People who have adhd

9 Famous People with ADHD

Celebrities with ADHD: 9 Famous People with ADHD

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By Kimberly Holland — Updated on Mar 25, 2020

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It’s most often diagnosed in childhood or adolescence. In a parent report from 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that close to 11 percent of American children ages 4 to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD.

However, more than half of children with ADHD continue to experience symptoms as adults. Today, around 8 million adults live with ADHD. Many go on to lead healthy lives with successful careers. Some even become famous.

Here’s a collection of some well-known people who just happen to live with ADHD.

ADHD made schoolwork difficult for Phelps when he was little. He liked to move, acted up in class, and had a hard time getting his work finished. Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD at age 9.

“I [saw] kids who, we were all in the same class, and the teachers treated them differently than they would treat me,” Phelps told People magazine. “I had a teacher tell me that I would never amount to anything and I would never be successful.”

Medication made his symptoms better, but it was in the pool that Phelps found the ability to deal with his disorder. The routine of practice and the soothing effects of the water helped him to cope and excel.

“I think the biggest thing for me, once I found that it was okay to talk to someone and seek help, I think that’s something that has changed my life forever,” he says. “Now I’m able to live life to its fullest.”

At his retirement, Phelps was the most decorated Olympian of all time. He’s won 28 Olympic medals, 23 of which are gold.

This “Dancing with the Stars” performer and professional dancer went public with her ADHD diagnosis in 2009.

“As a professional dancer, I’ve become known for my moves and my career accomplishments, but most people don’t know about another part of my life — I’m an adult with ADHD,” Smirnoff told The Saturday Evening Post.

Smirnoff is able to channel much of her energy into her dancing. She’s a five-time U.S. National Champion and a World Trophy Champion.

“Like most adults, my schedule is very busy. My day is filled with 10-hour dance rehearsals for my television show, teaching choreography, dancing in shows, and constant travel,” she says. “With improvement in my ADHD symptoms, I can focus on finishing what I start.”

This game show host and stand-up comedian is known for his vivacious personality as well as for his disorders. Mandel has both ADHD and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He grew up with these disorders during a time when they weren’t officially diagnosed or understood.

“Back in the 1960s, when I was growing up, my symptoms didn’t have a name and you didn’t go to the doctor to find out. So, in my case, they were called ‘Howie Mandel,’” Mandel wrote for Additude magazine.

Today, the “America’s Got Talent” host takes medication and attends therapy to help him deal with his disorders.

“After I impulsively revealed that I have OCD on a talk show, I was devastated. I often do things without thinking. That’s my ADHD talking,” Mandel wrote. “Out in public, after I did the show, people came to me and said, ‘Me, too.’ They were the most comforting words I’ve ever heard. Whatever you’re dealing with in life, know that you’re not alone. ”

This home improvement guru was always full of energy as a child. Pennington was hyperactive, and he was a distraction to other children in the classroom. Doctors weren’t sure how to treat his behavioral problems at first.

“My mom was studying to be a child psychologist and she went to my elementary school to test the worst kid they had. They were like, ‘Mrs. Pennington, you really don’t want to know who that is,’” Pennington told the Huffington Post.

“They let her observe me through a window and within 20 minutes I stripped naked, wore my desk around, and swung on the blinds. I was just a complete distraction to all the other students.”

Pennington added that doctors gave him antihistamines to make him drowsy. Now, he takes medicine from time to time in small doses, and still sees a psychiatrist. Pennington channels the symptoms of his ADHD into his career and his hobbies.

“Once I figured out I was pretty decent at art and people were interested in hiring me, I realized I had a skill besides injuring myself,” Pennington says. “What’s kind of funny is that I ended up working with power tools to pay my way through art school and still have all my digits.”

This Maroon 5 frontman and host of “The Voice” has come a long way to his success. He wrote for Additude magazine that as a kid, he struggled with what seemed normal to other kids — sitting still, completing work, focusing.

His parents helped him find treatment, but his problems with attention persisted into adulthood.

“I had trouble sometimes writing songs and recording in the studio. I couldn’t always focus and complete everything I had to. I remember being in the studio once and having 30 ideas in my head, but I couldn’t document any of them,” he wrote.

He went back to the doctor and learned that the ADHD hadn’t gone away as he’d grown up. In fact, he still deals with it daily.

“ADHD isn’t a bad thing, and you shouldn’t feel different from those without ADHD,” he wrote. “Remember that you are not alone. There are others going through the same thing. ”

Justin Timberlake, the multifaceted singer and actor, revealed in an interview with Collider.com that he has both OCD and ADD.

