ADHD Help for adults

ADHD in adults

Some of the children suffering from ADD / ADHD remain symptomatic until adulthood. Some learn to control or compensate for their symptoms, some are less fortunate and develop, if they have not been successfully treated in childhood and adolescence, specific problems whose causes are partly unaware of them.Basically, ADHD sufferers feel different, they have faster mood changes, a different pace of life or a different sense of time. Their perception, their memory and their attention function differently. If their situation is not understood or diagnosed and no treatment is performed, they can also be broken.  Compared to childhood, the symptoms are usually changed, ADHD changes during adulthood, and a complex clinical picture emerges that can cover the entire spectrum of psychiatry. We expressly point out that these questionnaires only give a suspicion for ADHD or depression. Under no circumstances can a disease be properly diagnosed on the basis of the questionnaires alone. 

The core symptoms are:

• * Attention and concentration disorders,
• * Hyper- or hyperactivity,
• * Mood liability with lack of affect control,
• * Organization and structuring problem,
• * Lack of control capability,
• * Difficulties with relationships,
• * Fast exhaustion,
• * Forgetfulness and in the end too strong self-doubt.            
• As with children, a hyperactive and an inattentive type is further distinguished in adults, the most common type being the mixed type, i. There are symptoms of both types present.  The most important core symptom of ADHD is the attention deficit disorder! 

• Low focus            

• ADHD readers can not focus their attention for long. At the slightest distraction, they turn to the new stimulus. This leads to forgetfulness, careless mistakes, instability and absent-mindedness, which in turn can lead to work disturbances. It continues to be difficult for those affected to retrieve knowledge in a targeted manner, and so they bring about inconsistent performance. It is amazing, however, that ADHD students can concentrate very well on something they are very interested in. It's a great place to work and you often ask yourself why some things can be done so brilliantly and that simple but uninteresting things just cannot be done.   

• Sensory overload

• Today, in our overstimulated world, this quick and subtle perception of sensory impressions is often overstrained because simply too much information will be included. This can even lead to a collapse, similar to a computer hammering on the keyboard completely uselessly. The ADHD brain cannot decide which sensory impressions are really important and which ones are unimportant. All impressions are perceived as important and so white the brain often does not know to which stimulus or event it should turn. But if something is really recognized as important and exciting, then only what is necessary to achieve the desired goal is perceived and all other information is then unimportant and essentials can then be neglected. This hyper focusing can even become a significant advantage over other people!

• Motor hyperactivity            

• While children are still the classic "Fidget Philip" especially in ADHD, do not sit still, are wild and cannot abide by rules, the symptoms in adults are more discreet. They have learned to control themselves better, but they keep their inner restlessness; her being driven, the feeling of being under power and not being able to switch off; it is difficult to sit still and wait for a long time. Others notice it in the seesawing of the feet, the fingers that are constantly moving and playing with something, and that you yourself become a little uneasy beside them. Some sufferers have learned to hide the inner restlessness and they look calm and relaxed on the outside. If you ask them for inner restlessness and drive, they often report with relief that they have been suffering their entire lives and that it takes a lot of effort to hide them. 

• Hyperactivity

• There is another special form that is little known but nevertheless significant. The affected people seem dreamy, absent, uninterested. They often do not get along, tend to be unremarkable, tend to retire and resign quickly mind. They have a high risk of depression and anxiety later in life. While the hyperactive ADHD player lives out his feelings for the world unchecked, the hypoactive type holds back all emotions. In adulthood, as well as in childhood, the mixed type is most common, i. Depending on the situation, one variant or the other variant of the activity is visible. 
• Mood liability and impulsivity:
• Those affected complain about a change between extreme emotional states that is difficult for them, but also for their caregivers, partners and colleagues. Extremely good mood is followed by the deepest sadness and usually it is little things that trigger such mood changes. It's like an emotional roller coaster on which the ADHD athletes go back and forth. Their reactions are often experienced by the environment as completely covered. They can also hurt their fellow human beings very quickly, but on the other hand they feel very quickly hurt themselves. They live in a kind of permanent state of emergency, which can quickly become threatening.  
• Impulsivity
• Their impulsiveness is another part of the problem. ADHD sufferers often act carelessly, too quickly and without thinking because they cannot control their feelings. Often they feel very sorry for what they have done, but find it very difficult to learn from such situations to permanently control their way of responding. Somehow, in many situations, they are like little defiant children. Nothing fits them better than the behaviors of 4-7 year olds described in the books. 

