ADHD in Adults

Think you may have ADHD ADD? Fill out the Dr. Hallowell Adult Self-Report Scale screening tool on the Dr. Oz Website and on the Dr. Phil website.

Common Symptoms of ADD

-Easily distractible

-Low tolerance for frustration

-Low tolerance for boredom

-Impulsiveness

-Forgetfulness

-Restlessness

 The best way to think of ADD is as a collection of traits and tendencies that define a way of being in the world.

Treatment aims to transform the disorder into an asset by accenting what is useful and paring back on what's not.  Restore hope and confidence by gaining understanding of the condition.

ADHD in Adults

If you have exhibited at least twelve of the following behaviors since childhood and if these symptoms are not associated with any other medical or psychiatric condition, consider an evaluation by a team of ADHD professionals:

• A sense of underachievement, of not meeting one’s goals (regardless of how much one has actually accomplished).
• Difficulty getting organized.
• Chronic procrastination or trouble getting started.
• Many projects going simultaneously; trouble with follow through.
• A tendency to say what comes to mind without necessarily considering the timing or appropriateness of the remark.
• A frequent search for high stimulation.
• An intolerance of boredom.
• Easy distractibility; trouble focusing attention, tendency to tune out or drift away in the middle of a page or conversation, often coupled with an inability to focus at times.
• Often creative, intuitive, highly intelligent
• Trouble in going through established channels and following “proper” procedure.
• Impatient; low tolerance of frustration.
• Impulsive, either verbally or in action, as an impulsive spending of money.
• Changing plans, enacting new schemes or career plans and the like; hot-tempered.
• A tendency to worry needlessly, endlessly; a tendency to scan the horizon looking for something to worry about, alternating with attention to or disregard for actual dangers.
• A sense of insecurity.
• Mood swings, especially when disengaged from a person or a project.
• Physical or cognitive restlessness.
• A tendency toward addictive behavior.
• Chronic problems with self-esteem.
• Inaccurate self-observation.
• Family history of AD/HD or manic depressive illness or depression or substance abuse or other disorders of impulse control or mood.

Clinical Definition of ADHD

The following are some of the criteria for diagnosis listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for ADHD, which is the standard reference among mental health professionals. While this definition is not perfect, I include it as it is the most commonly accepted definition.
DSM-IV Criteria for ADHD
I. Either A or B:
A) Six or more of the following symptoms of inattention have been present for at least 6 months to a point that is inappropriate for developmental level:
Inattention

• Often does not give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities.
• Often has trouble keeping attention on tasks or play activities.
• Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly.
• Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (not due to oppositional behavior or failure to understand instructions).
• Often has trouble organizing activities.
• Often avoids, dislikes, or doesn’t want to do things that take a lot of mental effort for a long period of time (such as schoolwork or homework).
• Often loses things needed for tasks and activities (e.g. toys, school assignments, pencils, books, or tools).
• Is often easily distracted.
• Is often forgetful in daily activities.

B) Six or more of the following symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity have been present for at least 6 months to an extent that is disruptive and inappropriate for developmental level:
Hyperactivity

• Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat when sitting still is expected.
• Often gets up from seat when remaining in seat is expected.
• Often excessively runs about or climbs when and where it is not appropriate (adolescents or adults may feel very restless).
• Often has trouble playing or doing leisure activities quietly.
• Is often “on the go” or often acts as if “driven by a motor”.
• Often talks excessively.

Impulsivity

• Often blurts out answers before questions have been finished.
• Often has trouble waiting one’s turn.
• Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations or games).
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II. Some symptoms that cause impairment were present before age 7 years.

III. Some impairment from the symptoms is present in two or more settings (e.g. at school/work and at home).

IV. There must be clear evidence of clinically significant impairment in social, school, or work functioning.

V. The symptoms do not happen only during the course of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenia, or other Psychotic Disorder. The symptoms are not better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g. Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociative Disorder, or a Personality Disorder).

American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 2000, via the CDC

Types of ADHD

There are three variations of ADHD, depending on which symptoms are strongest in an individual. These descriptions are taken from the CDC:

Predominantly Inattentive Type: It is hard for the individual to organize or finish a task, to pay attention to details, or to follow instructions or conversations. The person is easily distracted or forgets details of daily routines.

Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type:The person fidgets and talks a lot. It is hard to sit still for long (e.g., for a meal or while doing homework). Smaller children may run, jump or climb constantly. The individual feels restless and has trouble with impulsivity. Someone who is impulsive may interrupt others a lot, grab things from people, or speak at inappropriate times. It is hard for the person to wait their turn or listen to directions. A person with impulsiveness may have more accidents and injuries than others.

Combined Type: Symptoms of the above two types are equally present in the person.

Next Steps

1) Keep learning about ADHD! Some good places to start:

• Treatments for ADHD describes our recommended strategies for successfully adjusting to and coping with ADD/ADHD.
• Delivered From Distraction is one of the best introductions to ADD available
• The Top 10 questions about ADHD
• The Top 10 newest findings about ADHD
• Watch Dr. Hallowell discuss Kids and ADHD, or ADHD and education

2) If you believe that you or your child or spouse may have ADHD, get a professional diagnosis:

• The Hallowell Centers specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD, for those in or near Massachusetts or New York
• For those not near a Hallowell Center, we have a page to help you find a referral to someone qualified who can diagnose ADHD
• Ask your doctor about getting tested for ADHD

3) Remember that you are not alone! There is a tremendous community to support and help you. A few places to look, depending on your needs:

• CH.A.D.D. (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder): an excellent organization dedicated to helping and connecting those with ADHD
• For those married to someone with ADHD, or are ADHD themselves, go to the Marriage Blog, which is also a community of people sharing their experiences
• National Attention Deficit Disorder Association: a non-profit organization that focuses on the needs of adults and young adults with ADHD. They sponsor an annual national conference on ADHD.

4) Book Dr. Hallowell to speak to your school or organization about ADHD

“Those of us with ADHD need your support! We are not “lazy,” “stubborn,” “willful,” “disruptive,” “impossible,” “tyrannical,” “a space shot,” “brain damaged,” or “stupid.”
- Dr. Hallowell

Edward M. Hallowell, M.D.


, Posted: 06/27/2012

Child and adult psychiatrist, bestselling author

What’s it Like to Have ADHD?

Huffington Post: 06/27/2012 11:40 am

What is it like to have ADHD? What is the feel of the syndrome? Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. First of all, I resent the term. As far as I’m concerned, most people have Attention Surplus Disorder. I mean, life being what it is, who can pay attention to anything for very long? Is it really a sign of mental health to be able to balance your checkbook, sit still in your chair, and never speak out of turn? But anyway, be that as it may, there is this syndrome called ADD or ADHD, depending on what book you read. So what’s it like to have it?

Some people say the so-called syndrome doesn’t even exist, but believe me, it does. Many metaphors come to mind to describe it. It’s like driving in the rain with bad windshield wipers. Everything is smudged and blurred and you’re speeding along, and it’s really frustrating not being able to see very well. Or it’s like listening to a radio station with a lot of static and you have to strain to hear what’s going on. Or, it’s like trying to build a house of cards in a dust storm. You have to build a structure to protect yourself from the wind before you can even start on the cards.

In other ways it’s like being supercharged 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. Plus, you’re spilling over all the time. You’re drumming your fingers, tapping your feet, humming a song, looking here, looking there, stretching, doodling, and people think you’re not paying attention or that you’re not interested, but all you’re doing is spilling over so that you can pay attention. I can pay a lot better attention when I’m taking a walk or listening to music or even when I’m in a crowded, noisy room than when I’m still and surrounded by silence.

What is it like to have ADHD? Buzzing. Being here and there and everywhere. Someone once said, “Time is the thing that keeps everything from happening all at once.” Time parcels moments out into separate bits so that we can do one thing at a time. In ADHD, this does not happen. In ADHD, time collapses. Time becomes a black hole. To the person with ADHD it feels as if everything is happening all at once. This creates a sense of inner turmoil or even panic. The individual loses perspective and the ability to prioritize. He or she is always on the go, trying to keep the world from caving in on top.