“I have OCD mixed with ADD,” he says. “You try living with that [combination].”

Since that interview, Timberlake hasn’t spoken about either of his conditions or how the two affect his day-to-day life. But the multiple Grammy and Emmy award winner has clearly found a way to manage his symptoms and live a fulfilling, highly successful life.

The hotel heiress and socialite Paris Hilton revealed that she was diagnosed with ADD as a child in an interview with Larry King.

“I’ve been on medication since I was a child,” she says. “I have ADD, so I take medication for that.”

The Olympic gymnast won hearts across the country with her 2016 gymnastic performance. Her powerful tumbles and gravity-defying beam routines set hearts ablaze and earned her the 2016 Olympic individual all-around, vault, and floor gold medals.

After the Olympics were over, leaked drug tests from the Olympic committee showed that Biles tested positive for methylphenidate. This drug is also known as Ritalin. It’s prescribed to many individuals with attention disorders, including Biles.

“I have ADHD and I have taken medicine for it since I was a kid,” Biles wrote on her Twitter account. “Please know, I believe in clean sport, have always followed the rules, and will continue to do so as fair play is critical to sport and is very important to me.”

When she was first diagnosed with ADHD, singer, songwriter, and artist Solange Knowles didn’t find solace in finally having an answer for her issues. Instead, she visited another doctor for a second opinion.

“I was diagnosed with ADHD twice,” she told BET. “I didn’t believe the first doctor who told me and I had a whole theory that ADHD was just something they invented to make you pay for medicine, but then the second doctor told me I had it.”

Now that she has a diagnosis herself, Knowles says she can see so many symptoms of ADHD in other people in the music business. “The symptoms seem to apply to everyone around me in the industry. Loss of memory, starting something and not finishing it…” she said.

These celebrities are proof that a medical disorder doesn’t have to be a reason for not living a full, happy life. These well-known figures, as well as other many less-famous folks have found ways to thrive with ADHD.

The key to managing the signs and symptoms of ADHD is finding a treatment plan that works and sticking with it.

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. (2016).
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Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Data & statistics. (2017).
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Biles S. (2016).
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Dowd KE. (2017). Michael Phelps opens up about ADHD struggles: A teacher told me ‘I’d never amount to anything.’
people.com/sports/michael-phelps-opens-up-about-adhd-struggles-in-new-video-a-teacher-told-me-id-never-amount-to-anything/
Dutton J. (2007). Talking about ADHD: “They will make you proud".” .
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Gostin N. (2012). ‘Revolution’ host Ty Pennington talks lifelong battle with ADHD. .
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Levine A. (2013). Maroon 5’s Adam Levine: “ADHD isn’t a bad thing.”
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Mandel H. (2010). Howie Mandel gets real about his ADHD & OCD. http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/7129.html.
Mandel H. (n.d.). “I have a tough time being with myself.”
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Michael Phelps. (n.d.).
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Paris Hilton on ‘Larry King live’. (2007).
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Perry P. (2012). ADHD: Living in overdrive.
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Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

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Mar 25, 2020

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By Kimberly Holland — Updated on Mar 25, 2020

76 Famous Successful People with ADHD

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HOME PAGE / BLOG / Famous People with ADHD: ADD Celebrities and Well Known People

Last Update Date: 15 April 2021

Famous People with ADHD

People with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may have difficulty focusing and learning. On the other hand, regardless of their area of interest, they can become successful adults with ADHD with an accurate medical advice diagnosis or treatment method. Also, using ADHD apps for kids and/or Dyslexia apps for kids and adults (if Dyslexia accompanies ADHD too) can make this process easier and support their skills like focus, attention, decision making, and organizing.

Here is a countdown with of some of the most famous celebrities with ADHD in different fields:

Top 7 Famous Actors/Actresses Diagnosed with ADHD

7- Zooey Deschanel:Zooey Deschanel is famous actress who has demonstrated that living with ADHD may not be that difficult.

Although she is not using any ADHD treatment, she is proudly overcoming Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder with her own methods by doing craft projects on Hello Giggles.

6- Emma Watson: She is best known for her Hermione Granger role in “Harry Potter.” She was diagnosed with ADHD when she was a kid. Although she has never talked about her condition and that she has struggled with ADHD for a long time, many sources like ADDitude Magazine have confirmed that it’s true.

