Many people may think that ADHD is exclusive to children. However, childhood ADHD is not cured during childhood, and it becomes ADHD in adults when they grow up.
There are still a certain number of ADHD patients among adults. ADHD has obvious class conditions and test scores as an evaluation system during school years. When this evaluation system is lost in adulthood, we rarely think that ADHD around us is a disease. They don’t pay too much attention to it, and it’s far less worrying than teachers and parents in their school days, because ADHD in adults is not closely related to people around, but people around them don’t think highly of them.
We can look at the medical definition of ADHD: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is called ADHD, which is a common type of mental disorder in childhood. It is manifested as inattention, short attention span, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness that are not commensurate with age and developmental level, often accompanied by learning difficulties, conduct disorders and maladjustment. Foreign investigations found that the prevalence rate was 3% to 7%, and the male to female ratio was 4-9:1. Some children still have symptoms in adulthood, which obviously affect their academic, physical and mental health, and family life and social skills in adulthood.
Life can be challenging for any adult, but if you find yourself procrastinating, unorganized, forgetful, or overwhelmed by your responsibilities, you may have ADHD. ADHD affects many people, and its various symptoms can damage all aspects including your relationships and career. But there is a solution to ADHD, and understanding ADHD is the first step. Once you understand the challenges you face, you can learn to make up for your shortcomings and use your strengths.
When we read some papers, we found that there have been many studies on ADHD in adults. In memory research, ADHD in adults is often used as experimental subjects to explore the memory control ability of ADHD in adults patients. So many studies have confirmed that ADHD patient is unable to suppress their own memory, due to the lack of attention, they cannot concentrate on many things, including memory.
Understanding ADHD in adults
ADHD is not just a problem for children. If you were diagnosed with ADHD as a child, you are likely to bring some of the characteristics of ADHD into adulthood. But even if you have never been diagnosed as a person with ADHD, it does not mean that you will not be affected by it as an adult.
ADHD is often not recognized in childhood. This was a common thing in the past, when few people knew about ADHD. Without recognizing your symptoms or finding the real cause, your family, teachers, or other parents may think you are a dreamer, a lazy man, a troublemaker, or a bad student.
In addition, you may have found a way to deal with ADHD when you were a child, but when your responsibilities increase, problems will come. The more things you need to maintain, professional development, raising children, and maintaining a family, the higher your organizational skills, concentration, and ability to stay calm. This is challenging for anyone, but if you have ADHD, you will feel that these responsibilities are impossible to satisfy. The good news is that no matter how you feel, ADHD can be overcome. Through relevant education, surrounding support and some creativity, you can deal with these symptoms of ADHD in adults, and even turn some of your weaknesses into strengths. It is never too late to overcome the difficulties of ADHD in adults and achieve success in your own way.
Symptoms of ADHD in adults
1. Difficulty in concentrating and staying focused
Adults with ADHD often find it difficult to maintain focus to deal with daily chores. For example, you may be easily disturbed by irrelevant sounds and images, quickly switch from one activity to another, or quickly become bored. Symptoms of this type are sometimes overlooked, because they appear to be less destructive than the hyperactivity and impulsivity that are also associated with ADHD, but they are also troublesome.
2. Excessive concentration
You may know that people with ADHD find it difficult to concentrate on tasks that they are not interested in. You may not know that they have another side: it is easy to immerse themselves in tasks that are of interest to them and have high returns. This paradoxical symptom is called over concentration.
Excessive concentration is actually a coping strategy against interference, a way to eliminate confusion. It may be so strong that you are completely unaware of what is happening around you. For example, you might enter a book, a TV show, or your computer in this way, and you completely forgot the time, thus ignoring what you need to do. Excessive focusing on a meaningful activity can be a good thing, but it can lead to work and relationship problems.
3. Lack of organization and amnesia
When you have ADHD in adults, life can seem chaotic and out of control. It can be very difficult to manage your life well, such as how to filter useful information for the current job, make a list of tasks, track the progress of tasks, and manage your time.
4. Impulse
If you suffer from this type of symptoms, you may have difficulty controlling your behavior, speech, and reactions. You may think first, or react recklessly. You may find yourself interrupting others, blurting out comments, or starting to do things without first reading the guide. If you have impulsivity problems, it is important to develop patience. You may get involved in things right away, or put yourself in danger.
5. Emotional distress
Many adults with ADHD have difficulty managing their emotions, especially emotions such as anger and frustration.
6. Hyperactivity or restlessness
ADHD in adults may look the same as ADHD in children. You may be high energy and keep moving forward like a motor. However, for many people with ADHD, when they grow up, the symptoms of ADHD become more subtle and internalized.
