Attention Problems- which causes people to have problems focusing on a task or a job long enough to finish it, especially if they are not very interesting tasks.
Impulsivity - causing a lack of self-control. Impulsive behaviors, or choices, can cause havoc in relationships, work, school, or life.
Hyperactivity - Many (though not all) with ADHD are bouncy and hyperactive, always on the go and restless.
Being Easily Bored - Unless the task is very interesting or stimulating, or gives immediate feedback like a video game or TV program, or some fun sports activity, those with attention disorders are often easily bored by a task - especially bored by homework, math tests, balancing checkbooks, or doing taxes, and many of these jobs just never seem to get done.
Children, teens, and adults can all suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. ADHD impacts about five percent of all children and teenagers, and about three percent of all adults. Less than half of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder will ever out-grow it in adolescence or adulthood. If untreated, the disorder can have long-term adverse effects into adulthood.
Most people with ADHD will never out-grow the symptoms of their ADHD even as they enter adolescence or adulthood. Though the brain continues to mature into the twenties for females and into the early thirties for males, and with that maturation typically comes a lessening of ADHD symptoms, for many as they head into young adulthood the symptoms only slightly lessen, or do not improve at all.
This month another reminder of this was published in a national survey of 1,007 adults with ADHD. The survey looked at how adults with ADHD cope at home, at work, and in relationships with others. The survey was published just in time for the 2008 Chadd Conference, and the 2008 ADHD National Awareness Day.
What the survey found was that, of those adults with ADHD:
Three out of four reported that their Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder was a big problem in their ability to stay focused to a job long enough to get it done; and seventy percent reported that their ADHD strongly impacted their ability to focus on what other people were saying to them in conversations. These were concerns for people both at home and in the workplace.
Two out of three reported that their Attention Deficit Disorder strongly impacted their ability to perform their responsibilities at home; and sixty percent said that ADHD strongly impacted their ability to stay seated through a business meeting, or to organize their projects, or to follow through with their projects at work, or at home, until they were finished; and fifty-seven percent said that their ADHD caused major problems in their relationships with their families and friends;
Over one-half reported that ADHD strongly impacted their ability to advance in their work place or career; and one-half reported that ADHD caused them to have to work harder than others just to accomplish the same amount of work as those at their workplace who did not have ADHD;
The survey group was asked about what they hoped to accomplish with treatment, or about their ideal treatment goals:
50% reported that they would like to get their house organized, and 28% reported that they needed to get their personal finances more organized;
38% reported that they needed to get their moodiness under control, and 26% wanted to improve their relationships with others; and 36% felt that their ADHD symptoms were still not under control, and many report feeling depressed thinking about how hard it is to be an adult with ADHD.
The study was headed up by Ed (Ned) Hallowell, M.D., who has written some important books on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, such as �Driven to Distraction.
The study was funded by McNeill Pediatrics, which, by the way, markets CONCERTA (methylphenidate HCI) for the treatment of ADHD in adults, as well as in children. Hallowell is a paid consultant for McNeill Pediatrics. So there is an element of this study that is designed to market CONCERTA to those adults who are not receiving any treatment, or who feel that their ADHD is not under control.
But this study should be much more than that.
IF conservatively five-percent of the children in the United States have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (some say the number is as high as nine percent) and IF conservatively fifty-percent of these children will out-grow their ADHD symptoms by the age of twenty or thirty as their brains mature, and IF there are about 300 million people in the USA, THEN there are at least 7,500,000 adults alone dealing with adult ADHD.
And if nearly forty-percent of them feel that their ADHD is not under control even as an adult, and many are depressed by their ADHD, and so on, well that is a lot of people who are suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder even into adulthood.
If you are an adult with ADHD, and you are feeling that you cannot get ahead at work because of it, or you cannot get organized, or motivated, or get your moods under control, there is help for you.
Yes, medications like Concerta can help. Stimulant medications can help to increase time on task, focus to boring tasks, and so on. Consider medications as a treatment option and talk to your doctor about it.
We also like people to consider the combination of our ADHD diet, which includes high protein, low carbohydrate breakfasts and even some caffeine, along with ATTEND, Extress or Deprex (for mood stabilization if needed) or Memorin for memory improvement. Learn more about these interventions at the ADHD Information Library. With either of the approaches to improving the symptoms of ADHD one still should have counseling or coaching for ADHD to learn the skills and strategies to improve your relationships and work performance.
You will find accurate and clear information on parenting a child or teenagers with ADHD at the ADD ADHD Information Library - http://newideas.net with Clinical Editor Dr. Douglas Cowan. Find over 350 research articles, parenting tips, and helpful tools for parents and teachers. See our free online screening tool at http://newideas.net/adhd-online-test-screening
