Are You Living With Undiagnosed ADHD in Adults?
There are many misconceptions about what it is like to live with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This phrase can bring to mind the image of a little boy unable to sit still, and the prevailing idea is that children eventually outgrow their ADHD symptoms. But in reality, ADHD is a complex disorder that often persists into adulthood, with symptoms that go far beyond an inability to concentrate or sit still. As a result, many adults who experienced ADHD symptoms from an early age never received a diagnosis or treatment.
“The term ADHD is being misused,” said Lydia Zilowska , a psychiatrist at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine. “Lack of attention is just one aspect of ADHD.”
If you think you may have ADHD in adults, it is important to get tested sooner rather than later, as the lack of treatment can often cause many personal and professional difficulties. And find a healthcare practitioner who specializes in ADHD in adults, as many of these misconceptions apply to those in the healthcare industry.
With that in mind, here’s an overview of ADHD, as well as some signs that might indicate that you may have an undiagnosed case.
You find it difficult to make plans and stick to them.
ADHD can be more accurately described as an executive function disorder. The executive function, often referred to as the “ brain control system ,” is what helps us set goals, prioritize, come up with plans, and persist until they are completed, even as things get complicated.
Executive function has three main components : working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control. This is what gives us the ability to pay attention, prioritize, set goals, make and adjust plans based on feedback, and execute those plans. All of this requires long-term thinking, the ability to adapt to changing factors and the control to keep working despite the obstacles we face. People with ADHD tend to struggle with all of these components of executive function.
You are always looking for something new
ADHD is thought to be caused by a deficiency in the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine . People with ADHD try to make up for this deficiency by constantly engaging in dopamine-stimulating behaviors that result in physical or mental arousal.
“Even if you are not hyperactive outwardly through your body, I have yet to meet someone with ADHD who does not have an overactive brain, who [did not] constantly seek and did not want to learn new things,” said Terry Matlen. , a psychotherapist and author of The Distraction Queen: How Women With ADHD Can Beat Chaos, Focus, and Get More , who was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.
There are three subtypes of ADHD: hyperactive-impulsive, inattentive-disorganized, and combined.
People with hyperactive-impulsive ADHD seek stimulation in their physical environment; people with the inattentively disorganized type are looking for mental stimulation; while those with combined ADHD seek stimulation with a combination of the two.
All of these scenarios create focusing problems because the person with ADHD is either too busy seeking stimulation or too tired of trying to curb their impulses to focus. Another aspect of ADHD is known as hyper focus, where a person becomes intensely focused on one thing to the exclusion of everything else. While this may sound helpful, the problem with hyperfocusing is that it is difficult to control, which can lead to people forgetting to do other important things.
ADHD is a disorder that people are born with, not something that comes and goes like anxiety and depression. “ADHD is, by definition, not an episodic event. This is how your brain works, ”Zilovskaya said.
One of the criteria for ADHD is that its symptoms should have appeared before age 12. However, given the wide range of symptoms and misconceptions about them, even on the part of doctors, many people are never diagnosed during childhood.
You are always disorganized and procrastinating
Most adult responsibilities, such as working, paying bills, caring for children, and taking care of your physical and mental needs, require a lot of executive functions. This means that people with ADHD may have difficulty organizing, multitasking, procrastinating, and failing to complete tasks, which can cause problems both in the workplace and at home.
As a result, adults with ADHD are often either under-employed compared to their ability or struggle to get jobs that match their ability. “We see people working their dreams and just drowning,” Matlin said. “They don’t have time because they find it difficult to complete several tasks at the same time, they find it difficult to complete their projects on time, they fail because the phone rings or emails arrive.”
People with ADHD can run into relationship problems because they either forget or struggle to complete tasks such as paying bills, cleaning the house, or picking up their kids on time. “This can create a lot of stress in a marriage, especially if the non-ADHD partner doesn’t know what it is or that their partner has one,” Zilowska said.
You may have addictive behavior
Adults without a diagnosis are more likely to develop certain coping mechanisms, some of which are healthy and many of which are not.
Untreated people are at high risk of developing addictive behavior, a common form of self-medication. This can manifest as high-risk, thrill-seeking behaviors such as high-adrenaline car racing or sports, substance abuse problems, and high levels of eating disorders such as overeating. There is also a risk of other compulsive behaviors, such as excessive TV viewing, playing games for several hours at a time, or spending excessive amounts of time on social media.
As Matlen points out, people with ADHD may also lean toward professions that are highly stimulating. This can be high-adrenaline work, such as firefighting or emergency room work, or mental stimulation work that requires a lot of training and thought.
You may also have anxiety or depression.
It is also highly likely that adults with undiagnosed ADHD will develop additional mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, which can further complicate diagnosis. Sometimes anxiety and depression develop as a result of their ADHD, and sometimes the conditions develop separately.
“It’s helpful to find a professional who knows about ADHD in adults and can help solve this problem,” Zilowska said. One hint might be if, after the anxiety and depression are healed, the person is still struggling to focus and complete tasks.
When symptoms of ADHD first appeared, this is another factor to consider, as is a family history of ADHD, as it is inherited. There are times when one of the siblings is diagnosed in childhood, while a more highly functional sibling who does not struggle much is diagnosed much later.
Diagnosis and treatment are important
If any or all of this sounds like it describes you, it is important to seek an assessment sooner rather than later due to problems that may arise from a lack of diagnosis and treatment. You will also feel better and be able to find ways to start overcoming difficulties when you have a clearer path in front of you.
Finally, given the lack of understanding of what ADHD looks like in adults, it is important to find a specialist with experience evaluating adult patients. “If anyone thinks, ‘I’ve read about ADHD and that suits me,’ [it’s important] to get empowered to advocate for their own interests,” Zilowska said.