ADHD: Not Just for Kids Anymore

by Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness

"I couldn’t concentrate. I always had trouble focusing and felt like I was all over the place. I was spinning my wheels," reports a bright New York City woman who was recently treated for adult ADHD. "Once I was leaving the apartment for an important interview when I noticed that my dog looked kind of scruffy. Ten minutes later, I was still brushing him—and just totally forgot about the interview."

Everyone gets forgetful or frazzled on occasion. The contemporary world bombards us with so much stimuli, it’s little wonder that we tap nervously on a desktop or have no brain space left to recall where we left the car keys. But when inattention, impulsiveness or hyperactivity overwhelms a life, it may be symptomatic of ADHD.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD (often abbreviated as ADD), has long been understood to affect children. Symptoms have been studied by exhausted parents and teachers for over 100 years. Only since the U.S. government officially recognized it as a legitimate condition in 1998 has ADHD been widely understood to affect grown-ups. It is believed that between 2 percent and 4 percent of all American adults suffer from ADHD.

What adult ADHD is and is not

ADHD is a brain-based disorder. People with the condition are not simply high-strung or flaky or unwilling to concentrate. It’s a neurobiological condition, meaning that the problem is rooted in the body’s nervous system.

Several studies show that ADHD runs in families, though the condition may not surface at all unless additional genetic and/or psychological problems enter the equation. Note that various parenting styles may make ADHD better or worse, but the manner of parenting cannot cause the disorder.

The legitimization of ADHD has been a relief for many sufferers who otherwise felt guilty about their behaviors or believed they weren’t trying hard enough to overcome them. However, some skeptics charge that a disease is being invented to sell a cure for it. If a valid critique exists, it may be in the aggressive marketing of medications or the casual writing of prescriptions. Neither of these negates the fact that ADHD is a true medical disorder.

Diagnosis: Narrowing the gray zone

There’s no simple test or questionnaire that accurately diagnoses ADHD, so don’t self-diagnose based on a good hunch, a handy Web quiz or even on this article.

"With ADD, the prominent symptoms are attentional deficit, hyperactivity or impulsivity," says Dr. Steven Safren, director of the Behavioral Medicine Service at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "With any psychiatric diagnosis, the cutoff is whether there’s some functional impairment, meaning that it affects some aspect of your life or is disrupting enough that it requires treatment."

According to the guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association, ADHD exhibits in a set of symptoms, plus significant interference in at least two major areas of a person’s life.

Major symptoms include:

�?Poor attention and excessive tendency to be distracted

�?Saying or doing things before thinking them through (impulsivity)

�?Chronic procrastination and lateness

�?Difficulty starting or completing tasks

�?Losing things

�?Poor organization and planning

�?Excessive forgetfulness

In today's fast paced world, everyone may experience the at least one of the following life stressors at one time or another. However, if these events are reoccurring and constitute a major disturbance in a patient’s life, they can indicate a possible ADHD diagnosis. Only a professional can give you an ADHD diagnosis.

Signs of a major toll being taken on one’s life include:

�?Being fired from a job or never being promoted

�?Major stress in a relationship

�?Being put on academic probation

�?Financial problems from paying bills late or spending irresponsibly

A qualified physician, psychologist or clinical social worker will want an in-depth interview to explore symptoms throughout your lifetime. (One of the criteria for ADHD is that you had it as a child.) They also glean important information from people who spend time with you, so it’s commonly requested that someone close to you be present in the interview.

Treatment: What to expect

The class of drugs known as psychostimulants are the most widely used prescription treatment for ADHD. Approximately half the prescribed patients are responsive to medication. Those who do respond have about 50 percent of their symptoms abated: They’re able to concentrate, maintain attention and not be so scattershot in their daily lives.

Medication should usually be coupled with counseling. Plus, it’s unclear at this point whether the psychostimulants help a patient learn how to beat ADHD or if relief only lasts as long as the meds are in the system. But, Dr. Safren explains, "The meds can ‘turn down�?the symptoms enough so that patients can gain skills to decrease their impairments and distress."

Cognitive behavioral therapists help patients get rid of negative thought and behavior patterns, and therefore may provide more specific help than a general psychologist.

If you have a strong sense that ADHD has been disrupting your life, explore your symptoms further with a trusted physician.

From: http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100104777/

 

Men Who Can't Concentrate: Adult Attention Deficits
by Charles Downey

 A Massachusetts woman was disgusted with her husband. He flitted from job to job, could never finish a task, lost his temper over the most trivial things, fidgeted constantly, couldn't remember what he said yesterday, drank too much and considered his own needs first. Often, his temper prevented him from getting along with others on the job and at home.

One day his wife, an elementary school teacher, told her husband he acted just like the third grade boys in school who had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and were medicated to overcome it. Her husband was eventually diagnosed with the disorder.

ADHD in Adults
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is not just for children anymore. Experts say about one-half to two-thirds of all ADHD cases (two to five million) occur in adults. Moreover, ADHD is five to seven times more common in males. Until recently, many in the helping professions believed that most symptoms largely disappear in adolescence.

"The disorder was often missed in childhood, so a man often isn't diagnosed until his wife absolutely insists on marital counseling," says Mary Bellis Waller, Ph.D., a psychotherapist and scientist at the Center for Addiction and Behavioral Studies in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"Most adult males with ADHD show a great deal of impulsivity in starting and ending relationships, difficulties holding onto jobs and money, and heavy involvement with drugs and alcohol," says psychologist Eliot Goldman, Ph.D., coordinator of the adult ADHD clinic at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System on Long Island.