• Chaos, disorganization

• ADHD teachers find it difficult to keep things organized, lacking the ability to structure work processes and prioritize them. Their home-work and home-based behavior can lead to a messy state that cannot cope with their environment. Often they try to do many things at the same time, which can end up in chaos. 

• Difficulties in the workplace, in education and with fellow human beings            

• With all the problems listed above, it is understandable that there are significant problems here. Often sufferers feel bullied because of their impulsivity and mood swings, and the inconstant benefits lead to significant problems in the workplace. Not infrequently, the partners and relatives of depression and psychosomatic diseases, because it is very stressful to deal with the daily mood swings and chaos. It shows a fourfold increase in the divorce rate when a family member is affected by ADHD. This is aggravated by the high heritability, so that often even a parent, possibly also both parents are additionally affected, which increases the problems. In such ADHD chaos families, it can also lead to physical conflicts in stressful situations. Single parents are very fast on their load limit. 
• Fast fatigue and listlessness
• Perseverance and self-motivation are severely limited, resulting in quick resignation and discouragement. ADHD sufferers have a huge "inner bastard," whom they find difficult to overcome for tasks they do not care about. This results in significant: 
• Self-doubt            
• And a lack of self-confidence. Most biographies of affected patients show a collection of traumatic experiences. Often the families are very problematic and the children have early experience that they could not learn, were forgetful and had bad grades at school. Even if they were still hyperactive, they mostly experienced rejection from others and got into an outsider position. The previous life experience in childhood was then: "I am stupid and will be rejected". This is not a good condition for the development of a stable self-esteem. 
• Comorbidities            
• Furthermore, there are numerous comorbidities (comorbidities), which aggravate the symptoms again. This includes: Read permission write faultDyscalculia up to 30%Tic Syndrome (Tourette) 10-20%DepressionsFearsConstraintsHigh accident rate (due to ill-considered action)Disruption of social behavior and oppositional behaviorSleep disordersDevelopment of addictionEating disorderSomatizationPosttraumatic stress disorder 
• Restless Leg syndrome            
• In adulthood, major risk factors for mental illness are particularly evident. For example, 30% of adults with ADHD suffer from anxiety and depression. But also addictions in the sense of concomitant diseases (comorbidities) are very common.  
• ADHD learners can turn anything into an addiction            
• Increased search risk ADHD readers have an increased search risk. They can make almost anything an addiction, because they tend to extremes and find no measure. The onset of addiction is often much earlier and consumption more intense. There may be a change in the choice of addictive substances over the course of life. In clinics for alcoholics or drug addicts, 30-40% of patients screen for ADHD have previously unrecognized ADHD, which must be treated separately for addiction. 
• Attempt a self-treatment            
• The most common cause of addiction is the attempt to self-medicate. Especially ADHD sufferers are often heavy smokers and they try to use the effect of nicotine to get the symptoms of ADHs under control. Nicotine acts similarly on the dopamine receptor as the ADHD drug methylphenidate. Nicotine has a relaxing, attention-getting, stimulating activating effect. Unfortunately, this self-therapy is not recommended due to side effect and long-term damage. The second most common drug in ADHD is cannabis. It leads to relaxation and serenity, to indifference and apathy. Exactly this does not make sense at all in the age of the adults, since it is valid in this time with motivation and commitment to finish the school and to learn a profession. Cannabis in many ways enhances the symptoms of ADHD, because those affected do not have a lot of motivation anyway. In the worst case, a Zero-Bock syndrome develops with complete lack of interest in the environment, the people and the work. Also, alcohol and cocaine are more commonly consumed in the presence of ADHD, as well as the relatively harmless consumption of coffee and coke 
• Social acceptance            
• For the first time, adolescents use drugs to connect with a group of like-minded people and to receive acknowledgment and confirmation. In their childhood, they often had few contacts with their peers and may have felt marginalized and excluded. Eating disorders are more common in ADHD, especially bulimia and food addiction. 
• Computer addiction            
• Lately, there has been a lot of research into computer addiction. Here ADHD sufferers are also particularly at risk. Is it tempting to escape the reality of being denied or rejected, or slipping into a second identity where one is finally the hero and has friends? Many ADHD users are excessive computer gamers or do not find TV blanking.             Often, those affected are also very indebted, because they have no overview of their finances and cannot make a plan. Over the course of life, addiction may shift, as ADHD sufferers are always at risk of exaggerating and developing excessive behaviors. They find no measure and no center and they are quickly seducible and displace the consequences of their addiction habits. Risk behavior ADHDs also have a tendency to seek risk and to summon dangers. They are looking for the kick and the adventure, because they fear nothing more than boredom and emptiness. They experience themselves alive when they engage in dangerous sports, risk their lives and take risks. This is also evident in road traffic, where ADHDers do not want to stick to the rules, risk risky overtaking maneuvers, or want to discipline them on the bumper of the vehicle in front of them because they drive them way too slowly
