ADHD is a developmental disorder which is often diagnosed in childhood or during adolescence. During the development, ADHD can show itself in different ways. If you have ADHD as an adult, it will for example no longer be difficult for you to sit still in class or focus on homework. A lot is known about ADHD in childhood or during school going years, but what happens in ADHD in adults? How does it show itself? In this article, we give the symptoms of ADHD, and place them in adulthood. Furthermore, we show what possible treatment of ADHD in adults might be.
ADHD in adults: symptoms
ADHD has 3 main characteristics: hyperactivity, problems with attention, and impulsive behavior. We start with hyperactivity. ADHD is characterized by hyperactivity, which means that people with ADHD find it difficult to sit still. They enjoy physical activities, so that they can get rid of their energy. Something which is often seen in children is that they pick a path where they can be physically active later in life. People with ADHD in adulthood therefore often have jobs where they work physically. Examples are electricians, plumbers, et cetera. For many people with ADHD it is not pleasant to sit behind a desk all day and to move around little. That is why they pick work which means they can use their hands and walk around. The next characteristic of ADHD is issues with focus. This remains the same in ADHD in adulthood. People with ADHD find it difficult to focus on the same thing for a long time. That is why they prefer a job where different things happen, so that they are not doing the same thing all the time. Adults with ADHD also tend to do many different things during their spare time. They are very active and do lots of things. The third characteristic of ADHD, is impulsive behavior. In children this is seen in the form of disrupting class or wanting to be rewarded immediately, This is different in ADHD in adults. The impulsive behavior in adults reduces when they get older, but you will sometimes still notice some parts of it. For example, impulsive behavior can be shown in reckless driving habits, anger fits or short, ever-changing relationships.
ADHD in adults: treatment
Stress can worsen symptoms of ADHD in adults. For them it is important to experience as little stress as possible, so that they can deal with their symptoms in a relaxed way. Stress namely causes even more hyperactivity, more issues with attention, and also often impulsive behavior. 15 Minutes 4 Me developed an online self-help program, which can help people in dealing with stress, so that their symptoms can reduce.
ADHD in adults: take the stress test!
If you want to know to what extent you experience stress, you can take the free online stress test! It takes about 5 minutes, and you receive your personal scores as soon as you are done!
