Adult ADHD - Holly's Bird Nest

ADHD is not just a childs diagnosis it stays with you into adulthood, but some children never get diagnosed and when you become an adult misdiagnosis can happen frequently.

Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health condition that can lead to unstable relationships, poor work performance, and low self-esteem.

Do you or someone you care about have ADHD? Here are some points to look for to help you get the help may need to talk to your doctor about.

They are often late.
They are often forgetful.
They can suffer from anxiety.
They can have poor organizational skills.
They can suffer from low self-esteem.
They can have problems when it comes to regular employment.
They may have problems with their temper and have a short fuse.
They will tend to have issues with finishing a task
They have difficulty controlling their behavior.
They can have difficulty with restless behavior.

The actual diagnosis can be quite complicated, as there is a very real need for the adult to be able to recall a number of key things related to their childhood to help with this.

In addition, there will also be a discussion with other family members and even the partner of the adult, to ascertain their general behavior at this moment in time. This will allow the medical professional to build up a better picture of what is going on and whether or not the individual did indeed suffer from the condition as a child.

There will also need to be some neurological testing and a psychologist will spend time with the individual, to determine whether or not there is an underlying mental condition that could be contributing to it.

It is also important to remember that the way in which ADHD affects one adult can be completely different to the way it affects another.

One individual may be able to concentrate when at work and yet in their social life and with conversations, they have a great deal of difficulty. Another individual could have the exact reversal, and yet they both still suffer from the same condition.

However, research into the condition has shown that the way in which it affects adults does tend to differ from that of children, that as we evolve into adults, the level of hyperactivity will generally decrease – and that in itself is a major leap forward for the person with the condition. The only problem is that it is also accepted that their impulsive nature, risk taking and poor concentration levels can increase – and this poses another set of problems that then have to be overcome.

Surprisingly, as we evolve into adults, the level of hyperactivity will generally decrease, and that in itself is a major leap forward for the person with the condition.

The only problem is that it is also accepted that their impulsive nature, risk taking and poor concentration levels can increase and this poses another set of problems that then have to be overcome.

TREATMENTS

Treatments typically involve medication, education, skills training and psychological counseling. A combination of these is often the most effective treatment. These treatments can help manage symptoms but do not cure ADHD.

Counseling for ADHD generally includes psychological counseling, and education about the disorder and learning skills to help you be successful.

Psychotherapy may help with:

Improved time management and organizational skills.
Learn how to reduce your impulsive behavior.
Develop better problem-solving skills.
Cope with past academic, work or social failures
Improve self-esteem
Learn ways to improve relationships with your family, co-workers and friends.
Develop strategies for controlling your temper.

As you can see there is a lot of help that therapy can help with! I try not to go into specific, because every case is different and a complete history of each person should be analyzed to get the help each may need!