5- Michelle Rodriguez: She has been one of the most open famous people with ADHD by willingly sharing the story of her condition in one of the interviews she had with Cosmopolitan Magazine. She didn’t let ADHD move ahead of overtake her career. In fact, she got to play important roles in famous TV series and movies such as Lost and Fast & Furious.

4- Woody Harrelson: Another award-winning actor that we would like to mention among famous people with ADHD is Woody Harrelson.

Obviously ADHD symptoms couldn’t beat his passion for becoming a great actor.

3- Ryan Gosling: He won not only hearts but also a Golden Globe. Ryan Gosling is another example of someone who struggled in school years because of his ADHD, but had the strength to turn it into an award-winning career in Hollywood.

2- Will Smith: Not only an award-winning actor, but also a producer and rapper, Will Smith also claims that he has ADHD. Forbes ranked him among the “most bankable stars” so his success is more than evident despite his condition.

1- Jim Carrey: Award-winning actor Jim Carrey is also a celebrity who struggles with ADHD. The famous actor has actually won our hearts by bravely using all the symptoms to his advantage - in the characters he plays.

Top 5 Famous Athletes Diagnosed with ADHD

5- Karina Smirnoff: Karina is a great example of athletes who have ADHD and who always strive for more.

She has a variety of interests like dancing, ice skating, playing the piano, and gymnastics. She is using medication to stay focused and it seems to work for her. So far, she has become a five-time champion U.S., National Champion, World Trophy Champion.

4- Simone Biles: She is an award-winning gymnast. She has won 19 world championships and Olympic gold medals despite her struggle with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. She was diagnosed with ADHD when she was a child and has used medication ever since.

3- Michael Phelps: When he was a child, his teacher told him that he wouldn’t be able to succeed in anything in life. But Michael didn’t surrender to his ADHD and became a great swimmer winning 23 Olympic gold medals.

2- Terry Bradshaw: Focusing and standing still can be challenging for children and adults with ADHD.

Terry was also experienced difficulties in school and decided to shift his concentration to sports. Eventually, he became a Super Bowl Champion.

1- Michael Jordan: He is known as the greatest basketball player of all time. Yet, he was never completely content with what he had achieved and he always tried to discover himself, which is also considered a common symptom of ADHD.

Top 6 Famous Singers Diagnosed with ADHD

6- Loyle Carnel: Carnel is a believer that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder helped him in becoming a successful singer and musician. When he was young, he couldn’t figure out what the problem was, but after he was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, he turned it into something positive for his life.

5- Solange Knowles: Solange is one of the famous people who initially refused to believe that she had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Yet, she managed to become a successful, famous singer, songwriter, and artist. However, after becoming more aware of the symptoms, she claimed that many people in the industry may have ADHD.

4- Will.i.am: You may rogue l remember him as a member of the Black Eyed Peas. William is a great example of someone who can see ADHD’s positive sides. In an interview with the Mirror, he claims that this disorder helped him become successful in his music career by saying “For every obstacle, there’s some type of solution. So if you have ADHD it’s your passion point.”

3- Adam Levine: Levine was diagnosed with ADHD when he was a child. Although he started medication, he still struggles with ADHD symptoms. Being the frontman of the famous Maroon 5 group, Adam proved that you can be a successful famous regardless of your ADHD condition.

2- Justin Timberlake: He is one of the most famous stars in the world.

He managed to rock ADHD as he did rock your body. Although he doesn’t speak too much about how he succeeded to live with ADHD, in an interview with Collider he mentions his condition by saying “I have OCD mixed with ADD. You try living with that.”

1- John Lennon: The singer, songwriter, and peace activist John Lennon is also believed to have had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He was having so much difficulty in class that he dropped out of school. However, he successfully managed to live with ADHD and became one of the most famous people in the world.

Top 4 Famous Authors Diagnosed with ADHD

4- Dav Pilkey: The famous writer and illustrator Dav Pilkey is known for his Captain Underpants book series. He was punished at school several times because of his acting out that was a result of his ADHD. He started creating the famous book series during a detention time at school.

3- Agatha Christie: Agatha Christie is one of the most famous writers of all time. Her books are translated in 103 different languages and four billion copies are sold in total. She had not been diagnosed with ADHD in her lifetime but it is commonly known that she had difficulties due to dysgraphia.

2- George Bernard Shaw: The writer of more than 100 plays, Shaw deeply criticized the existing education system of his time . A lot of people believe Shaw had ADHD that prevented him from accepting the education system as it was at the time.