• Chaos management            
• ADHD sufferers also have a problem with getting started on time. They push everything up to the last push and then try hectic and irritated to catch up. Although they have developed amazing skills in chaos management here, their work attitude remains well below their potential and also annoy their fellow human beings. 
• Bad time management            
• Furthermore, they often have a bad time management. They cannot estimate time, quickly start any activities, even though they have an appointment and do not get the job done, but they are too late on top of that. You can often misjudge your time. The recourse to the past is difficult. Yesterday is already far away and two weeks ago is an eternity. Accordingly bad is the memory of the past. In general, ADHD sufferers are usually very forgetful, although they may also have elephant memory for certain things. But ADHD readers are always in the extreme so often. ADHD sufferers also have difficulty completing things. They are jumpy, start many things and then have no bite or motivation to finish the begun. Sometimes they just forget it. Furthermore, they have difficulty in making decisions. If you are in a supermarket and you want to pick one of 6 ketchup bottles, you often feel overwhelmed. People with ADHD are often very extreme: exalted to the death, totally enthusiastic or totally frustrated. They can be charming, selfless and highly sensitive and have an unpredictable rage the next moment. It stresses the relatives, because they are so unpredictable. It was just beautiful and now because of a misunderstood remark the mood derailed. There is no stability but constant surprises and incalculable situations. Many ADHD students also have financial problems because they do not have an overview of their finances. Collection agencies live on them. Also, they do not pay their bills on time, because they forget it or do not even open the letter or there are no referral forms at hand. Also, ADHDers like to buy and do a lot and they often live beyond their means, spending more than they have. Partnerships can cause significant problems due to the symptoms of ADHD as well as the workplace. ADHD sufferers have more frequent divorces, separations and problems. A love relationship with an ADHD teacher can be a big challenge. If both partners do not deal with their specific peculiarities, the particular attraction that ADHD sufferers often have can quickly turn to flight or conflicting behavior. It is also important to consider whether a partner or both behave in the context of ADHD People with ADHD symptoms appear unreliable, postpone things and often have little responsibility. They can change their mood very quickly - as if they have two faces - and sometimes they no longer appear age-appropriate. For partners, they seem so unpredictable and that can scare! ADHD sufferers sway between selflessness and the idea that the world is only about them. They often find it difficult to empathize with others and perceive things so that they see their own position confirmed. In discussions, they are a stubborn counterpart, as they tend to be bogged down in topics and want to be right.         
• ADHD sufferers feel a constant inner tension and have the feeling of having to fight constantly in life. So relaxation is difficult and it takes constant action. The particular inner vulnerability and vulnerability it constitutes does not suit the outsider with the "wooden club" with which ADHDers seemingly hand out. So it remains in adulthood for those affected not to learn socially acceptable rules! 
• Social behavioural problems             
• People with ADHD symptoms think, feel and act differently. As a result, they usually have more difficulties in dealing with others. 
• Do not behave "grown up"             
• ADHD learners are often very demanding, want everything "always and immediately" and have a hard time with it, wait and see if they do not get what they want right away. They often act without thinking of other consequences. This affects others less socially competent and immature. 
• Impulsive, risky behaviors            
• Due to a lack of inner structure and "overshooting" energies, ADHD sufferers often violate rules and react to stimuli very quickly and violently. The good news: just as quickly forget and forgive others! Often there are changing sexual partners. Insufficient contraception often ends in an unplanned pregnancy. ADHD sufferers are at risk from too fast and risky driving. Reckless handling of money ends in limitless debt. Occasionally it also leads to dissocial behaviour and drug problems. The latter are often the attempt of self-treatment.
• People with two faces             
• In a matter of seconds, the mood can change - from rejoicing to death distressed. ADHD learners are quick to get excited, tend to get bored, and then become frustrated. Her black-and-white thinking and her tendency to engage in topics leads to endless discussions and can rob others of the last nerve. 
• As if the world was only about her            
• ADHD sufferers are often very selfish, defiant and like to provoke others. At the same time, they feel quickly attacked and rejected. They have a pronounced stress intolerance, are distracting, seem tearful and irritable.

