We really like this article by Emily Willingham, PhD, for Psychiatry Advisor about Adult ADHD. If you’ve ever wondered if you or someone you love might have Adult ADHD, this article might be a good first step towards seeking a formal diagnosis and treatment. Here’s an excerpt, and there’s a link below that will take you to the full text.
Susan Sprich, PhD, director of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CPT) Program and of Postgraduate Psychology Education at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Psychiatry Advisor in an email that adults presenting in their clinic often recognize ADHD symptoms in themselves after their child is diagnosed, or the adult has undergone an evaluation suggesting an executive function issue.
She noted that the requirement that the symptoms were present in childhood is critical. “If an adult says that, looking back, he or she can see that he has struggled with these symptoms for many years, ADHD may be more likely,” she wrote. “If the symptoms have emerged recently, one might suspect other psychiatric or medical causes for the symptoms.”
That rule-out is important, especially given the predominance of inattention in adult ADHD. According to a 2010 study by Kessler et al,2 some adults who meet most criteria for adult ADHD lack the key criterion of symptoms in childhood. As a result, the authors urge caution when making a diagnosis because inattention is “strongly associated” with other mental disorders.