Adult-onset ADHD: Is that a thing?
The short answer about whether adult-onset ADHD is a real phenomenon, like many matters of the brain, is “yes and no.”
Although ADHD diagnosis has evolved over the past 50 years, psychologists have long understood ADHD to be a neurodevelopmental disorder, meaning that it begins in childhood. The current criteria specify that there must be evidence of symptoms and significant impairment in more than one setting (at school and at home) prior to age 12. For example, one symptom may be that a child frequently fails to finish school assignments and also doesn’t follow through with chores at home.
What does the latest research say about ADHD?
Recently, there have been two major studies that have examined individuals over time and found that some adults with an ADHD diagnosis may not have been impaired as children, or even exhibited symptoms. What does this mean? These researchers imply that there are two different disorders out there, which would contradict years of research and practice.
A more simple solution offered by Stephen V. Faraone, PhD and Joseph Biederman, MD seems to be that individuals’ symptoms are under the clinical threshold at childhood, or flying under the radar. They speculate that a combination of genetic and environmental factors triggers the full-blown disorder in adolescents and adults. This kind of trajectory is similar to other mental health disorders, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The phenomenon would make particular sense in families that impose a significant amount of structure on their children early on, and naturally allow them to become more independent in high school or college.
How does the current research about ADHD Diagnosis impact you or your adult child?
Whether you or your adult child were never evaluated in childhood or it seemed that the symptoms developed later, the important thing to know about ADHD is that it is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects not only attention, but other areas of executive functioning. That is, a person with ADHD will have difficulty with planning, organization, time management and even the ability to regulate emotions.
If you or your adult child do the following, you may be showing symptoms of ADHD:
- frequently forget to respond to text messages
- arrive late to most social engagements
- avoid paying bills because it is too tedious (not for lack of money)
- are prone to daydreaming
- often lose track of conversations
- frequently lose your phone or keys
Apart from having an ADHD Assessment or testing to determine an ADHD diagnosis and subsequent treatment, the optimal way to ensure success for individuals with ADHD is to cultivate the capacity to plan, initiate, organize, self-monitor and self-regulate when completing important projects or engaging in relationships. Additionally, a supportive environment while navigating life with a new ADHD diagnosis is key. I would encourage you to have as much compassion as possible for yourself or your loved one with ADHD.
If you are in the Nashville area, and you would like to schedule an appointment for testing or therapy for ADHD, please do not hesitate to call our offices at 615-582-2882 or email us at clientcare@nashvillepsych.com.
Thanks for reading!
Take good care of yourself,
Dan Goldstein, PhD
