ADHD in adults often remains undetected and often affects the partnership and sexuality of those affected. What symptoms occur in adult attention hyperactivity disorder and how they are treated.
For a long time, physicians assumed that ADHD would decrease with the end of puberty. But it is now clear that many people with ADHD persist into adulthood and seniority: Around 60-70 percent of children and adolescents affected by ADHD have a chronic course and also show symptoms of the disorder as adults.
In particular, if ADHD was not recognized as a pathological disorder in childhood, the risk of ADHD becoming a lifelong companion for adults is increased.
Overview of article content:
ADHD: symptoms in adults
The fidget philipp is the symbol of ADHD in children and adolescents: they are constantly on the move and cannot keep still. The symptom of motor restlessness often takes a back seat in adults – also because those affected have learned to better control their behavior. Other symptoms of the disorder usually make them more difficult, such as problems with concentration.
The symptoms of ADHD in adults are:
strong (inner) restlessness and hyperactivity: They are always on the move, bobbing their feet, playing with their hands, running around and feeling like they are under power. It is difficult to switch off and relax and have trouble sleeping.
impulsive character: Those affected are very volatile emotionally. Grief, anger, anger and fear alternate without any specific reason. The reactions are violent, exaggerated in relation to the trigger and impulsive.
Attention problems: Adults with ADHD find it difficult to focus on one thing or task for a long period of time. They are forgetful, unfocused, erratic and absent-minded. They cannot concentrate on work that they do not enjoy and can quickly be distracted by external circumstances and their own thoughts.
What are the consequences of ADHD in adults?
Especially if ADHD was not diagnosed in childhood, the disorder often remains undetected in adulthood. Because there is no adequate treatment without a diagnosis, adults with ADHD often have a long path of suffering. Some of them have massive difficulties in their professional lives because they cannot organize their everyday life well. Feelings of failure and the accumulation of negative experiences lead to a lack of self-esteem, a pessimistic basic attitude (black painting) and often also to mental illnesses. Because of their impulsive character, their interpersonal relationships also tend to suffer.
Typical behaviors (Symptoms) of adults with ADHD include:
They drop out of training or change jobs frequently.
Affected people are constantly putting themselves under pressure, are hectic, feel stressed and think that they can not do anything.
A lot is always done and started, but no work or work that has started is completed – or they suffer from "defermentitis" and do not start unloved tasks at all or at the last minute.
Times required for individual work are often underestimated.
They have problems in road traffic such as fast driving, impulsive reactions and more often cause accidents.
They have difficulties communicating with others: those affected do not listen properly, block others, make inappropriate comments, or do not stick to the topic.
They are perceived by other people as individualistic and idiosyncratic.
You misplace or lose keys, cell phones and other everyday objects.
They are messy and unable to keep order. This can increase to Messie syndrome.
You are late, forget appointments and arrangements.
They are agile and fluffy, make careless mistakes.
They often have money problems due to their lack of ability to see, plan and organize things.
Addictive behavior and mental illness in adults with ADHD
The majority of adults with ADHD have at least one other mental illness such as depression, anxiety and antisocial personality disorders and manic phases. The risk of suicide is increased, alcohol abuse, drug addiction and the tendency towards other addictive behaviors (internet addiction, gambling addiction, shopping addiction, sex addiction) are increasing.
ADHD in adults: partnership and sexuality
The relationship with a person with ADHD is often difficult and conflict-ridden. The spouse or partner must have a lot of patience and empathy. Not only that interpersonal communication is disrupted. Conflicts often arise because the other person has to take care of the organization of everyday life, the management of appointments, shopping, and finances and feels misunderstood by mood swings, emotional outbursts and non-observance. Adults with ADHD therefore change their partners more often.
Strengths of adults with ADHD
The symptoms of ADHD in adulthood are primarily stressful for those affected and their environment. However, people with ADHD also have many strengths: they often have a high level of creativity, are considered flexible, sensitive and curious. If they are passionate about something, they can work for it very persistently and in a concentrated manner and often prove to be lateral thinkers and ideas providers.
Diagnosis: ADHD in adults
Especially for adults with ADHD who are severely affected by the disorder, the diagnosis is often a first relief. The diagnosis of ADHD in adults is, however, more difficult to make than in childhood because those affected have often learned to better control the symptoms of the disorder. In addition, the effects of ADHD are also typical for certain mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders or borderline syndrome.
Standardized methods developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) are available for diagnosis and are also increasingly being used by general practitioners. If ADHD is suspected, the diagnosis for adults is no different from that for children. It consists of:
History (questioning the patient): What symptoms appear when and how long have they existed? Was there anything unusual in childhood? Are medications taken? Have you been diagnosed with mental illness?
physical diagnostics: Determination of blood values, EKG and thyroid examination to rule out organic causes,
Survey of caregivers and partners,
Questionnaire on Self-assessment of the patient,
neuropsychological Test procedure, which examine, for example, concentration, attention and cognitive skills.
Therapy of ADHD in adults
Adults with ADHD that are perceived as being restricted need appropriate treatment, which usually uses coaching, psychotherapeutic measures and medication. Therapy often focuses on accompanying depression, anxiety disorders and, if necessary, drug consumption favored by ADHD.
ADHD therapy in adults is essentially the same as that of children and adolescents. The multimodial treatment concept consists of pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions:
Psychoeducation: Those affected receive comprehensive advice and information about ADHD. It is believed that the better the patient is informed about all aspects of ADHD, the more successful the treatment.
Psychotherapy: As part of behavioral therapy, those affected learn to deal better with ADHD symptoms, develop self-esteem again and recognize their own strengths. Strategies for solving everyday problems, exercises for improving concentration, methods for self-organization, for mastering emotional outbursts and for recognizing and resolving stressful thought and behavior patterns are taught. Behavioral therapy can be done in individual and group training. Other methods such as neurofeedback or relaxation techniques can also be used to train attention and concentration.
Use of medication: Active ingredients that were only used in children and adolescents years ago have now received approval for adults. These are the substances methylphenidate (Ritalin, Medikinet) and atomoxetine (Strattera). These drugs start directly with the messenger substances in the brain and influence the processing of stimuli. Those affected become more attentive and can concentrate better.
ADHD in adult women
Symptoms of ADHD in girls are usually less noticeable than in boys, which is why the disease is often undiagnosed, especially in adulthood. Affected girls are often quiet, somewhat dreamy and self-contained.
If the obligations increase with adulthood, the restrictions caused by ADHD also become visible in women. Inattentiveness, dreaminess, forgetfulness, mood swings, motivation problems and lack of organization can be compensated more and more poorly in the increasingly complex everyday life.
The multiple burden of household, work and family then increases the suffering of those affected. The majority of women with ADHD have a relatively high IQ and a particularly high level of creativity, which is why they themselves perceive and reflect on their difficulties relatively clearly. Her mental health also suffers from this. Feelings of failure and anxiety can develop into depression and other mental illnesses that require treatment.
In many cases, women only get treatment when other diseases have already been added to ADHD. In these cases, doctors often make diagnoses such as depression, bipolar personality disorder or Boderline personality disorder – the ADHD remains hidden behind these diseases and continues to be untreated.
Therapy can bring back quality of life
It is therefore important to think of ADHD as the cause of any symptoms. A multimodal treatment concept based on medication and psychotherapeutic measures has also proven to be very effective in women. By stabilizing their emotional world, it will be much easier for those affected to cope with their everyday life and lead a relatively structured life – despite ADHD in adulthood.
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