1- Jules Verne: The father of the science fiction genre and a huge inspiration for the steampunk stream, Verne had a hard time in school He was unable to focus on the school tasks and projects but he was into writing from an early age. Although he was not diagnosed with ADHD, it is commonly accepted today that he probably suffered from this condition.

Top 6 Famous Historical Figures Diagnosed with ADHD

6- Walt Disney: Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse, one of the first and biggest cults of the animation world, is also on the list of those who struggled with ADHD especially due to the difficulties he experienced during his school years.

5- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Mozart, the genius of classical music and one of the biggest composers of the 18th century, is among those who struggled with ADHD according to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health.

4- Alexander Graham Bell: Bell, the inventor of the phone, gained his innovative and problem-solving personality thanks to his struggle with ADHD even though he had serious problems during his school years.

3- Thomas Edison: The man who brought light to our lives, the award-winning American inventor Edison, is also believed to have had ADHD.

His hyperactivity led him to the urge to always learn and discover something new.

2- Albert Einstein: Einstein is one of the most important physicists of the 20th century. He was known for his carelessness and forgetfulness. But Einstein is another award-winning, famous person to prove that it is possible to be successful and productive with ADHD.

1- Leonardo Da Vinci: Da Vinci is another instance of a famous person that lived with ADHD. The difficulty of focusing on one single thing due to ADHD caused him to be interested in many different subjects. He was an artist, sculptor, inventor, scientist, musician, architect, anatomist, astronomer, and a mathematician.

50 Famous People With ADHD

1. Michael Phelps
2. Adam Levine
3. Justin Timberlake
4. Will Smith
5. Ryan Gosling
6. Will.I.Am
7. Woody Harrelson
8. Paris Hilton
9. Michelle Rodrigues
10. Britney Spears
11. Kurt Cobain
12. Tom Cruise
13. Michael Jordan
14. Magic Johnson
15. Liv Tyler
16. Vincent Van Gogh

17. Pablo Picasso
18. Bill Gates
19. Walt Disney
20. Albert Einstein
21. Benjamin Franklin
22. Richard Branson
23. Wilbur Wright
24. John Lennon
25. Elvis Presley
26. Beethoven
27. Mozart
28. Handel
29. John Kennedy
30. Thomas Jefferson
31. Abraham Lincoln
32. Winston Churchill

33. Steven Hawking
34. Galileo
35. Isaac Newton
36. Eleanor Roosevelt
37. Christopher Columbus
38. Socrates
39. Steve Jobs
40. Jim Carey
41. Leonardo Da Vinci
42. Danny Glover
43. Alexander Bell
44. Whoopi Goldberg
45. Muhammed Ali
46. Cameron Diaz
47. Emma Watson
48. Megan Fox
49. Stevie Wonder
50. Avril Levigne

Evidently, ADHD does not have to be an obstacle to achieving success. If you or your child want to pursue a goal and be successful in life alongside having ADHD, you can find lots of useful information about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by following the MentalUP’s blog page about ADHD questions.

MentalUP also helps you increase your brainpower by taking just 15 minutes a day with the help of fun and scientific attention games designed by academics and pedagogues.

Download the App

01 May 2020 Lauran Cole

ADHD in adults - treatment, symptoms, diagnosis

Make an appointment

Treatment of ADHD in adults

Rehabilitation clinic "A NEW DAY" specializes in the treatment of adults with ADHD. We have developed and effectively applied a set of rehabilitation measures for ADHD.

Individual approach

Each patient has his own doctor - a neurologist. He knows everything about the patient and his disease, if necessary, he can make adjustments to the course of treatment at any stage. The main thing is the result. At the end of the course of treatment, individually developed recommendations are issued.

Treatment is always a complex

Taking into account the variant of the course, the age of the patient, the severity of manifestations, the most appropriate methods and their combinations are selected: (BOS).

In everyday life, ADHD patients are not recommended to engage in those sports that involve a competitive nature and have a pronounced emotional component, for example, martial arts, team games. Useful jogging, swimming (non-competitive), cycling, skiing.

To improve the psychological and emotional state, reduce anxiety, overcome depression, sleep disorders, various methods of psychotherapy are used. The choice of a technique suitable for a particular patient is carried out by a psychologist or psychotherapist.

Relaxation techniques: special relaxation massages, relaxation sessions, medical treatment.
Cognitive training is used for attention deficit. Acupuncture (IRT) is traditionally used to restore the regulation of many organs, including the brain.

