Things people with adhd do

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - Symptoms and causes

Overview

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health disorder that includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. Adult ADHD can lead to unstable relationships, poor work or school performance, low self-esteem, and other problems.

Though it's called adult ADHD, symptoms start in early childhood and continue into adulthood. In some cases, ADHD is not recognized or diagnosed until the person is an adult. Adult ADHD symptoms may not be as clear as ADHD symptoms in children. In adults, hyperactivity may decrease, but struggles with impulsiveness, restlessness and difficulty paying attention may continue.

Treatment for adult ADHD is similar to treatment for childhood ADHD. Adult ADHD treatment includes medications, psychological counseling (psychotherapy) and treatment for any mental health conditions that occur along with ADHD.

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Symptoms

Some people with ADHD have fewer symptoms as they age, but some adults continue to have major symptoms that interfere with daily functioning. In adults, the main features of ADHD may include difficulty paying attention, impulsiveness and restlessness. Symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Many adults with ADHD aren't aware they have it — they just know that everyday tasks can be a challenge. Adults with ADHD may find it difficult to focus and prioritize, leading to missed deadlines and forgotten meetings or social plans. The inability to control impulses can range from impatience waiting in line or driving in traffic to mood swings and outbursts of anger.

Adult ADHD symptoms may include:

Impulsiveness
Disorganization and problems prioritizing
Poor time management skills
Problems focusing on a task
Trouble multitasking
Excessive activity or restlessness
Poor planning
Low frustration tolerance
Frequent mood swings
Problems following through and completing tasks
Hot temper

Trouble coping with stress

What's typical behavior and what's ADHD?

Almost everyone has some symptoms similar to ADHD at some point in their lives. If your difficulties are recent or occurred only occasionally in the past, you probably don't have ADHD. ADHD is diagnosed only when symptoms are severe enough to cause ongoing problems in more than one area of your life. These persistent and disruptive symptoms can be traced back to early childhood.

Diagnosis of ADHD in adults can be difficult because certain ADHD symptoms are similar to those caused by other conditions, such as anxiety or mood disorders. And many adults with ADHD also have at least one other mental health condition, such as depression or anxiety.

When to see a doctor

If any of the symptoms listed above continually disrupt your life, talk to your doctor about whether you might have ADHD.

Different types of health care professionals may diagnose and supervise treatment for ADHD. Seek a provider who has training and experience in caring for adults with ADHD.

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Causes

While the exact cause of ADHD is not clear, research efforts continue. Factors that may be involved in the development of ADHD include:

Genetics. ADHD can run in families, and studies indicate that genes may play a role.
Environment. Certain environmental factors also may increase risk, such as lead exposure as a child.
Problems during development. Problems with the central nervous system at key moments in development may play a role.

Risk factors

Risk of ADHD may increase if:

You have blood relatives, such as a parent or sibling, with ADHD or another mental health disorder
Your mother smoked, drank alcohol or used drugs during pregnancy
As a child, you were exposed to environmental toxins — such as lead, found mainly in paint and pipes in older buildings
You were born prematurely

ADHD Complications

ADHD can make life difficult for you. ADHD has been linked to:

Poor school or work performance
Unemployment
Financial problems
Trouble with the law
Alcohol or other substance misuse
Frequent car accidents or other accidents
Unstable relationships
Poor physical and mental health
Poor self-image
Suicide attempts

Coexisting conditions

Although ADHD doesn't cause other psychological or developmental problems, other disorders often occur along with ADHD and make treatment more challenging. These include:

Mood disorders. Many adults with ADHD also have depression, bipolar disorder or another mood disorder. While mood problems aren't necessarily due directly to ADHD, a repeated pattern of failures and frustrations due to ADHD can worsen depression.
Anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders occur fairly often in adults with ADHD. Anxiety disorders may cause overwhelming worry, nervousness and other symptoms. Anxiety can be made worse by the challenges and setbacks caused by ADHD.
Other psychiatric disorders. Adults with ADHD are at increased risk of other psychiatric disorders, such as personality disorders, intermittent explosive disorder and substance use disorders.
Learning disabilities. Adults with ADHD may score lower on academic testing than would be expected for their age, intelligence and education. Learning disabilities can include problems with understanding and communicating.

By Mayo Clinic Staff

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6 Things People With ADHD Wish You Knew

Written by Hallie Levine

Adults can have ADHD.

About 5% of adults have ADHD. You can have adult ADHD even though you weren't diagnosed as a child, but you had to have ADHD symptoms before age 12. Some people are able to overcome their symptoms as children, only to find that the demands of adulthood make it harder.

You might also have different symptoms as an adult than you did as a child. Grown-ups are less likely to have hyperactive symptoms than children, but that doesn't mean they don't have ADHD.

While some of them were diagnosed as kids and never "grew out of it," others didn't get the correct diagnosis until they were well into adulthood, and some are simply unaware that they have ADHD at all.

Regardless, they have one thing in common: They've probably heard plenty of theories from friends and family as to why they are the way they are. But these sorts of armchair analyses aren't helpful to someone having a hard time with ADHD, and can even hurt them.

People with ADHD aren't lazy.

It may seem to you that your co-worker who claims they have ADHD just wants an excuse to slack off. It looks like they are unmotivated and unwilling to work, but it's really that they have trouble staying focused enough to get their work done.

