ADHD in Adults
Although the exact prevalence of ADHD is unknown, studies thus far reveal that the condition, marked by inattentiveness, difficulty getting work done, procrastination, and/or organization problems, according to epidemiological data, involves approximately 3% to 5% of the U.S. population. It usually persists throughout a person’s lifetime; approximately one-half to two-thirds of children with ADHD will continue to have significant problems with ADHD symptoms and behaviors as adults, which impacts their lives on the job, within the family, and in social relationships.
The conditions present in adulthood follow the same diagnostic criteria as ADHD in children. The neurological basis of ADHD is a lifelong condition. The prevalence in adults as a clinical disorder is difficult to gauge because individuals differ in their level of affliction. Those who seek treatment as children, and others, over time, may develop coping skills which make the disorder less noticeable; indeed, if the underlying conditions do not cause functional problems in their lives, they may no longer meet the diagnostic criteria at all. However, those whose symptoms continue to significantly negatively affect their functioning in adulthood can be labeled as having the adult version of ADHD. Although the disorder may not have been diagnosed in an individual during childhood, for adults to be diagnosed, the criteria require that they must have had symptoms in childhood.
“Adult ADD” or AADD are alternate terms commonly used to describe the neurological disorder attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) when it occurs in adults. Clinically speaking, ADD and ADHD constitute a single disorder. The ADHD label was an update to the overall syndrome in the DSM-IV (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition); ADD (Attention-Deficit Disorder) with or without hyperactivity is the older term from the DSM-IIIR. Approximately one-third of people with ADHD do not have the hyperactive or overactive behavior component. This leads to some preference for using the ADD and AADD terminology when describing individuals lacking the hyperactivity component, and some clinical professionals believe Adult ADD should be categorized as a separate condition, even though it may have arisen from a childhood ADHD diagnosis.
AADD (aka ADHD in adults) is recognized as a disability under U.S. federal legislation including the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Appropriate and reasonable accommodations are sometimes made in the workplace for adults with ADHD, which help the individual to work more efficiently and productively.
In the 1970s researchers began to realize that the condition now known as ADHD did not always disappear in adolescence, as was once thought. At about the same time, some of the symptoms were also noted in many parents of the children under treatment. The condition was formally recognized as afflicting adults in 1978. Current research indicates that up to 60% of children with ADHD carry their symptoms into adulthood.
Symptoms
ADD and ADHD are somewhat difficult to diagnose as symptoms can be present in adults, as well as children, in at least 16 different ways.
In the book Driven To Distraction, Edward M. Hallowell described an experience of the “hyperactive” aspect of the ADHD disorder from a patient’s perspective:
…It’s like being super-charged all the time. You get one idea and you have to act on it, and then, what do you know, but you’ve got another idea before you’ve finished up with the first one, and so you go for that one, but of course a third idea intercepts the second, and you just have to follow that one, and pretty soon people are calling you disorganized and impulsive and all sorts of impolite words that miss the point completely. Because you’re trying really hard. It’s just that you have all these invisible vectors pulling you this way and that, which makes it really hard to stay on task. Brain feels “cluttered”, or sometimes light in weight (slightly light-headed). Sometimes difficult to sleep.
Many people express that they feel this way in their lives, but that does not necessarily mean that the person has ADD or ADHD. It is important to be tested if you choose to seek treatment.
Read more about ADHD Symptoms in Adults.
Diagnosis
The diagnostic criteria for ADHD in adults are identical to those for children. It is important to note that adult diagnosis requires establishing whether the symptoms were also present in childhood, even if not previously recognized. Diagnosis must also exclude other medical or psychiatric causes of symptoms. The diagnostic criteria require multiple symptoms observed in multiple settings (school, home, work, etc.) within the preceding 6 months. Assessment of adult patients seeking a possible diagnosis can be better than in children due to the adult’s greater ability to provide their own history, input, and insight.
Treatment
Generally, treatments that have proved effective for children have been observed to work equally well or better in adults with a similar diagnosis. Studies show that adult ADD/ADHD is treated successfully with a combination of medication and behavior therapy.
