What is Adult ADHD?Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD is commonly found in children. About 60% of those who are diagnosed with ADHD continue to show symptoms as they become adults, which means that adult ADHD is manifested by 8 million adults in the US. Unfortunately, adult ADHD is not as easily diagnosed as childhood ADHD, and only a few adults get treated for it. Adult ADHD is characterized by the following symptoms: difficulty in following instructions, difficulty in retaining information, not being able to concentrate, and not being able to organize tasks. Adult ADHD is also characterized by difficulty in completing a task within a time limit. When an adult with ADHD experiences these things, he or she can begin to manifest some emotional, behavioral, and social problems. Some of the problems caused by adult ADHD may include anxiety, low self-esteem, forgetfulness, impulsiveness, procrastination, and difficulty in controlling anger. Other problems that may be symptoms of adult ADHD are depression, mood swings, having relationship problems, difficulty in concentrating specially when reading, and having low tolerance for frustration. These symptoms may be displayed from mild to severe levels. There are some exceptions, though. For example, some people with adult ADHD are able to concentrate well particularly if they are highly interested in what they are doing. Adult ADHD can also have some extremes. In some cases, people with ADHD may appear withdrawn while others are overly social and do not want to be alone. In other cases, people with ADHD avoid stimulation while others seek stimulation. It is believed that adults with ADHD displayed symptoms early in childhood, especially in school. Examples of these are poor school performance, being an underachiever, repeating a grade or dropping out, and having frequent disciplinary actions. Those with adult ADHD often jump from one job to another. Their work performance is usually poor. They also usually have low socioeconomic status. A doctor is able to diagnose adult ADHD by going back to one’s childhood history and school performance, checking the developmental history, administering a psychoeducational test, and giving more tests to rule out other medical causes of the symptoms. |