ADHD in Adults - How to know if you are one..
 

Some symptoms of adult ADHD are similar to those of bipolar disorder, but ADHD tends to show a persisting trait of irritability and volatility, very different from the grandiose and euphoric symptoms of mania and the depression found in bipolar disorder.

This is why you need a well trained psychiatrist or diagnostic clinical psychologist, a number of sessions and a number of tests before you can know what diagnosis you really have. Errors are more common than not.

Is ADHD Properly Diagnosed And Treated In Adults?

03 Jan 2007

An editorial written by Professor Philip Asherson, a leading psychiatrist in adult ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London strongly recommends that general adult psychiatrists should diagnose ADHD in adults appropriately with stimulant drugs. It is published in the January issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Although ADHD can be effectively treated with stimulant medication, and such treatment is widespread in the young, general adult psychiatry has not yet followed suit in identifying and treating substantial numbers of affected people.

ADHD is a common disorder affecting children and adults, and is a predictor of adult mental health problems. Symptoms include high levels of inattentiveness, impulsiveness and restless over activity, and are regarded as a source of disability in children and adolescents, as well as a risk to adult psychological adjustment.

Young people are entering adult life whilst still receiving medication for ADHD, and adult psychiatrists are needed to take over treatment when symptoms persist. Moreover, some adult patients with ADHD may be misdiagnosed and ineffectively treated for other disorders, such as depression and personality disorder.

Research suggests that between 15% and 65% of children diagnosed with ADHD still have symptoms of the disorder in adulthood. However, many children with ADHD go unrecognised, and may be diagnosed in adulthood for the first time.

A survey of schoolchildren with ADHD in the London Borough of Newham found that although levels of restless activity diminished between the ages of 7 and 17, the 17-year-olds showed a level of hyperactivity similar to that found in a group of normal 7-year-olds.

When the same people were followed up at the age of 26, they were found to have disabilities associated with high levels of psychiatric disorder, which were all the more significant because of increasing demands in adult life for self-organisation and the ability to plan ahead.

Adult behaviours linked to ADHD are associated with the childhood symptoms of motor hyperactivity, attention deficit, unfocused thinking, mood changes, disorganisation and impulsiveness.

They include - at the severe end of the spectrum - feelings of restlessness, difficulty in relaxing, feeling depressed when inactive, lack of concentration on detail, depression or excitability, poor time management, difficulties sustaining relationships and a tendency to make rapid and facile decisions without full analysis of the situation.

Psychiatrists diagnosing ADHD in adults need to be aware of the fact that people with this disorder often show decreased symptoms in a novel situation like a psychiatric evaluation. It is therefore important to base mental state evaluations on a typical week and a variety of normal situations.

Mood instability is very common in adult ADHD, and can lead to diagnoses of depression or personality disorder. Many adults with ADHD also have other problems, such as antisocial personality, alcohol and drug misuse, anxiety disorders and learning difficulties. ADHD in childhood may also lead to the development of antisocial behaviour.

Some symptoms of adult ADHD are similar to those of bipolar disorder, but ADHD tends to show a persisting trait of irritability and volatility, very different from the grandiose and euphoric symptoms of mania and the depression found in bipolar disorder.

Professor Philip Asherson comments: "Adults with untreated ADHD use more healthcare resources because of smoking-related disorders, increased rates of serious accidents, and alcohol and drug misuse. Further research is needed to quantify the contribution of ADHD to psychiatric disorders in adulthood."

Professor Asherson’s editorial is published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, January 2007.

Institute of Psychiatry - The Institute of Psychiatry is part of King's College London and closely affiliated to the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. The Institute is a world-renowned centre for treatment, research and training in psychiatry and mental health. The organisation is involved in pioneering new and improved ways of understanding and treating mental illness and brain disease. Its wide-ranging field of work includes depression, trauma, eating disorders, brain imaging, genetics and psychosis.

http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk
Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medi...p?newsid=59968

There is quite a difference between ADD and bipolar disorder, and I am not sure you need a lot of help separating the two. Most of the confusion, I think, comes with younger children, and the increasing Dx of bipolar in children.

My 35 year old daughter was just diagnosed ADD. Her Dr has prescribed Strattera. We're a bit leary of it because of the side effects, but apparently the side effects seem to be worse in children and adolescents than adults.
She was the one who asked he Dr if she could be ADD. She had been investigating symptoms online, since she thinks her daughter is ADD, and realized how much she herself fit the symptoms.

oh believe me, I KNOW!!!

Adult ADHD
 

Loisba,

I was on Strattera at first when I was diagnosed with ADHD 12 yrs ago. I was 17 then. I stopped taking my meds as I felt I didn't need them. However 12 yrs later I realize that yes I do need the meds and do alot better when I am on them. I am now on Adderall XR. The side effects are just about the same usually in children and adolesents. I have only had two of the side affects. Weight loss and hunger suppressent. As with all stimulants though those are side affects.

I also questioned my diagnoses online. I saw the symptoms that I was having in my younger neice. Once I was diagnosed and my daughter was born. Now that she is 7 I see the symptoms in her. I am having her and her brother tested.

Good luck

I really should be doing my homework right now but....:D
I rather be on here instead:)

I am doing well for one who is not on medication :) But still I am so distracted when I do my online classes :p

ok I will behave and do my homework now.

Oh and I think for those who have ADD are gifted with many artistic ideas :)

ADHD or ADD is often comorbid with bipolar. I have cyclothymia and ADD, both chronic disorders.