ADHD in Adults: What to Do About It

In recent years, more and more adults have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). How did this childhood diagnosis migrate into adulthood, and how can you tell if you have it? We talked to experts on this topic: Vyacheslav Filashikhin, chief physician of the private psychiatric and drug addiction clinic "Rosa", and Nadezhda Golikova, clinical psychologist and member of the international professional association of psychologists.

Vyacheslav Filashikhin, the clinic's leading specialist in complex, therapy-resistant disorders. Therapy for mental disorders and behavioral disorders due to the consequences of organic damage to the central nervous system.

How did ADHD migrate to adult diagnoses?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is traditionally considered a childhood diagnosis. However, as Vyacheslav Filashikhin explains, ADHD symptoms can persist in adults. This usually happens when the syndrome arose in childhood or adolescence, but did not go away or was not compensated for as the person grew older. In a significant number of cases, such symptoms remain with a person throughout their life.

There are also cases when ADHD symptoms appear in adults who did not have similar problems in childhood. This may be due to a complication of any neurological diseases, such as some mental disorders, encephalopathy, consequences of neuroinfections, strokes, injuries or poisoning.

Signs of ADHD in Adults

Signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults can be divided into several groups:

1. Hyperactivity:

• Fidgeting and need to move.
• Difficulty completing tasks that require patience and consistent work.
• Difficulty with control and planning.
• Impatience in communication, study, work and other areas of life.

2. Decreased attention:

• Inability to focus on one object for a long time.
• Ignoring important tasks, questions and nuances.
• Easily distracted by extraneous objects and irritants.
• Memory impairment.

3. Thinking style:

• Difficulty analyzing information.
• Difficulty extracting the essential from a large amount of data.
• Irrational conclusions.

4. Impulsivity:

• Difficulty controlling spontaneous emotions and feelings, such as fits of anger or rage.
• Sudden and not always adequate actions, such as impolite interruptions of communication or the use of rude expressions.
• Rash decisions without considering all the consequences.
• Constantly being late.

How to understand that you have ADHD

If the symptoms listed above do not go away after a good rest, this may be a sign of ADHD. Vyacheslav Filashikhin also recommends paying attention to the following signs:

• Regular quarrels with family members due to uncleaned things, unfulfilled promises or inappropriate spending.
• Frequent job changes due to criticism from colleagues and superiors about inattention and restlessness.
• Difficulty reading a book, watching a full-length film without interruptions, or preparing food.

Nadezhda Golikova, clinical psychologist, member of the International Professional Association of Psychologists. Has spent more than 1000 hours of therapeutic work with clients in the field of building a healthy personality and internal support.

Nadezhda Golikova, clinical psychologist and member of the International Professional Association of Psychologists, emphasizes:

"In the modern world, being sick has become fashionable. Every second person has depression, autism or ADHD. I would like to say that this is not true, but alas... statistics are such that out of 100 people, 3-4 will have ADHD, and this is an incredible number. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is not just a "pain in the ass", as our parents liked to say, it is a rather serious disorder of neuropsychiatric activity that affects all areas of a person's life."

Before diagnosing yourself with ADHD, it is important to consult a neurologist and psychiatrist, as they can confirm or deny this diagnosis. Golikova warns that psychologists from social networks and Google can only give you a description, under which your psyche can pull up anything, with the proper level of motivation.

ADHD is a congenital disorder that manifests itself in childhood.

"Unfortunately, our parents did not have access to as much information about the psyche as we did, so we were simply children who "can do it, but just don't want to try." The problem is that they can't, they really can't," Golikova notes.

Golikova identifies the following symptoms of ADHD: making stupid and simple mistakes in things that you can do 100%, inability to concentrate on one thing, always needing another distraction (for example, listening to music and doing homework, watching a movie and playing a game on your phone), inability to follow clear instructions, hatred of routine tasks, more effective work a couple of hours before the deadline than if it is stretched out over the entire period, forgetfulness and high distractibility.

However, Golikova suggests considering ADHD not only as a disease, but also as a superpower:

"After all, people with this syndrome are much more creative, they react much better in any stressful situations, they can multitask to a degree that neurotypical people never even dreamed of."

Cognitive behavioral therapy is ideal for normalizing your condition and adapting to life with this syndrome. ADHD is not curable, but it can be understood, tamed, and used for your own benefit. The main thing to remember is that you are more than your illness, and you just need to learn how to use it correctly.