They can be easily distracted by sights or sounds. So when you're talking with another office mate nearby, it may be very hard for them to do the task at hand.

ADHD isn't a character flaw. It's a developmental disorder of the brain. Some of the symptoms of adults with ADHD are:

Trouble completing and organizing tasks
Frequently losing important belongings
Forgetfulness and distraction
Restlessness
Difficulty following details
Impatience

Adults with ADHD often crave a lot of stimulation and excitement, so they can't stand doing ho-hum, routine tasks like filling out paperwork. They can take longer to do these kinds of projects or often avoid doing them entirely.

It's tough for them to stay on top of things. People with ADHD often describe their lives as feeling chaotic and out of control. They might seem careless because they're scrambling to find their phone or to pay that bill, but they're overwhelmed.

You can help by suggesting how to break a project into manageable parts, prioritizing tasks, providing clear instructions and complete information, and following up often.

Adult ADHD isn't just an excuse to get meds.

Some may think that adult ADHD doesn't exist, that it's something people grow out of once they get through their teen years. But about 3 out of 5 children with ADHD in the United States become adults with ADHD. Less than 20% of them have been diagnosed and treated, and only about 1/4 of those seek help.

Adults with ADHD can end up getting fired or quitting jobs, struggling with substance abuse, or even landing in jail. It's estimated that up to 40% of prison inmates have ADHD.

The medicines that doctors typically suggest to tame the symptoms of ADHD are a class of drugs called stimulants. These medications can be life-changing. Studies show for people with ADHD, there's no connection between the medications and substance abuse, as long you take them the way your doctor tells you to.

Also, one study that followed a group of teenagers into young adulthood found they were no more likely to misuse drugs than other teens.

That's why someone with ADHD should get medical help. Most large hospitals and university medical centers have doctors who specialize in adult ADHD.

You can have ADHD and not seem hyper.

Your friend with ADHD may actually be the most mellow in the group. When you have inattentive type ADHD, you mainly have trouble paying attention and focusing.

People with this type of ADHD are more prone to making careless mistakes, losing things, and not being able to follow through. Which explains, say, why a spouse keeps forgetting to do something like fix a jammed window or leaky toilet.

They can have successful relationships.

Not helping around the house or with the kids doesn't mean they don't care about their family. As the partner of someone who has ADHD, it's important to remember that they really are trying and want to do better.

Since they can be easily distracted or zone out when you're talking to them, write down any important information. Let them feel comfortable asking for help from you, if they're worried they forgot something. When you feel responsible for everything, your relationship can seem more like a parent and child rather than partners, which can cause both of you to be angry with one another.

Stay involved with their treatment. You spend a lot of time with them, so you're in a great place to see whether or not a drug or therapy is working.

Someone with ADHD may feel insecure and depressed, so be their wingman. Help them interpret social cues -- something some folks with ADHD struggle with -- and have a visual signal to let them know if they're doing something inappropriate, such as interrupting. Practice for situations like parties ahead of time, imagining conversations and talking points to help ease their anxiety and maybe prevent blurting out something awkward.

There's a reason behind their temper.

People with ADHD can lose their cool more easily. Seemingly minor things might set off major explosions -- being stuck in traffic, for example, or misplacing an important report for work.

More than half of people with ADHD have trouble controlling their emotions, a condition some call deficient emotional self-regulation (DESR). When they take stimulant medications, though, this brain activity becomes more normal. Cognitive behavioral therapy can also help relieve these types of symptoms.

There's a silver lining to ADHD.

One study of college students found that those with ADHD scored better on tests that measured creativity, such as drama, music, visual arts, and scientific discovery. Another study in Germany found that some symptoms, such as being impulsive and able to hyperfocus, make folks with ADHD great entrepreneurs.

The key is to make sure the person you know with ADHD has access to the most up-to-date treatment, so they can get the more troublesome symptoms under control and let the more positive ones shine.

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. nine0006

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. nine0003

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. nine0006

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. nine0006

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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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. nine0006

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. nine0006 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 (in at least 5 symptoms for at least 6 months):

Inability to concentrate on details, errors of incorrect
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. nine0088

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. CR (advanced complex)

Comparative table of all programs

ADHD in adults - treatment, symptoms, diagnosis

Make an appointment

Treatment of ADHD in adults

with ADHD. We have developed and effectively applied a set of rehabilitation measures for ADHD.

Individual approach

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). nine0003

In everyday life, ADHD patients are not recommended to engage in 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.

Innovative techniques

Continuity and recurrence

Fill out the form

+7 (812) 603-70-10

Attention deficit disorder in adults

More about ADHD

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.

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 (in at least 5 symptoms for at least 6 months):

Inability to concentrate on details, errors of incorrect
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.
Learn more

Things people with adhd do

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - Symptoms and causes

Overview

Products & Services

Symptoms

What's typical behavior and what's ADHD?

When to see a doctor

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Causes

Risk factors

ADHD Complications

Coexisting conditions

Related

Associated Procedures

Products & Services

6 Things People With ADHD Wish You Knew

In this Article

Adults can have ADHD.

People with ADHD aren't lazy.

Adult ADHD isn't just an excuse to get meds.

You can have ADHD and not seem hyper.

They can have successful relationships.

There's a reason behind their temper.

There's a silver lining to ADHD.

ADHD in adults - treatment, symptoms, diagnosis

ADHD in adults - treatment, symptoms, diagnosis