Difficulties in the workplace Problems structured and focused work            

Motivation problems characterize people with an ADHD problem. The result is that they do not start in time, work everything at the last minute and make many careless mistakes. They make their stuff incomplete, learn only after many repetitions, often fail at trifles and often stay below their potential. The situation is aggravated by little self-discipline, no sense of time and a partially existing and possibly untreated dyslexia and mathematical weakness.

No team players - outsider position            

People with ADHD can hardly do something that they do not enjoy doing. Her chaotic and haphazard way of working and her superficial and erratic work style makes her unpopular with work colleagues. These may need to catch and cushion the failings of the ADHD practitioner. The tendency for constant discussions, excuses and, to find the mistakes with others, does not make them a team player. 

ADHD and parenting

For most people, fulfilling their desire to have children is a great stroke of luck and at the same time a challenge that has to be mastered. Especially if ADHD is involved!             Often parents only come up with the idea of possibly being affected by the diagnosis of their child. At this point, there is already a long history of suffering behind them - their own and that of their children! In families with ADHD sufferers there is no doubt more stress than in other families.  In partner relationships that "only" consist of a victim, the partners can compensate each other for possible deficits. In parent-child relationships where both are involved, it is a great challenge for parents, as well as children, to build a family balance. In order for children to be able to develop in the best possible way, they need a structured and supportive environment and recognition of their personality. Especially mothers and fathers with ADHD find it particularly difficult to cushion the (typical ADHD) difficulties of their children. 

The positive sides of ADHD Enormous potential             

ADHD sufferers have great strengths and enormous potential. They are very original and creative people. Because they cannot stick to rules and question everything, they are often the uncomfortable brave mastermind.

Our world would be poorer without ADHD, because we need them as those who innovate, revolution and reform, who question and have the courage to "be different".

Find the right niche            

There are many successful people who have ADHD without disease - as a standard variant in the sense of a "certain way of being". If these people have found the right professional niche for themselves, they are often ingenious and unbeatable in their zealous zeal and their tireless actionism. In the media or as computer professionals, we often find them as high-functioning ADHD livers, much appreciated but exhausting for their fellow human beings. However, the same ADHS teacher can fail miserably even in a job as a financial accountant, because as properties such as sense of order and thoroughness are required of him, which are not among his strengths. It is always a question of whether ADHD manages to find the right occupational niche in which to live out his potential and, of course, the right partner who manages to balance his extremes.

Between genius and madness            

ADHD is always a phenomenon that moves between genius and madness. Transitionless everything is possible, from highly talented "scattered professor" or the eloquent entertainer to a severely disturbed chaotic and failed man who breaks apart at his many failures. It is basically the many positive properties of AD (H) S to develop. Her instability is at the same time her creative style, her unpredictability and flexibility at the same time. Her risk behavior also her curiosity and her courage. These positive sides also make them special and original people!

