Adults suffer from ADHD

For Lew Mills, the diagnosis explained a lot. Why his report cards were poor when he was a kid. Why he felt so agitated when he ran the college radio station. Why he couldn't finish his doctoral dissertation.

But still, it was a surprise: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Adults weren't supposed to have this.

"A lot of mornings, I would wake up and think, 'I can't have ADHD. I just have to try harder.' You start to attribute it to your own will that you just have to try harder and stop with the excuses rather than it being ADHD."

"I have to put 10 times as much effort at organizing and remembering things as other people do," Mills says. He takes medication to control symptoms. Today he is a San Francisco psychologist treating people diagnosed as adults with ADHD.

Mills' profile makes sense to experts such as Michael J. Manos, Ph.D., director of the ADHD Center of Children's Hospital at the Cleveland Clinic.

"Learning you have it allows the opportunity to reinterpret what happened in life," Manos says. "There is a difference in the way the brain works that makes it harder to do some things."

Some 7 million adults might have it, but 85 percent are not identified, Manos says. That's mostly because this wasn't a disorder that doctors routinely looked for in children until about two decades ago. Researchers thought people outgrew the condition in adolescence. However, nearly 70 percent of children with the disorder continue to have symptoms into adulthood, says the nonprofit group Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

People may have trouble identifying the disorder in themselves, partly because they have lived most of their lives with the problem. It becomes part of their identity.

Getting diagnosed also gives you a chance to improve your life by controlling the symptoms. The severity of symptoms might be less pronounced as the person matures, but the core elements such as impulsivity, distractibility and inattentiveness persist. So, ADHD sufferers aren't bouncing off the playground anymore, but they might be fidgeting in their seat throughout the day. The person might not be as hyperactive, but may be impulsive, have little patience and repeatedly blurt things they later regret.

"One patient told me he would know the point a person was trying to make in a conversation and he would interrupt to change the subject all in an effort to avoid having to listen to the person longer than needed," Manos says.

Someone with ADHD has trouble staying focused. While that might sound like anyone, it's not if you have other lifelong symptoms, including:

• Can't pay close attention to details or makes careless mistakes.
• Fidgets with hands and feet or squirms in seat.
• Leaves seat in situations where sitting is expected.
• Doesn't listen when spoken to directly.
• Feels restless.
• Doesn't finish work.
• Has trouble engaging in leisure activities quietly.
• Has difficulty organizing.
• Avoids, dislikes or feels reluctant to engage in work that requires sustained mental effort.
• Talks a lot.
• Blurts out answer before question is completed.
• Is easily distracted.
• Forgets daily duties.
• Interrupts others.

Some people with ADHD can succeed without identification and treatment. A head of a company may run a successful business and have ADHD. Being surrounded by highly organized employees and significant others who take care of the details can be key. However for many people, untreated ADHD can have serious consequences, including failing in school and on the job, depression, difficulty with family and friends, and substance abuse.

Diagnosis and treatment can go a long way.

"Half of it is going back and revising history and understanding life without the negative spin. 'I'm stupid.' 'I'm lazy," Mills says of his patients. "When adults get diagnosed, they have regrets. They have a real sense of underachievement."

Medication and learning how to organize your life can help you succeed. Make sure you find a doctor who knows and understands ADHD. Along with medication, other tactics can help.

"Many people use Post-it® notes on their computer so they don't forget a task. If they didn't have that, they would often forget about what they had to do," Manos says.

Here are some tips:

• Each day make a list of what you need to do. Plan the best order for each task. Then make a schedule for doing them. Use a calendar or daily planner to keep yourself on track.
• Write reminders in a notebook or on a handheld device.
• As soon as the thought occurs to you, write a note to yourself. Tape the reminders on the bathroom mirror, the refrigerator or your car's dashboard.
• Create a routine. Get yourself ready for school or work at the same time, in the same way, every day.

Related Articles What Is ADHD? What Causes ADHD? How Is ADHD Diagnosed in Children and Adults? ADHD Girls Go Undiagnosed

External Sources Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Attention Deficit Disorders Association The Cleveland Clinic

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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