Treating adult ADHD/ADD

Posted on 5 September 2016

It’s not only children who have ADHD/ADD. Here Mediclinic Welkom clinical psychologist Thato Taka describes some of the challenges faced by adults with the condition and explains that diagnosing and treating it is not always easy.

In both children and adults the main symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or attention-deficit disorder (ADD) include inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity. In adults, chronic boredom, a lack of organisational skills, depression and difficulty controlling their emotions are particularly evident.

The dangers of untreated ADHD/ADD in adulthood include depression, mood swings and low self-esteem that can cause them to act impulsively or irrationally. Adults with untreated ADHD/ADD often smoke and also run the risk of abusing alcohol, drugs or both, in order to ‘self-medicate’ their symptoms.

Experts say the suicide rate for adults with childhood ADHD/ADD who do not continue to take medication is five times higher than in adults who did not have the condition in childhood. The reality is that around 60% of ADHD/ADD sufferers’ symptoms continue into adulthood.

If you were diagnosed with ADHD/ADD as a child and you now see a pattern of disrupted relationships and inconsistent performance at work, you most likely did not ‘outgrow’ the condition.

‘It’s just who I am’
One of the difficulties in treating adult ADHD/ADD is that many sufferers struggle to accept the diagnosis, believing it’s really a childhood condition. ‘Quite a number of ADHD or ADD adults I see deny they have the condition. A typical response from them is, “It’s just my personality”,’ says Thato.

‘It’s often difficult to get adult ADHD/ADD sufferers to take medication, even though they struggle to concentrate at work or complete their tasks on time. Of course this results in problems with colleagues or supervisors, and there is often a pattern of changing jobs frequently,’ she adds.

After all, succeeding at work mostly means getting along with others and completing your work on time, so lacking organisational and time management skills are real problems for adults with ADHD/ADD.

Out of control
Impulsiveness in one’s personal life can be destructive too, as it often involves unnecessary spending (and sometimes accruing huge debts), which can take a financial toll and also wreak havoc on relationships with spouses, parents and children. ‘

It usually takes a major explosion or crisis to get the person to act,’ says Thato. ‘Often it’s only an intervention from loved ones that forces the adult ADHD/ADD sufferer to seek help or take their medication.’

Adults with ADHD/ADD often feel frustrated, embarrassed or awkward about the diagnosis and don’t want to share it with colleagues or friends. They find it hard to accept that they have what is commonly thought of as a childhood condition. Therefore it’s crucial to know that ADHD/ADD is a mental condition that should be taken seriously. With medication and psychotherapy – especially cognitive therapy – the prognosis is good and many adults with ADHD/ADD lead happy, healthy lives.

Many highly successful people have used the trademark intelligence, high energy levels and ability to totally immerse oneself in a task to great advantage. Ryan Gosling, Jamie Oliver, David Blaine, Michael Phelps, Whoopi Goldberg, Salma Hayek and Jennifer Aniston all have ADHD/ADD.