Diagnostics            

About 10 million people are affected by ADHD in USA - children, adolescents and adults! ADHD is hereditary to a high percentage, so that difficulties usually appear as early as childhood.  Many sufferers have already passed an odyssey of various treatments and hospital stays. Neither antidepressants nor neuroleptics have really been able to help them with depression, tormenting restlessness, chaos and difficulty concentrating. Maybe they even worsened the condition, because the patient still has a few more construction sites, but still no overview and structure in life. What is needed is a therapy concept that is tailored to the problem and the particular problems with ADHD.

Puzzle diagnostics            

The diagnosis of AD (H) S is a puzzle diagnosis, which is based on the current psychological findings, the life history, especially the school career and the family conflicts. In particular, this is a targeted questioning of childhood ADHD symptoms. Were you fidgety and restless, could not you sit still? Have you had frequent brawls in class? Back then you were already angry or chaotic? Important information can be provided by primary school certificates. Teachers could always be very describe well students with their abilities and deficits and so one often finds in the testimonials the exact description of the pediatric ADHD symptoms such as: is often distracted, talks a lot, is superficial, sloppy, forgetful, does not tolerate with his classmates, does not hold on call rules, can, if he wants, etc.

Current situation - self-assessment            

How does the person concerned estimate the severity of the difficulties himself? Which of these particularly affect him? Which type of ADHD is he? Up-to-date information from parents and life partners  Important in diagnostics is also a so-called third-party anamnesis. This refers to the questioning of the parents, who should describe the problems they had in education. Even if you have a different perception of your own childhood, this information is often very enlightening and complements the overall picture. It is also important to interview the partners. 

Scientific test procedures            

There are numerous tests for the diagnosis of ADHD, as well as attention tests. None of these tests is evidence, however. But you can provide additional information on the presence of ADHD.

Additional diseases (comorbidities)           

What other mental disorders are there? Only one in five ADHD-affected adults has ADHD exclusively. The course and the symptoms of ADHD change, so that in adulthood often other illnesses are in the foreground (depression, eating disorders, addiction,) and ADHD symptoms as such are often not recognized.             There is no laboratory value or imaging techniques that can ensure the diagnosis beyond doubt. So the ADHD diagnosis has to be composed of much information. It is always important that you can always find ADHD in the course of life, because ADHD runs like a thread through life. 

Causes of ADHD To a high percentage hereditary            

It is now considered certain that ADHD is hereditary to a high percentage. The likelihood for children to have ADHD, even if one parent is affected, is up to 30%. But you can almost always find other family members who also show ADHD symptoms. The degree of expression can vary greatly. If both parents have a pronounced ADHD, the probability that their biological children develop an ADD is almost 90%. The safest evidence of heredity can be provided by scientists using the twin research. Identical twins have an identical genetic material, while dizygotic twins have different genetic material, as is common with siblings of different ages. It is believed that monozygotic and dizygotic twins grow up under relatively equal conditions. The results show that ADD is similar in almost 80% of identical twins, as opposed to only 28% in dizygotic twins. This means that with the same genetic material, the probability of developing ADHD increases by a factor of three. 

Influence of the social situation             

A supportive, loving and clearly structured home is helpful for coping with everyday life. Because children who have ADHD are less stress-resistant and resilient. ADHD will become more pronounced if the family home is problematic and stressful, or if the children have suffered severe fatalities. The less support and structure the family has been able to convey to the child, the less corrective and support it has experienced and the more clearly ADHD can develop. In addition, maternal drug dependence and cigarette and alcohol use during pregnancy may increase the risk of ADHD. Premature births and birth defects also carry a higher risk. 

What exactly happens in the brain of an AD (H) S-er?ADHD is a neurobiological specialty in dopamine metabolism.

