When you see the abbreviation ADHD, what comes to mind?
A hyperactive child? A disruptive, overactive little boy or girl, who's probably going to need Ritalin? Or just a naughty little kid who needs more discipline at home (a commonly held misunderstanding)?
Chances are you thought of one or all of the above. The common perception of ADD or ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder, sometimes with hyperactivity) is that it applies only to children, and they are always physically restless, often disruptive in class, lack concentration and need medications or stricter home discipline. The latter, by the way, is totally inappropriate, since children with this condition need help with building skills, not punishment for something they didn't choose to do.
Children with this condition are often restless, but they are not always disruptive, and their state has nothing to do with "being naughty".
What's more, it's now increasingly diagnosed among adults. You, or someone you know, may have this condition without ever having been aware of it - yet it may have had profound effects on your life.
In this post, I want to look at Adult ADHD.
How can tell whether you have it?
Signs and symptoms include having trouble concentrating and staying focused. You may be someone who's easily distracted by minor stimuli, quickly move from one activity to another, who becomes easily bored and dislikes intellectual work that requires sustained focus, or directed attention, as it's called in the Work. If you are, in fact, in the Work, a perceptive teacher would set you tasks to help develop your Intellectual Center, but this alone may not be enough.
Perhaps you struggle to complete tasks? You may enjoy starting new projects, but have problems following through. You may easily lose track of time and fail to meet deadlines. You feel badly about this, but finishing tasks is a recurring problem for you, though you don't understand why.
You may be forgetful and disorganized. This is not, for you, a matter of lacking will-power. You actually find it really difficult to remember important dates and times, and you may miss appointments.
Your home or work environment quickly becomes messy and cluttered, with dirty cups and dishes, piles of paper, and unread mail stacking up on the table. Because all this is hard to clean, your home or workplace may actually become dirty. It all seems an impossible task to clear up, so you never begin.
You may be impulsive - frequently blurting out thoughts and feelings that are rude and inappropriate towards others. You may have poor self-control, and may also have addictive tendencies.
Other signs that are often taken for another problem include mood swings, irritability, short temper with explosive outbursts, hypersensitivity to criticism and low self-esteem.
The restlessness so often accompanying this disorder in children may, in adults, be expressed as a mental restlessness rather than a physical state. You may have racing thoughts, be easily bored, crave excitement and talk excessively.
In attempt to overcome this restlessness, some adults develop a tendency to hyperfocus, or obsess about one or two things to the exclusion of others. This coping mechanism may help them to complete a task, but it often causes relationship problems when those around you cannot understand why you keep focusing on some minor detail which, to them, is irrelevant. Or they may resent the time you spend reading or at the computer, when you find something that absorbs your attention and brings some relief from your wandering thoughts.
You could have all of these symptoms, or just a few. Only a trained professional can make a diagnosis and ensure you get appropriate help, but it's worth considering whether you may have Adult ADHD if any of the above descriptions ring a bell.
And it's not all bad news.
Someone with this condition will often be a creative thinker, and when they learn to channel the flow of ideas and calm their racing thoughts they may have much to offer the world and themselves.
It's relatively easy these days to get help for this condition. Usually, this will include counselling - especially involving behavioural and cognitive work - together with practicing organizational skills and developing systems to keep you focused on daily tasks and setting up useful routines. Sometimes medication is hepful, but that is a very individual decision which is best be taken in consultation with a psychiatrist trained in this field. Not everyone needs it; in fact, most manage very well without it.
Let me illustrate this condition by describing someone I know well, who was diagnosed with Adult ADHD; she's the daughter of a friend, and I've known her since she was a baby. I'll call her Ruth.
At school, Ruth was recognized early on as being exceptionally intelligent. She passed tests with ease and often came top of her class, but her desk was the most messy in the room and the work she handed in was frequently missing pages or was stained with tea or coffee. Her handwriting was very hard to read, so she used a word processor whenever possible.
At home, her room was described by her parents as "a complete tip". Toys, clothes, books and school papers were strewn all over the floor. Every time her mother made an attempt to tidy up, the effect was lost within a day or two. In the end, the rest of her family gave up the effort - but the room had to be cleaned for health and hygiene reasons, and this was a frustrating process for everyone, often ending in tears.
Eventually, when Ruth was ten years old, a wise and perceptive teacher spotted what seemed to her the signs of a newly discovered condition, then described as a form of learning disability: Attention Deficit Disorder. In Ruth's case, she had no problem paying attention to theories and facts in the classroom, which was why she was always top in most subjects. But she simply could not organize her work or her desk! Nor could she organize her room at home.
Ruth was emphatically not a "naughty" child, whatever that may mean. She had a real problem for which she was not responsible and which threatened to overwhelm her, and she needed help.
Her teacher took time every day to help Ruth organize her books and folders. She suggested to her parents that their daughter could benefit from seeing a child psychologist, and he did indeed offer her extra help in the form of a support group, counselling and more training in organization skills. No medication was needed, to everyone's relief.
Ruth eventually won a scholarship to an American Ivy League University, where she did outstandingly well in humanities and in sciences, an unusual combination. After graduate school she took a series of jobs which offered her the chance to use both her reasoning skills and her creativity, and today she holds down an important position in an international company. She finds her job fulfilling and rewarding==, and her home life is also happy, except for the fact that she could never quite take to organizing and cleaning her house! Fortunately, she has an understanding spouse, and can afford to employ a cleaner.
I'm interested in this condition because I believe a relatively large number of people struggle with it, and are undiagnosed.
Of course, any of the symptoms I've mentioned could point to another condition. To get the right diagnosis it's essential to consult a specialist. But, if you're someone who experiences problems with impulsivity, organization, focusing, mood swings or obsessional thinking, it would be well worth finding out whether you might have Adult ADHD.
Everyone has some of these problems, some of the time. You may have Adult ADHD if you suffer from more than one, and if they cause you real problems in your daily life.
As well as individual counselling and group support, there is much you can do to improve your own
condition.
It's very important that you ensure you have a nourishing and healthy diet, for example. You need a wide variety of nutrients, many of which can improve your mood, and you should avoid sugar, because it will exacerbate your problems. Plenty of whole grains, fruit and vegetables are essential and will help improve your mood.
Getting enough sleep, organizing your environment, and taking sufficient exercise are important for everyone, but especially for someone with ADHD. You may benefit by employing a cleaner to help with your home space.
Work on your relationships in order to improve your mood and increase your support network. Try not to take offence easily, and don't be over-sensitive to well-meant criticism. Most people want to help you when they understand your problems: let them. They may not understand that you have a specific condition, so explain to your friends that you have been diagnosed with Adult ADHD, and tell them that you need their support to help deal with it.
Learn meditation to calm your racing thoughts. Your spiritual connection is extremely important, reminding you not to become immersed in the daily problems you face. If you are in the Work, the morning exercise is the best way to become calmer, and you may practice short periods of "sitting" and sensing your body during the day whenever you find yourself becoming anxious.
You may be surprised to discover how much better you feel when you've learned how to cope with this condition. Like Ruth, you can then harness all your creative energy and use it for your own benefit and that of those around you.
No comments:
Post a Comment