How Can You Tell If An Adult Has ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, more commonly known as just ADHD, is usually associated with childhood problems in development. A child who exhibits hyperactivity, lack of attention, and impulsiveness is often suspected to have ADHD, which is sometimes also referred to as ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Not all of these children exhibit these characteristics during their adulthood. However, many adults who demonstrate these behaviors are often not diagnosed with the condition and may suffer from its effects due to lack of proper treatment.

Since ADHD is thought of something that only children get, and eventually grow out of, adults are not diagnosed as much. Adults can have ADHD, and in fact around 60 to 70 percent of children diagnosed with this disorder, continue displaying symptoms in adulthood.

Although adults can have ADHD, they may display their symptoms in a different way than young children do. When people think of ADHD, they usually think of a young boy running around hyperactively, but there's a lot more too it than that. The diagnostic procedure for diagnosing adults, may look a bit different then.

How exactly can you tell if an adult has ADHD and how is it diagnosed?

What is ADHD?

ADHD is a complex mental health disorder that starts in early childhood. A child who exhibits chronic restlessness, forgetfulness, talkativeness, hyperactivity, inattention, and has difficulty finishing school work and chores in a way that it impairs normal functioning may be suffering from some form of ADHD. There are three types of this disorder, in which one may be predominantly hyperactive, predominantly inattentive, or a combination of both.

It is important to remember that ADHD is not caused by head trauma, poor parenting or poor diet. However, it is strongly associated with genetic factors, biological factors that influence brain chemicals (neurotransmitters), and environmental toxins that might have affected a child before birth. These include risk factors such as maternal smoking, alcohol abuse and drug use. Premature birth and a young child's exposure to lead have also been linked to development of this condition.

 This means that about 5% of US adults (roughly 8-9 million) have ADHD. However, many adults are not evaluated, diagnosed, or treated for this mental health problem and they continue to suffer from it its negative effects on their lives.

Symptoms of Adult ADHD

Although many people experience occasional lapses in memory, giving in to distractions, impulsive behaviors, and restlessness, they usually do not suffer from long-lasting consequences that interfere with their lives in general. All adults with ADHD have a history of the condition in their childhood, although not all of them may have been diagnosed or treated for the problem. They could have been underachievers, with poor school performance and maybe even disciplinary problems as children.

They may exhibit these symptoms:

• restlessness, impulsiveness, distractibility

• poor performance at work, leading to frequent job changes

• low job satisfaction, chronic boredom, and low tolerance for frustration

• disorganized work, failure to finish tasks, trouble focusing

• forgets important things like meetings or deadlines

• often loses important things

• inappropriate behavior, blurts out offensive thoughts

• poor driving habits that may lead to frequent traffic violations or accidents

• engages in smoking and use of illegal drugs

• hot temper, mood swings, difficulty handling stress

• fails to keep stable relationships

See Also: What Is ADHD, And Who Gets It?

Because of these behaviors, adults with ADHD are prone to vehicular accidents, job loss, low socioeconomic status, multiple relationships and separations or divorce, and other serious problems in work and relationships.

Diagnosing Adult ADHD

It is important to remember, however, that adult ADHD begins in early childhood, and to diagnose the problem, doctors often ask for the individual's family, early childhood, and developmental history. Signs and symptoms of ADHD in childhood as well as occurrence of similar problems among family and relatives provide clues to the condition. Persistence of certain behaviors for long periods, which affects one's ability to handle work, relationships and personal life also is also highly suggestive. However, other tests may be done to rule out other conditions, such as mental health disorders that mimic ADHD, including mood, anxiety, adjustment, psychotic, and learning disorders. In addition, doctors may want to rule out drug or substance abuse as well as other health problems like seizure disorders, thyroid disease, or lead poisoning.

It is not uncommon for adults with ADHD to also have other co-morbid conditions, which can complicate their mental health status. Children and adults with ADHD often also have mood disorders, learning disabilities, and other mental health problems, which also need to be evaluated.

Treatment of Adult ADHD

The treatment plan of adult ADHD often involves a combination of medications and psychological counseling.

Medications used to treat ADHD include psychostimulants, which help balance brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) and dramatically improve symptoms of hyperactivity and lack of attention. Examples of stimulants are methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine), lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse), and dextroamphetamine-amphetamine (Adderall XR). These are classified as controlled substances, which may sometimes be misused by patients who have problems with substance abuse. Short-acting forms may wear off rapidly, and this can pose a problem in patients who forget to take their medications and later experience difficulties in daily life.

These include antidepressants like bupropion (Wellbutrin) and atomoxetine (Strattera), which do not take complete effect until one takes them for several weeks.

Psychological counseling or psychotherapy and education for adults with ADHD may also help them improve their symptoms and cope with life's challenges. They can help patients with:

• time management

• organizational skills

• reducing impulsive behavior

• problem-solving

• coping with past failures

• improving self-esteem

• improving relationships

• controlling temper

See Also: Medications Used To Treat ADHD

Psychotherapy may involve cognitive (mental) and behavioral therapy, which is a structured form of counseling that teaches patients to substitute negative thoughts with positive thoughts and manage their behavior. This helps one to improve his self esteem and develop skills to be able to deal with daily challenges and relationship problems.

Other forms of psychotherapy include training in relaxation and stress management, life coaching, job mentoring, marital counseling, and family therapy.