To get the help that’s needed, people need to know the signs to look out for as well as their treatment options. Without the proper care, adults with ADHD may find it difficult to remain gainfully employed and maintain healthy relationships.
Typical Signs of ADHD in Adults
The signs of ADHD can vary from one person to the other as they may range from being mild to severe. To make things more complicated, some signs can disappear entirely as you age. However, these are 16 of the typical signs of ADHD.
- A level of impulsiveness
- Managing time poorly
- Having problems organizing or prioritizing tasks
- Having trouble focusing on a task
- Being unable to multitask
- Being excessively restless
- An inability to plan
- Low tolerance for frustration
- Being unable to follow through with tasks that have been assigned
- Having frequent mood swings
- Having frequent flares in anger or a hot temper
- Having trouble dealing with stress or stressful situations
- Being unable to take care of physical needs
- Feeling drawn to substances like drugs or alcohol as coping mechanisms
- Chronic fatigue
- Being unable to maintain close relationships
The main difference between ADHD and experiencing these signs every now and then is that they don’t go away. If you’re experiencing any of these signs, then it’s recommended that you talk to a mental health professional.
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It doesn’t matter if they’re not bad enough to disrupt your daily life. There are helpful skills that adults with ADHD can use to ensure that they’re coping as well as possible.
UNcommon Signs of ADHD
4) Hyperfocus
We commonly think of ADHD as a disorder where people can’t focus, but sometimes people with ADHD experience hyperfocus instead. This is where they can focus on one thing for extended periods of time. It can be hard with folks with ADHD to switch from task to task so instead they have razor like focus on one thing. This can be an intense state of concentration where you lose track of time or miss other important information.
3) Time Management Issues
People with ADHD often have a hard time with time management. If you’re frequently late or have difficulty managing your time to get things done, ADHD might be the culprit. Often folks with ADHD have a warped sense of time, where a focus on what’s happening right now overshadows the future.
2) Emotional Sensitivity
Another symptom is feeling especially sensitive to criticism and rejection. When folks with ADHD feel they’re being criticized or rejected, it can lead to withdrawing socially or even hostility. ADHD can also be a source of shame for some people as there is still stigma out there surrounding mental health. Often adults who are diagnosed with ADHD have been told their whole lives that they’re lazy or that something is wrong with them because their brains work differently than other people. This can also leave people feeling emotionally sensitive and vigilant to criticism.
1) Sleep Problems
Many folks with ADHD have difficulty sleeping. If you find yourself tossing and turning at night, having trouble falling or staying asleep, or deal with insomnia, this could be related to ADHD. Fatigue from getting poor sleep consistently can also lead to things like difficulty focusing and forgetfulness, which are two classic symptoms of ADHD.
Treatment Options For Adult ADHD
Given that ADHD can be mild to severe, the treatment options will be determined by how badly your life is being affected by the disorder. Persons with mild symptoms have been known to benefit from therapeutic care such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).
CBT entails given the patient the skills needed to manage their behavior and negative thinking.
In ore severe cases, you may be prescribed medications to help. The options include stimulants, non-stimulants, and anti-depressants. It’s not unusual for persons to need to change their medications to find the right ones so always let the doctor know if the symptoms have gotten worse or you have other undesirable side effects.
Apart from therapy and getting medication, seeking help can give you great tips for dealing with ADHD. For example, a detailed organizational system can guide you in answering your emails, managing tasks, and prioritizing activities.
Persons who have poor time management skills also find that using alarms and timers gives them more control over their time.
Why The Disorder Can Go Undiagnosed
According to recent statistics, children and adults of color are still less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than other ethnicities. This phenomenon occurs even when the symptoms are similar or the same.
As health professionals delve into what causes the discrepancy, one factor that has been suggested is the lack of health resources that exist for persons of color when it comes to mental health disorders.
While that continues to be investigated, a less nefarious cause is the fact that the symptoms of ADHD can be masked in the presence of another disorder. For example, persons with a mood disorder such as bipolar disorder may experience stronger bouts of depression because of ADHD but it’s not easy to determine.
Other issues that can affect the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of ADHD include anxiety disorders, personality disorders, substance abuse disorders, and learning disabilities. In rare cases, the treatment programs for certain disorders have been known to make the symptoms of ADHD even worse.
Most health professionals agree that there could be more adults than you think dealing with ADHD. If you're concerned, it’s best to get assessed as soon as possible. With the right tools, you could be living a much healthier life.