Innovative techniques

Translingual neurostimulation (TLNS) is an effect on the brain through the stimulation of tongue receptors. This is an advanced innovative technique, most effectively used in the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system, and as we know, ADHD belongs to such diseases. The use of TLNS allows you to restore the regulation of excitation-inhibition processes in a short time, which ultimately leads to an improvement in the course of ADHD, the best psychological and motor correction. In addition, TLNS has a positive effect on cognitive functions, such as concentration and memory, improves sleep, allowing the body to restore its neurotransmitter stores and have a good rest.

Continuity and recurrence

ADHD has a favorable course when properly treated. It is important to maintain the results achieved. To do this, at discharge, we give detailed individually developed recommendations. As long as there is any residual symptomatology, courses of treatment should be repeated, as a rule, 2-3 times a year.

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+7 (812) 603-70-10

Attention deficit disorder in adults

ADHD is a childhood-onset neurological behavioral disorder characterized by difficulty concentrating and maintaining attention, excessive motor activity (hyperactivity) and incontinence (impulsivity).

In recent years, the frequency of ADHD has increased, including among adults. It used to be thought that by adolescence, the symptoms of ADHD would significantly lessen or go away. However, now these ideas have changed: in 30-70% of cases, ADHD persists into adulthood. Most often this is due to insufficiently effective treatment in childhood.

More about ADHD

All processes occurring in the nervous system are based on two oppositely directed mechanisms: excitation and inhibition. Normally they are balanced. However, the formation of the nervous system does not occur immediately after birth. The brain is mainly formed before the age of 8 years, but finally only by the age of 25. Therefore, in children, arousal and inhibition often get out of control, in some cases leading to ADHD. Over time, the brain matures and the symptoms of ADHD improve or go away on their own. But even in an adult, cognitive, behavioral, and motor
disorders resulting from ADHD. That is why the prevalence of ADHD in adults, although it has increased in recent years, still remains much less than in children.

In general, the manifestations in children and adults do not differ, but there are features.

First, if a child does not have ADHD, then an adult will not develop this disease. Therefore, ADHD in adults is not a separate disease, but disorders that have persisted since childhood.

Secondly, in adults, attention disorders prevail over manifestations of hyperactivity. It is difficult for such people to concentrate and maintain attention, so many activities that require concentration may not be available to them. Hyperactivity can be manifested by restlessness, so sedentary sedentary work is not suitable for them.
Impulsivity can be manifested by conflicts in the family and at work.

And thirdly, the presence of ADHD in adulthood requires careful examination to exclude other disorders, incl. mental illness.

Manifestations of ADHD depend on the course of the disease.

Types of ADHD in adults

With a predominance of attention deficit (deficit)
With a predominance of hyperactivity
Mixed version of ADHD

Symptoms of ADHD in adults

Symptoms of inattention (at least 5 symptoms for at least 6 months):

Inability to concentrate on details, error
Inability to hold attention for a long time
Often one gets the impression that he does not listen to spoken speech
Inability to follow instructions, algorithms, for example, to fulfill conditions tasks
Resistance to getting involved in tasks, avoiding or active resistance
Frequent loss of things, especially those necessary to complete tasks
Easy distractibility to extraneous stimuli or thoughts (“hovering” in thoughts)
Routine forgetfulness (errands, chores, being late)

Symptoms of hyperactivity (in adults, at least 5 symptoms for at least 6 months):

Constant movements in the hands, feet, fidgeting in a chair
Getting up from a place
Inability to sit still
Inability to pass time calmly
Constantly in motion, as if “wound9”, as if “attached a motor” 908088
Answers a question without listening to the question itself
Difficulty waiting in line
permissions.

These symptoms must reach a degree of severity that interferes with learning, communication, work. They should be observed both at home and in other places (at work, at a party, etc.). They should be noticed not only by relatives, but also by those around them.

An additional examination may be required to clarify the diagnosis and exclude other diseases that have similar symptoms:

EEG (electroencephalography)
Doppler ultrasonography0088
Evoked potential (EP) method
Psychotherapist's consultation
Brain MRI
Psychiatrist's consultation (if indicated)

)
– ADHD CR (expanded complex)
– Cognition CS (standard complex)
– Cognition CR (expanded complex)

– Psychotherapy ind. COP (complex standard)
– Psychotherapy ind. KR (advanced complex)

Comparative table of all programs

What is the danger of ADHD in adults and whether it can be managed

September 14, 2022 Likbez Health

If your life is going downhill, it might be because of this disorder.