Males with ADHD rarely wear wrist watches and also have a lousy sense of direction, so they frequently get lost while driving. Many college men with ADHD become addicted to Internet surfing because the medium is flashy and you can easily go to another web page once the novelty wears off.

Unfortunately, a large percentage of adults with ADHD have other conditions as well, in particular mood disorders, substance abuse, antisocial personality disorder, and learning disabilities.

Heredity
According to Arthur Robin, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and behavior neuroscience at Wayne State University School of Medicine, recent research reveals ADHD is largely passed on through heredity.

A study of identical twins found that in 81% of cases, if one twin had ADHD, the other also had it (a condition known to scientists as concordance). But a study of fraternal twins found concordance in only 29% of those siblings. Another study of twins revealed 67% concordance in identical twins, but zero for fraternal twins. Additionally, researchers in the area of molecular genetics have discovered a link between a particular gene known as DRD4 repeater gene and ADHD. That's the same gene that has previously been associated with the personality trait of high novelty seeking behavior.

Making it Work
Some men with ADHD actually harness it for on-the-edge careers as race car drivers, oil riggers, policemen, entrepreneurs, stock brokers or other jobs that require considerable vim and vigor. Unfortunately, men with ADHD may also have short attention spans, be easily distracted, unorganized, and subject to temper tantrums that make them less than perfect people persons.

The Feelings of ADHD
"It's like having a whirlwind in your mind," said one man with ADHD. Everything seems to be blowing around and nothing stays put. It can also be like watching someone change channels on the television every few seconds. You can get a general idea of what is going on, but you miss most of the content."

Adds Dr. Robin, "Generally, people with ADHD are at the mercy of their moods. An odd idea pops into their minds and they follow that until another off-the-wall notion crops up." With an inability to think matters through, people with ADHD act on too many impulses and often become ensnared in the legal system.

Living with ADHD
While there is no cure, symptoms can be managed with prescribed medications like Ritalin, Dexedrine and Adderall. Some men keep themselves on track by using day books, computers and tape recorders, and by posting schedules and appointments throughout the home and office and learning better time management skills. Men who seek professional help learn to find additional relief in regular exercise, maintaining a sense of humor, reducing negative thoughts about themselves, reducing alcohol and drug use, and enlisting a friend to help them finish tasks and remember commitments.

Most adults with ADHD can and do lead successful personal and professional lives. One physician diagnosed with ADHD used his tremendous energy to see an unusual number of patients during a typical day. But he knew he was weak on follow-through so he turned down complex cases that involved many details and outside consultants.

Another was a real estate salesman, who was a flashy glad-hander and who could charm the fangs out of a rattlesnake, but found his commissions drying up. While undergoing treatment for ADHD, he discovered his office was totally disorganized, which made it unable for him to follow up on leads. It took a year to set up a filing system that has put his income back on track.

"About half [of these men] are helped by medications. The other half improve their lives by learning how to get organized and pay attention to details," Dr. Goldman says.

The Bright Side
ADHD does have its upside. As listed in a recent edition of ADDitudes, an on-line magazine for people with ADHD, there are at least 10 benefits to ADHD:

1. Boundless energy and enthusiasm
People with ADHD frequently have the energy and stamina to persist with sports and other demanding activities without slowing down or losing strength.

2. Innovative thinking
People with ADHD, who often feel less bound by rules and tried procedures, frequently are able to "think out of the box" and come up with inventive solutions. Albert Einstein is thought to have had ADHD.

3. Curiosity
People with ADHD frequently are more curious than others. Their tendency and ability to hyperfocus impels them to ferret out information and details in a wide variety of areas.

4. Emotional intuition
People with ADHD feel their emotions strongly and often have an uncanny ability to be "in touch" with their emotions, as well as the emotions of others.

5. Great memory for minute details
While most of us tend to remember the big picture and forget the details, people with ADHD are just the opposite. Their exceptional recall for details makes them an asset on team projects.

6. Acceptance and forgiveness of others
Perhaps because of their own trying social experiences, people with ADHD tend to be more accepting of others' foibles and more forgiving of others' mistakes.

7. Embracing risk and change
People with ADHD are often more willing to take risks to achieve their goals. They are unafraid of change and enjoy the challenge of adapting to new ways of doing things.

8. Persistence
People with ADHD bounce back more quickly, and more often, than most other people. When confronted with negative feedback or failure, they are more likely to persist in overcoming obstacles and criticisms.

9. Sociability
Their energy, creativity, and love of excitement is a tremendous social asset. People with ADHD often find themselves motivating and energizing large groups of friends and co-workers.

10. Creativity
Many people with ADHD are exceptionally creative and productive visual artists, performers, composers, and writers. Beethoven and Mozart are both believed to have had ADHD.

RESOURCES:
National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/adhd.cfm 

Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
http://www.chadd.org 

National Attention Deficit Disorder Association
http://www.add.org 

ADDitude Magazine
http://www.additudemag.com 

From:   http://www.swedish.org/16875.cfm 

ADD in the Corner Office

 These five top executives discovered that AD/HD or a learning disability can be a capitalist tool.
by Lois Gilman

As students, they seemed to be heading nowhere—fast. ......   You might say that these nowhere kids turned their lives around.    ......... Besides having difficulty in school, these executives share another thing in common: They all suffer from AD/HD or learning disabilities. Neeleman has AD/HD; Swonk, Meckler, and Schwab have dyslexia, and Orfalea has both. Each managed to turn his or her liabilities into assets on their respective career paths. If you have difficulty with organization, reading, or remembering math facts, these entrepreneurs prove that such limitations don’t preclude a bright future.  Read the article :

http://www.additudemag.com/experts.asp?DEPT_NO=404&ARTICLE_NO=23&ARCV=1