Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults can be missed – The National

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults can be missed – The National

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults can be missed – The National, 6 Nov 2014, – Jennifer Bell jbell@thenational.ae

A condition commonly associated with hyperactive children, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often goes undiagnosed in adults, leading to potential professional and personal problems, experts say. Experts say behavioural issues are often wrongly ascribed to depression because many of the symptoms are similar

Jared Alden, a psychotherapist, has personal experience of what it is like to live with ADHD.

While psychologists agree that ADHD is not an adult-onset disorder and that symptoms begin in childhood, many who have the condition are unaware, said Deema Sihweil, clinical director and psychologist at Dubai’s Carbone Clinic. “Since attention deficit disorders are relatively new diagnoses, adults of this generation may never have been properly diagnosed as children,” Dr Sihweil said. “This could lead to great misconceptions about what could be going on in problematic behaviours in adults.” ADHD is typically characterised by inattention and impulsivity. Symptoms range from a lack of focus or concentration on tasks, social or vocational problems, poor impulse control, sleep disorders, time-management difficulties and memory problems. Because these symptoms are also characteristic of depressive disorders, the condition is often misdiagnosed, Dr Sihweil said.

“Often adults with underlying cognitive attentional difficulties may be diagnosed and treated for depression,” she said. “And sometimes adults may be diagnosed with ADHD when any underlying emotional disorder may be at the root of the problems. “So it is important for adults presenting with symptoms to get evaluated and tested to receive an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment.” If untreated, adults with ADHD are more likely to have work, social and relationship-related impairments, said Dr Hanan Hussein, a consultant psychiatrist at the American Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology. “They are more likely to perform poorly at work, change employers with fewer occupational achievements and have a lower socioeconomic status. “They are more likely to have driving violations. They may get involved in use of illegal substances more frequently. They are more likely to have more marital problems and multiple marriages with higher incidence of separation and divorce. “Lack of awareness and misconceptions about ADHD symptoms is behind the seemingly low prevalence of adult ADHD,” Dr Hussein said. “It is falsely believed that ADHD is a willpower problem, but it’s essentially a chemical problem in the management systems of the brain.” ADHD adults are often found in specific jobs, most often in creative roles, said Jared Alden, of the German Neuroscience Centre in Dubai Healthcare City.

“It is true they are the artists and thinkers of our time. You will not often find them being accountants. They are unlikely to be in the diplomatic corps or any profession that requires conformity, consistency of habits and sitting still. “The ADHD adult is a global thinker who can see the end result quickly and is often full of unique ideas. They struggle with the details and get easily bored with the process of bringing their great ideas to fruition.” While there is no UAE specific data for adult ADHD, Mr Alden believes the prevalence is in line with global statistics. “There is not a week that goes by in the past 20 years that I have not had someone with ADHD come into my office. I would say the same has been true for my last six years in the UAE.”

The inside track on ADHD, When it comes to treating adults with ADHD, the psychotherapist Jared Alden has a lot of insight.

He struggled with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in childhood but it was not until his late 20s, when studying the condition as part of his psychotherapy training, that he recognised a lot of the symptoms in himself. “I thought ‘wow, that sounds a lot like me’,” said Mr Alden, 52, of the German Neuroscience Centre in Dubai Healthcare City. “I went through testing and it came up with ADHD hyperactive.

“It made a big difference to me. Anyone who meets me, even now at my age, knows I am hyper and full of energy. When I was younger it was really extreme. It was nice to know that it was a brain thing and not a character issue.” The condition is typically diagnosed in childhood. “It was not really a very wellknown thing at the time,” said Mr Alden, an American. “What makes it very hard is that for most people their first experience of having ADHD is in school. But schools just don’t have time for that student who is different, so we tend to not get a good experience of our early schooling. That tends to affect us throughout life – some people will think they are dumb or any number of different things.

“For me it was unrecognised when I was a younger student. I found assignments really hard in a specific way. It would take me a long time to form the ideas; I would understand it, but the hard part was putting it down on paper and explaining what I knew. “I really struggled getting other people to understand what I was trying to say.”

The diagnosis gave him more compassion when dealing with the ADHD adults he now sees weekly. “It gave me a lot of insight,” he said. “You can spot people very quickly. It is the person who tends to be just a little bit different. It can be in their language – they can talk about things differently. They have different ideas. “We have a very hard time sitting still and we don’t like doing things in a ritualistic way. We always like to bounce around and do things our own way.” He believes the condition can bring many benefits and many can use it to their advantage to be more creative, driven and independent.

“It has certainly made me more driven because I have had to work hard for my academic qualifications. It means I am a pretty good worker generally.” Mr Alden said people react to his ADHD in different ways. “People are surprised by how much energy I have. I don’t think people are always comfortable with someone who is different. And I am certainly different.”