The research on this is not yet complete, and there are many theories that need further confirmation. What is certain today is that ADHD is a disorder or a standard variant of the frontal brain. The frontal brain is responsible for the regulation of behavior, but also for decisions, evaluation of experiences and for the entire control of the organism. The frontal brain or forebrain controls the information processing of all the millions of stimuli that flow to us every second. It has to filter, sort, store, delete or forward these stimuli. This presupposes that information processing and selection are prioritized in our brain. If these filters do not work properly, a data crash or data shortage will occur. The brain cannot reasonably process the incoming stimuli, and the ADHD is no longer in a position to sort and use the wealth of information in a meaningful way, or to weight it sufficiently and evaluate it. Let's get this straight. The brain is bombarded with 400 billion bits of information per second. From this unimaginable flood of information our brain filters out the most essential information so that only 2000 bits per second come into our consciousness. If we look for example focusing on a lecture, the brain filters out the extraneous background information so that we can only hear the lecture. We perceive only very marginally that the neighbor cleans his nose, the traffic outside is loud, just one plane is flying over the building and two rows behind us is being talked about. The AD (H) S brain cannot filter out these background sounds so successfully and so he takes the ticking clock of the neighbors or the whisper of the next man equal to loud and thus was as important as the one that he can perceive instantly. ADHD sufferers also have a disorder of impulse control and behavioral regulation. This is also controlled by the frontal brain. Here, the response to stimuli is significantly increased. Just as the stimuli unfiltered on the ADHD collapse, so unfiltered he hurls his feelings into the world, often with fatal consequences. A proper behavioral regulation cannot be done this way. Instead, the inhibition and control systems of the frontal brain fail and cause the overreaching, unpredictable feelings and states of excitement of the ADHD sufferer. From a medical point of view, new PET examinations (positron emission tomography) have clearly demonstrated that the anterior parts of the brain are less well supplied with blood in ADHD patients. It could also be detected a lower nerve activity in certain brain regions. Today it is believed that the inhibitory functions of the frontal brain are not sufficiently activated, so that the braking and inhibition systems of the brain do not work satisfactorily. This creates the overreactions and feelings. This also affects the motor actions. Here the ADHD man finds it difficult to dose his strength and to coordinate his fine motor skills well. The ADHD teacher also has problems sustaining his motivation over a longer period of time. 

Therapy           

Basically, not every ADHD is in need of treatment. Both the one and the other variant are initially normal appearances in human life. Many people with ADHD have found good ways to deal with their ADHD or have realized themselves in areas where they benefit from their characteristics. ADHD always becomes in need of treatment only when it comes to considerable difficulties in the area of work or relationships or when depression, addiction and other mental illnesses occur. It is necessary to offer very special therapy programs, possibly also a medication that has been proven for 60 years in ADHD. Here are also new approaches to addiction therapy.   After a successful ADHD diagnosis, a multimodal treatment is recommended: 

Psych education            

For sufferers, it is important to deal with the causes and their very personal symptoms. Often a great relief comes when diagnostic features can be related to one's own life, and thus one's "own failure" can be seen from another perspective. Because of their "special way of being," ADHD sufferers need to train a few traits that are not inherent in their cradle. These include: self-organization, self-control, self-criticism, patience, mindfulness, serenity, letting go and tolerance. 

Medication

Medications can correct the neurological problems that underlie ADHD. In the treatment of ADHD, various medications are available. In conversation with a doctor, various questions can be discussed: Which are suitable for me? Should I take medication at all? What side effects do I have to expect? It is also important at what time a medication is being considered. How long has the diagnosis been known? Is she already accepted or still quarreling with it? What has possibly been tried?             A medication can be started and stopped at any time. It is not a life decision to opt for pharm- maceutical support in phases.Behavior therapy / depth psychological therapy             A psychotherapeutic treatment can (also in conjunction with a medication) lead to a significant improvement in the current life situation. A behavioral approach can help put the ADHD-typical chaotic lifestyle into a structure. And so to change possibly long learned negative strategies. In people with ADHD symptoms, it is important to replace the missing internal structures with external markers and to learn skills that help them better control their impulsive behaviors. Often, many unresolved conflicts have accumulated in the life of an ADHD victim, and self-esteem has not developed sufficiently. Here it may be useful to work up the past difficulties in a depth psychology therapy. 

