary or middle school,” Savul says.
Sawul notes that factors such as severe depression or severe anxiety can also mimic ADHD symptoms, so it’s important to rule them out as well. “People who smoke marijuana frequently also begin to experience symptoms very similar to ADHD,” Savul says. “We have to take these things into account.”
While your doctor may ask you to fill out questionnaires, you should also expect an in-person or virtual appointment that will last a few hours, Langberg says. “The primary goal of the clinician is to determine why inattentive symptoms are bothersome 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 the criteria for ADHD, you need to meet specific and well-defined symptom thresholds now and in childhood.”
Langberg emphasizes that there is no single test for ADHD. “If someone tells you that they can look at your blood type, brain waves, or performance on computer tasks and use only that information to diagnose ADHD, they are not following recommended or best practices and are not acting ethically. ,” He says.
What is the treatment for ADHD in adults?
Treatment for adult ADHD is the same for children and adults, Barterian said. This includes the use of stimulants such as amphetamine/dextroamphetamine salts (Adderall) or lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse, Elvanse), which have possible side effects including headaches, anxiety and sleep problems, according to the manufacturer. Mayo Clinic.
Other options include non-stimulant medications, Savul says, and non-drug treatments.
“Adults may also benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy to address skill deficits related to executive functioning,” says Barterian. “Skills learned in therapy can help a person with ADHD learn to change their environment to reduce the disruption associated with ADHD symptoms.”
If you suspect you have ADHD, doctors stress the importance of getting evaluated by a licensed psychiatrist. “Sometimes I see anxiety being mistaken for ADHD,” Ammon says. “To clarify, people can have both anxiety and ADHD. However, I have assessed clients who suspected they had ADHD when in fact the root of their procrastination habit was actually anxiety-related. That’s why correct assessment is so important.”
If you’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, McGough says the right treatment can change your life. “I have a friend who took the right ADHD medication and received a rave review at work. Lawyers will say, “Now my bills have tripled,” he says. “These are very noticeable results.”
Savul agrees that the right treatment can make a big difference. “Most patients respond,” she says. “They feel better, they begin to function better in their professional and academic lives. We have many stories of people recovering after starting treatment.”