ADD in Adults

The Increasing Prevalence of ADD/ADHD in Adults

Most of us are familiar with the increasing prevalence of ADD or ADHD in children. What many people may not be aware of is the increasing number of diagnosed cases of ADD/ADHD in adults during the past twenty years. Children with the disorder normally exhibit signs of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsive behavior. Researchers have found that for those children with the disorder, they symptoms do not go away in well over 50% of them, accounting for the high number of cases of ADD/ADHD in adults.

With as many as 8 million cases of ADD/ADHD in adults in the United States alone, there is a lot of concern for the effects it can have on those with the condition. The symptoms they experience can have a huge impact on their ability to function normally in all aspects of their lives. To learn more about the traits commonly seen in adults with ADHD, go to http://www.livingwithadd.com/

Commonly Observed Behaviors of ADD/ADHD in Adults

Not all of the symptoms that result from ADD/ADHD in adults are caused directly by the disorder but may be the indirect result of other difficulties that do. Some of these behaviors include:

• Always running late for their job and other regular activities as well as forgetting things and events altogether
• Anxiety
• A lack of self-esteem and confidence
• All types of problems at their job
• Anger issues and an inability to control their emotions
• Acting impulsively, without thinking
• Substance abuse or addictive behavior
• Lack of organizational skills
• Procrastination
• Inability to deal with even a low level of frustration
• Chronic boredom
• Inability to concentrate, particularly when trying to read
• Mood swings that include depression
• Inability to have normal relationships

As with ADHD in children, ADD/ADHD in adults can cause these behaviors to be mild or severe. They may also change in severity according to the current situation or may be present constantly. ADD/ADHD in adults may not prevent the individual from being able to focus on something they are participating in if they are genuinely interested in it. ADD/ADHD in adults also causes a variety of social differences including withdrawing from everyone or, just the opposite, being overly social with a need to never be alone.

ADD/ADHD in Adults May Not Have Been Diagnosed in Childhood

Since ADD/ADHD in adults has been shown to result from ADHD in childhood that did not go away, you might expect that those adults with the disorder were diagnosed as children. However, that is often not the case. ADD or ADHD is considered by many to be a modern disorder that was not recognized in the past when many adults would have been exhibiting symptoms in school. Looking back, there are signs that may indicate that an adult did, in fact, have ADD or ADHD as a child.

The adult may have performed poorly in school and been deemed an underachiever. The inability to focus on the task at hand is the most recognized symptom of ADHD and would not have been recognized as such at that time. The child may have also had more discipline issues and might have even had to repeat at least one grade due to poor performance. ADD/ADHD in adults is often seen in individuals that dropped out of school completely.

Recognizing ADD/ADHD in adults is important so that they can receive the right treatment for the condition and experience a better quality of life. Changing jobs frequently and performing poorly at their job are frequent patterns that can help diagnose ADD/ADHD in adults. So can an inability to have good relationships in any aspect of their lives. If you think you have ADHD, tell your doctor so that your signs and symptoms can be evaluated to determine if you are one of the individuals exhibiting ADD/ADHD in adults or if there is another cause for your symptoms.