The Effect of ADHD in Adulthood|eMedEvents

 

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (known primarily as ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects both children and adults. While the symptoms can vary according to age, culture, and gender, ADHD is known to manifest as one of three subtypes:

Predominantly inattentive

Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive

Combined type

 

Common traits of ADHD include difficulty focusing on unfavorable tasks, hyperfocusing on desirable tasks, executive dysfunction, brain fog, and emotional dysregulation. While we do not yet know the exact cause of ADHD, it has a heritability rate of over 70%, with children 3–4 times more likely to develop the disorder if an immediate family member has it.

The majority of ADHD research has been conducted on children, making it difficult to define the precise impact the condition has on adults. Diagnosis usually occurs alongside the onset of its characteristic behavioral problems, which is commonly between the ages of 6 and 12. Boys are diagnosed approximately twice as much as girls.

Over half of children diagnosed with ADHD continue to experience symptoms throughout their lives. While uncommon, adult ADHD diagnoses do occur and often involve an examination of personal history, interviews with family members, and documented reports from schools.  Neuroimaging has also become increasingly utilized to help diagnose ADHD.

It is important to note that adults with ADHD present the disorder differently than children.

 

Typical Indicators of Adult ADHD

Inattentiveness

Tendency to hyperfocus

Restlessness stemming from hyperactivity in adolescence

Emotional dysregulation

Excessive daydreaming

Rejection sensitive dysphoria

 

Common Characteristics

Inattentive

Adults with inattentive ADHD often have difficulty with:

Procrastination

Beginning tasks

Completing tasks

Transitioning from one task to another

Remembering details

Multitasking

Organization

Time management

Making decisions

Hyperactive-Impulsive

Adults with hyperactive-impulsive ADHD often have difficulty with:

Sitting still

Staying seated for long periods of time

Restlessness

Excessive talking

Interrupting others

Waiting for their turn

Doing tasks quietly

 

Common Comorbidities

Autism spectrum disorder (with a comorbidity rate of 21%)

Learning disabilities, including speech disorders

Intellectual disabilities

Tourette’s Syndrome

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)

Conduct disorder (CD) which can develop into antisocial personality disorder in adulthood

Intermittent explosive disorder (IED)

Anxiety and mood disorders

Sleep disorders

Substance use disorders

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Epilepsy

 

Distribution of Adult ADHD

For North American and European countries, an estimated 3–5% of adults live with ADHD; of that number, roughly 90% are currently undiagnosed. According to the World Health Organization, adults with ADHD comprise approximately 4% of the global adult population.

 

Treatment

While ADHD impacts many facets of adult life, it can be treated through a combination of behavioral interventions—such as cognitive behavioral therapy—and medication, with stimulants (particularly amphetamines such as Adderall) making up most initial pharmacological therapies. Additionally, positive lifestyle changes (including regular exercise, healthy sleeping habits, and good nutrition) can help reduce the severity of many symptoms.

 

Keep in mind that ADHD is almost never uniform across people; everyone experiences different combinations of symptoms, to varying degrees of severity. Depending on how negatively ADHD affects a person’s ability to function, it can qualify as a disability under U.S. nondiscrimination laws, which entitles those individuals to reasonable accommodations from both workplaces and academic institutions.