Recognizing ADD Symptoms in Adults
You forget appointments or tasks? You may interrupt people when they're talking or sneak into rooms without knocking. These actions may be ADHD symptoms when they cause you to have conflict in your daily life.
Adults suffering from ADHD often have comorbid psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and mood disorders. Questions that are routinely asked during a clinical interview can reveal signs of ADHD.
Signs and symptoms
A person suffering from ADD isn't able to pay focus on details, organising activities, or following through on commitments. He or she makes impulsive errors at school or at work, forgets important items such as bills and appointments, and has difficulty staying focussed on conversations and leisure activities. In addition, a person who suffers from this type of ADD has trouble keeping their emotions in check, and is easily distracted by people around them.
For a person to be diagnosed with ADD they must have had inattention symptoms at least six months prior. A number of symptoms have to be present on two distinct occasions, and the patient's problems must interfere with the school, social, or work-related functioning. Teachers and parents should provide feedback, in addition to clinical observation and a thorough history. Some patients have a combination of symptoms in both the inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive categories. The symptoms of ADD combined are not as obvious and can be difficult to recognize by family doctors. However, it is an illness that can be diagnosed and treated by primary care physicians.
Diagnosis
Although ADD is among the most common childhood mental health conditions, it's not always recognized until later in life. Family physicians can be a crucial factor in identifying ADD and sending adults to treatment, especially those who have been relegated to mental health services or don't have a diagnosis at all.
The diagnosis is based on a thorough clinical assessment, which can include self-ratings, an interview and observation of patients in different situations (e.g. at work, at home or socially) and a thorough medical history that considers both past and current difficulties and feedback from the employer or school. It is crucial to rule out other reasons for the symptoms of a person, such as sleep disorders and learning disabilities as well as mood disorders.
The earliest definition of ADD included only inattentive problems, but recent studies have shown that people with ADD are equally likely to present with hyperactive-impulsive or combined presentations, and they can have both types of symptoms at different times. Inattentive ADD is diagnosed when the doctor is satisfied that there are at least six inattentive symptoms in two of the following seven subcategories: difficulty focusing or staying focused and disorganization, inability to follow directions or rules, and being easily distracted. Hyperactive-impulsive ADD is diagnosed when the clinician is satisfied there are six or more symptoms in four of the following six categories: fidgeting, excessive talking or interrupting others, being restless, unable to wait for their turn or impulsively leaving their seat.
In order to be diagnosed as having ADD, symptoms must have been present in at least two areas of a person's life for at least six months. About half of those with ADD suffer from comorbid psychological and psychiatric disorders. These include mood disorders (depressions, bipolar affective disorders and dysthymia) and addictions, personality disorders and anxiety disorders.
The symptoms of ADD can be reversed but the best method to treat it is applying strategies to help people create structure in their life and change their behaviour. Goal setting, daily routines and making lists and reminders are beneficial. It is crucial to teach people to control their impulsive behavior and to understand what triggers them. Techniques such as waiting until taking action, or evaluating a situation and working out alternatives are beneficial. Sometimes medication is necessary however it is essential to test one medication before adding another.
Treatment
Adults with inattentive ADD often find they struggle at school, work or in their relationships with family and friends. They tend to miss important details, make impulsive mistakes and get distracted easily. They are also more likely to be suffering from anxiety, depression or abuse. There are many treatment options available to adults with ADD/ADHD that can assist them in living more productive lives.
ADD/ADHD, which is among the most prevalent mental disorders, is often overlooked by family physicians. This could be due to the fact that family physicians are unfamiliar with the symptoms that manifest in adults or because people with ADD/ADHD often have comorbid problems, such as mood disorders (depression, bipolar affective disorder dysthymia) and anxiety, or addiction disorders.
A diagnosis of inattention ADD is by a thorough assessment which includes feedback from teachers and other professionals as well as clinical observation. The symptoms must be a problem in different settings on a regular basis, and cause significant impairment. In order to diagnose inattentive ADD children who are under 17 years of age must display at least six signs in the category of inattentional behavior. Adults need at minimum five of the 11 inattentive behaviors.
Management
It is crucial that family doctors are aware of ADD in adults because the problems can be quite serious. Inattentive ADD in adults is more common than hyperactive impulsive ADHD however, family physicians aren't aware of it. adhd adult symptoms of patients are undiagnosed. Frequently, the inattentive type of ADD is misdiagnosed as mood disorders (depression or bipolar affective disorder) or anxiety, or substance use disorders. Treatment is based on support and education and helps patients create more structure in their lives, and improving self-esteem and social interactions and promoting an active lifestyle and healthy diet and taking medication when needed. As high as 60% of ADD sufferers benefit from treatment. It is not recommended to use in children because it is not safe for children.