ADHD can accompany those affected in adulthood. Many even get the diagnosis then.  In ADHD, most people think of children and adolescents. But also about two to three percent of adults suffer from it. Because in about half of those affected, the symptoms do not completely disappear after childhood, but continue to lead to significant limitations. Often ADHD is detected even in adulthood.

Symptoms - What is ADHD like in adults?

Hyperactivity, impulsiveness and inattention remain the key symptoms of ADHD beyond childhood. Usually, only a small amount of hyperactivity is externally visible, although many adults with ADHD suffer from a constant inner restlessness. Adults with ADHD often have problems structuring their everyday lives and tackling tasks in an organized way. Often they seem forgetful or clumsy, for example they do not know where they left their keys and are always late for appointments. They sometimes talk a lot and are very jumpy. Sometimes they are noticed for being very impulsive, often interrupting other people and being very impatient. Up to a third of sufferers also suffer from difficulty controlling their emotions (emotional deregulation). They are quickly angry, frustrated or irritated. This can sometimes be similar to the symptoms of borderline disorder. Many adults who have ADHD also have other problems. So they tend more likely to risky behavior, depression, anxiety disorders, and alcohol or drug dependence. 

Important: The disorder does not recur in adulthood. Abnormalities that are typical for ADHD already existed in childhood among those affected. However, they may not have been recognized or ranked as such at the time.

Diagnosis and therapy : who helps?

Many adults bring with them the diagnosis of ADHD from childhood. Sometimes, however, the diagnosis is actually made in adulthood. There are specialists for psychiatry and psychotherapy as well as psychological or medical psychotherapists who have sufficient experience with ADHD and are then the right contact person. Many sufferers also turn to adult ADHD outpatient clinics, which are often given to university hospitals. Particularly suitable are psychotherapists who offer behavioral therapy. The expert will inquire about the patient's childhood and adolescence to see if and what ADHD-related symptoms were already present. He will also ask about currently existing ADHD symptoms and inquire how they are causing problems and limitations in everyday life. In particular, it is important in adults to differentiate ADHD from other mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, addictions and personality disorders. At the same time, adults with ADHD almost always suffer from at least one additional mental illness.

What does the treatment look like?

In most cases, treatment should be given. When ADHD is diagnosed in adulthood, most sufferers often have years of ordeal. Even simple measures can help to get along better in everyday life. So it helps to structure each day exactly, to plan the upcoming tasks and to write down on a list. Larger tasks should, if possible, be divided into smaller individual steps. These lists can then be processed during the day and tick off the individual steps. Reminder functions of mobile phone, the alarm clock or sticky notes on the front door, refrigerator or in the car remind of important dates. These should also be clearly indicated in a single calendar. In the morning the view in the calendar, in the evening the preparation of the task list for the next day. Fixed seats for glasses, mobile phone, house keys and car keys. Such routines support ADHD patients in everyday life. Family and relatives can also help and, for example, remind of important appointments and tasks. Beware of annoying distractions: sufferers should create a quiet workplace as possible, radio or TV should not run in the background. If they encounter a new task while they are still working on something else, they should not interrupt their activity as much as possible, but should record the task for later. 
Often it is difficult for those affected to consistently implement these simple measures. The task of the expert is then to accompany the implementation, to review and if necessary to change the strategy together with the patient. In addition, a behavioural therapy or treatment with drugs in question. Admitted to adults are the psych stimulant methylphenidate and the non-stimulant atomoxetine. Both behavioural and medications are not as well-studied in adults as they are in children. But medications still have a high priority here. A sole behavioural therapy is recommended only in very mild cases or if the medication is not tolerated. Both methods in combination complement each other very well. In adults with depression and concomitant ADHD, the antidepressant bupropion may also be used. It relieves symptoms of depression and ADHD. However, it is not approved for the treatment of ADHD. For depression in addition to ADHD, venlafaxine is also often used. However, it only has a minor effect on ADHD symptoms. 

 

 

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