Lines. I’m almost incapable of waiting in lines. I just can’t wait, you see. That’s the agony of it. Impulse leads to action. I’m very short on what you might call the intermediate reflective step between impulse and action. That’s why I, like so many people with ADHD, lack tact. Tact is entirely dependent on the ability to consider one’s words before uttering them. We ADHD types don’t do this so well.

Many of us with ADHD crave high-stimulus situations. In my case, I love casinos, the high-intensity crucible of doing psychotherapy and having lots of people around. High stim situations can get you into trouble, which is why ADHD is high among criminals and self-destructive risk-takers. It is also high among so-called Type A personalities, as well as among manic-depressives, sociopaths and drug users. But it is also high among creative and intuitive people in all fields, and among highly-energetic, highly-productive people. Which is to say there is a positive side to all this. Usually the positive doesn’t get mentioned when people speak about ADHD because there is a natural tendency to focus on what goes wrong, or at least on what has to be somehow controlled. But often once the ADHD has been diagnosed, and the individual, with the help of teachers, parents and colleagues, has learned how to cope with it, an untapped realm of the brain swims into view. Suddenly the radio station is tuned in, the windshield is clear, the sand storm has died down. And the child or adult, who had been such a problem, such a nudge, such a general pain in the neck, starts doing things he’d never been able to do before. He surprises everyone around him, and he surprises himself. I use the male pronoun, but it could just as easily be she, as we are seeing more and more ADHD among females as we are looking for it.

Often these people are highly imaginative and intuitive. They have a “feel” for things, a way of seeing right into the heart of matters while others have to reason their way along methodically. This is the person who can’t explain how he thought of the solution, or where the idea for the story came from, or why suddenly he produced such a painting, or how he knew the short cut to the answer, but all he can say is he just knew it, he could feel it. This is the man or woman who makes million-dollar deals in a catnap and pulls them off the next day. This is the child who, having been reprimanded for blurting something out, is then praised for having blurted out something brilliant. These are the people who learn and know and do and go by touch and feel.

These people can feel a lot. In places where most of us are blind they can, if not see the light, at least feel the light, and they can produce answers apparently out of the dark. It is important for others to be sensitive to this “sixth sense” many ADHD people have, and to nurture it. If the environment insists on rational, linear thinking and “good” behavior from these people all the time, then they may never develop their intuitive style to the point where they can use it profitably. It can be exasperating to listen to people talk. They can sound so vague or rambling. But if you take them seriously and grope along with them, often you will find they are on the brink of startling conclusions or surprising solutions.

What I am saying is that their cognitive style is qualitatively different from most people’s, and what may seem impaired, with patience and encouragement may become gifted. The thing to remember is that if the diagnosis can be made, then most of the bad stuff associated with ADHD can be avoided or contained. The diagnosis can be liberating, particularly for people who have been stuck with labels like “lazy,” “stubborn,” “willful,” “disruptive,” “impossible,” “tyrannical,” “a space shot,” “brain damaged,” “stupid,” or just plain “bad.” Making the diagnosis of ADHD can take the case from the court of moral judgment to the clinic of neuropsychiatric treatment.

What is the treatment all about? Anything that turns down the noise. Just making the diagnosis helps turn down the noise of guilt and self-recrimination. Building certain kinds of structure into one’s life can help a lot. Working in small spurts rather than long hauls. Breaking tasks down into smaller tasks. Making lists. Getting help where you need it. Maybe applying external limits on your impulses. Or getting enough exercise to work off some of the noise inside. Finding support. Getting someone in your corner to coach you, to keep you on track. Medication can help a great deal too, but it is far from the whole solution. The good news is that treatment can really help.

We who have ADHD need your help and understanding. We may make mess-piles wherever we go, but with your help, those mess-piles can be turned into realms of reason and art. So, if you know someone like me who’s acting up and daydreaming and forgetting this or that and just not getting with the program, consider ADHD before he starts believing all the bad things people are saying about him and it’s too late.



Source: http://www.drhallowell.com/add-adhd/


Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwxCuIYJyBc&feature=youtu.be

http://www.drhallowell.com/whats-it-like-to-have-adhd/