You can have ADHD without ADHD
Adults with ADHD are much less likely than children with ADHD. Only a small percentage of adult patients suffer from symptoms of ADHD. Remember, the name can be deceptive, even if you do not have ADHD, if you have any one or more of the above symptoms, you are likely to have ADHD.
Result of adults with ADHD
If you have just discovered that you have ADHD, you have probably been suffering from this problem for many years, but you just don’t know where your problem is. Others may label you “lazy” or “stupid” because of your forgetfulness or difficulty in completing tasks. You may also use these negative labels to see yourself, thinking that you are such a person.
Untreated ADHD has many consequences
Undiagnosed and untreated ADHD can cause trouble in all areas of your life.
Physical and psychological problems. ADHD can cause many health problems, including overeating, drug use, anxiety disorders, chronic tension and stress, and lack of self-esteem. You may have problems due to ignoring the health check, missing the opportunity to see a doctor, ignoring medical guidance, forgetting to take medication, etc.
Work and wealth issues. Adults with ADHD often get into professional difficulties and feel a strong sense of low accomplishment. It may be difficult for you to maintain a job, follow company rules, complete tasks on time, and maintain a working rhythm of nine in the morning to five in the evening. There are also problems with managing finances: you may often have unpaid bills, missing documents, fines for failing to pay on time, or debts due to impulsive consumption.
Relationship issues. The symptoms of ADHD can harm your work, love, and family relationships. You may have had enough of your relatives nagging about staying tidy, listening, and organizing your life. To put it another way, people approaching you may feel hurt because of your “irresponsibility” or “insensitiveness”.
The widespread consequences of ADHD can lead to embarrassment, frustration, disappointment, despair, and loss of self-confidence. You may feel that you will never manage your life well. This is why the diagnosis of ADHD in adults can bring great relief and hope. It helps you understand for the first time what your obstacles are and realize that you are innocent. The difficulties you experience are symptoms of ADHD, not the result of personal weakness or personality defects.
ADHD in adults can not be your stumbling block
When you have ADHD, you can easily think that something is wrong with you. But you can be different. ADHD is not an indicator of intelligence and ability. Certain things are more difficult for you, but this does not mean that you cannot discover your strengths and succeed. The key is to find your strengths and bring them into play.
You can think of ADHD as a collection of positive and negative characteristics, just like other characteristics you have. In addition to impulsiveness and disorganization, people with ADHD often possess amazing creativity, passion, energy, out-of-frame thinking, and original ideas. Find your strengths and adjust your environment so that your strengths can be used.
Self treatment of ADHD in adults
Armed with an understanding of ADHD and coping strategies, you can make real changes in your life. Many adults with ADHD have found a way to effectively manage these symptoms and used their talents to start a creative and satisfying life. You don’t necessarily need external help, at least not immediately. There are many things you can do to help yourself.
1 Correct exercise and diet.
Regular, large scale exercise, it can positively consume excessive energy and offensiveness, calming and softening the body. Eat a variety of healthy foods and limit sweets to reduce mood swings.
2 Sufficient sleep.
When you feel tired, it becomes more difficult for you to concentrate, manage stress, maintain creativity, and fulfill your responsibilities. Guarantee 7-8 hours of sleep every night
3 Use better time management methods.
Set deadlines for everything, even small things. Use the alarm clock to remind yourself. Take regular breaks. Avoid accumulating a large number of files, and deal with it as soon as it comes. Prioritize time-sensitive tasks and write down every task, information, and important idea.
4 Improve your relationship.
Make an appointment with your friends to do things, and don’t miss the appointment. Be attentive when talking, listen when others are talking, and don’t talk too fast. Build friendships with people who understand and sympathize with your problems.
5 Create a friendly working environment.
Checklists, colors, reminders, small notes, documents, ceremonies, etc. are often used. If possible, choose jobs that interest you. Pay attention to the situations under which you are most productive, and apply this situation to your work as much as possible. You can unite with people who are less creative but well-organized, and this union is beneficial to both parties.
When to seek external help?
If you correct the symptoms of ADHD through your own efforts, and these symptoms still bother you, this may be the time to seek external help. ADHD in adults can seek a variety of treatment methods, including behavioral counseling, case therapy, mutual aid groups, career counseling, education, and medication. Treatment of ADHD in adults is like treating ADHD in children. It should include a professional team, as well as the patient’s spouse and family.
ADHD in adults is a huge group, and even most of us have more or less mild symptoms, but in patients with severe ADHD, ADHD has severely affected their lives and work.
Therefore, ADHD is a mental illness that we need to pay attention to. If relevant symptoms are shown in childhood, treatment and changes should be made as soon as possible. Otherwise, some physiological and neurological mechanisms will be formed, which will be difficult to cure after being an adult, which will affect their life and work.