Iya Zorina

Author of Lifehacker, athlete, CCM

What is ADHD and how common is it in adults

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that includes problems with concentration, excessive motor activity and impulsive behavior. Typically, this condition is diagnosed in children between 3 and 7 years of age, but its symptoms often persist as they grow older.

One study noted that the syndrome occurs in 5.2% of children, and more than half of them retain symptoms into later life.

According to various sources, 2.5 to 4.9% of adults suffer from ADHD.

However, the lack of research in adults makes it much more difficult to diagnose this syndrome.

Often a person is not even aware of having a disorder until they experience similar symptoms in their children. Also, often the reason for the appeal is not the attention deficit disorder itself, but the depression and anxiety associated with it.

How to recognize ADHD in an adult

Unlike children, hyperactivity is less common in adults. In other words, they have no problem sitting still without twitching. But inattention and impulsivity remain, although they may be milder than in children. Also symptoms of ADHD in adults may include:

carelessness and lack of attention to detail;
the desire to constantly take on new tasks and the inability to bring them to the end;
poor organizational skills;
inability to concentrate and prioritize;
permanent loss of things;
forgetfulness;
restlessness and irritability;
inability to keep silent, desire to constantly chat;
inability to give a clear answer, tendency to interrupt others;
mood swings, irritability and irascibility;
inability to cope with stress;
extreme impatience;
risk-taking without fear of self or others, such as dangerous driving.

Many people periodically experience similar symptoms, but this does not yet indicate the presence of a disorder. If the difficulties have appeared recently or occur from time to time, most likely you do not have ADHD.

If similar symptoms have haunted you since childhood and cause problems in various areas of life, perhaps they are really related to attention deficit disorder.

What threatens ADHD in adults

In the first place, the symptoms of ADHD can interfere with work. This is especially true for professions in which attention to detail, high concentration and punctuality are important.

People with Attention Deficit Disorder have difficulty learning new skills, failing to complete tasks, failing to multitask, and may experience communication problems.

All this interferes with the proper performance of duties, can lead to loss of work and difficulties in finding employment. As a result, people with ADHD often experience financial difficulties. They can be joined by problems with the law and the abuse of alcohol and drugs.

Risk-taking and inattention can cause traffic accidents and accidents, while impulsiveness and irritability can interfere with building stable warm relationships, making friends and family.

In addition, people with attention deficit disorder often suffer from low self-esteem, poor physical health and mental disorders, which further complicates life and can lead to suicide attempts.

Thus, ADHD affects almost all areas of life and without treatment can significantly reduce its quality.

How ADHD is diagnosed in adults

There are no specific tests that can accurately determine if an adult has ADHD, so the diagnosis is based on several factors.

One of the reliable criteria is the presence of attention deficit disorder in childhood. There is an opinion that if the disorder did not manifest itself at an early age, it cannot occur when the person has already grown up.

In addition, it is important whether there are relatives with the same problems. Since ADHD is inherited in 75% of cases, similar symptoms in parents and siblings increase the risk of a positive diagnosis.

Other risk factors include premature low birth weight, smoking and maternal substance use during pregnancy. May play a role and exposure to toxic substances in childhood.

Physical and mental health assessments may also be needed. Symptoms similar to ADHD can be caused by thyroid problems, seizures, sleep disorders, brain injury, low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), substance use, and certain medications.

In addition, adult ADHD often presents with comorbidities, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and personality disorder.

After evaluating all the factors, the doctor will be able to make a diagnosis and begin treatment.

Is it possible to completely cure ADHD and how to do it

It is not possible to completely get rid of ADHD, however, with the right combination therapy, symptoms can be significantly alleviated and quality of life improved. Typically, this disorder is treated in two ways.

1. Medication. Abroad, pharmacotherapy most often includes drugs with methylphenidate, a substance that regulates the amount of neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine and has a stimulating effect on the central nervous system. However, in Russia it was included in the list of psychotropic drugs and banned from use.

Instead, your doctor may prescribe medications containing atomoxetine, a drug that inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine. This drug is more effective than placebo and rarely causes side effects that would have to stop treatment. In one experiment, it was noted that atomoxetine should be taken for a long time: after six months, the effect was significantly greater than in the first month.

Your doctor may also prescribe antidepressants.

2. Through psychotherapy. Classes with a psychotherapist help a person improve self-organization and time management skills, learn to restrain impulsive behavior, solve problems and cope with stress in everyday life.