Symptoms Of Adult ADHD

Here are example of some of the symptoms of ADHD. While there are real ADHD problems, and I coach my adult ADHD coaching clients on those problems daily, it is also important to remember there are also strengths of ADHD too.

To have a balanced healthy view of ADHD, and to have a better life with ADHD it’s crucial that you need to be able to see both and spend time and attention on both.

ADHD Problems I Help My ADHD Coaching Clients Solve

Here are some practical examples of the career, family and health and lifestyle ADHD related problems that adults with ADHD asked me to help them with since 2003 for their free ADHD coaching session and who have hired me as their Adult ADHD coach.

Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) Symptom Checklist.

Created by Harvard University, New York University and the W.H.O. World Health Organization. It’s a screener test, it’s not a diagnostic test. It shows you if you should seek a proper diagnosis of ADHD by someone who actually knows ADHD since many do not.  You don’t need to have all of the symptoms to have ADHD. Here are some of the questions, and on the actual test, you show how often you have each symptom in the checkboxes.

“1. How often do you have trouble wrapping up the final details of a project, once the challenging parts have been done?

2. How often do you have difficulty getting things in order when you have to do a task that requires organization?

3. How often do you have problems remembering appointments or obligations?

4. When you have a task that requires a lot of thought, how often do you avoid or delay getting started?

5. How often do you fidget or squirm with your hands or feet when you have to sit down for a long time?

6. How often do you feel overly active and compelled to do things, like you were driven by a motor?

7. How often do you make careless mistakes when you have to work on a boring or difficult project?

8. How often do you have difficulty keeping your attention when you are doing boring or repetitive work?

9. How often do you have difficulty concentrating on what people say to you, even when they are speaking to you directly?

10. How often do you misplace or have difficulty finding things at home or at work?

11. How often are you distracted by activity or noise around you?

12. How often do you leave your seat in meetings or other situations in which you are expected to remain seated?

13. How often do you feel restless or fidgety?

14. How often do you have difficulty unwinding and relaxing when you have time to yourself?

15. How often do you find yourself talking too much when you are in social situations?

16. When you’re in a conversation, how often do you find yourself finishing the sentences of the people you are talking to, before they can finish
them themselves?

17. How often do you have difficulty waiting your turn in situations when
turn taking is required?

18. How often do you interrupt others when they are busy?”

Take the full online test for Adult ADHD.

IF the screener test shows you have ADHD, the next step is to get a diagnosis by a doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist who is properly trained on ADHD, and sadly many are not.

Ask your closest ADHD support group for a list of those known to diagnose and treat ADHD. If. you live in the Vancouver, Canada area I have a list.

My list of Canadian ADHD Support Groups. My list of US ADHD Support Groups. My list of International ADHD Support Groups.

About 30% of people with ADHD also have LD. See What Are The Some Common Signs of LD (Learning Disabilities)? 

Goes over some of the common symptoms of learning disabilities by age, Preschool, Grades K-4, Grades 5-8, High School Students and Adults

CADDRA Canadian ADHD Practice Guidelines

Comorbid Conditions Of Adults And Kids With ADHD.

ADHD rarely travels alone, comorbidity or coexisting conditions are the norm, not the exception. This lists the comorbidities in ADHD children and ADHD adults and the percentage each has, including obesity and heart disease.

Does Your Doctor Know How to Diagnose ADHD?

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults: A Survey of Current Practice in Psychiatry and Primary Care Faraone SV, Spencer TJ, Montano CB, et al.

“A survey of 50 psychiatrists and 50 primary care practitioners (PCPs) reviewed 537 and 317 medical records, respectively, of ADHD-diagnosed adults…Among patients who had no prior diagnosis, 56% complained about ADHD symptoms to other health professionals without being diagnosed. PCPs were the least aggressive in diagnosing ADHD.”

I’ve lost track of how many people I’ve personally known who have told their health care professional they “thought they might have ADD” and were quickly dismissed (often rudely so) and later (sometimes 10 years later) saw an experienced professional and got diagnosed with ADD.

Explain Adult ADHD To Non ADDers. My Crowd Sourced Anti ADHD Stigma Campaign

My crowdsourced campaign to reduce the ignorance, misinformation, and stigma against adults with ADHD I’m doing on my first blog Adult ADD Strengths.

People explain what is the most important thing that you want non-ADHD adults to know about what life is really like living with Adult ADHD.

You can do it anonymously, or with your full name.

Hunters, Explorers and Dreamers… Different Ways to View Your ADD Traits

An alternative model from the negative 98% pathology only oriented view of ADD. Here are some of the models that she goes into detail in.

Hunters
Explorers
Spatial/Visual Thinker (or “Right-Brained”)
Minority Temperaments
Creative
Gifted
The Edison Trait: Dynamos, Discoverers and Dreamers
Overfocused
Lateral and Divergent Thinkers
Highly Sensitive Person (HSP)

Inaccurate Gender Stereotypes Preventing Best Possible Treatment Of ADHD

“Inaccurate assumptions about how Attention Deficit Disorder affects boys and girls could be preventing some teens from getting all the help they need to deal with ADHD and related complications.”

More Discrimination Against Minority Children With ADHD, 46% Less Likely To Receive An ADHD Diagnosis A Study Of 17,100 Children For 8 Years In Pediatrics Revealed.

This is despite minority children having more risk factors for ADHD.

“69% lower odds of African-Americans to get diagnosed with ADHD than otherwise identical white children.

50% lower odds of Hispanics to get diagnosed with ADHD than otherwise identical white children.

46% of lower odds of other ethnicities to get diagnosed with ADHD than otherwise identical white children.”

Myths and Misunderstandings of ADHD

Evidence from research studies continues to dispel the myths and misunderstandings about ADHD. Here are some of the misconceptions and recent research available to address them:

“Myth # 1: ADHD is Not a Real Disorder
Myth # 2: ADHD is a Disorder of Childhood
Myth # 3: ADHD is Over-Diagnosed
Myth # 4: Children with ADHD are Over-medicated
Myth # 5: Poor Parenting Causes ADHD
Myth # 6: Minority Children are Over-Diagnosed with ADHD and are Over-Medicated
Myth # 7: Girls Have Lower Rates and Less Severe ADHD than Boys”

Parents Of Children With ADD Are 24 Times More Likely To Have ADD Themselves Study Says

ADHD is the #2 genetically inherited condition after height. “The evidence is dramatic and the message clear: we need to treat the whole family, not just the child.” Pete’s comment – I’ve personally noticed that men tend to be in denial/minimization longer than women.

Stigma Of Disorder, Lack Of Information Significant Barriers To Treatment Of ADHD Among African Americans, Hispanics

“More than 3,300 adults of varying ethnic backgrounds expressed their attitudes toward, perceptions of, and experiences with ADHD in the nationwide Cultural Attitudes & Perceptions About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder survey

While the survey demonstrates a great deal of similarities and common beliefs about ADHD among people of different ethnic backgrounds, it also reveals a number of barriers that may be keeping children who suffer from ADHD from receiving proper diagnosis and treatment,” said Christopher Griffith, M.D., a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrists.”

What’s It Like To Have ADHD?

Good article by Dr. Ed Hallowell. Great to show your non-ADD friends what life is like when you have ADD.

If you or someone you know has Adult ADHD and want some practical, customized help in managing your ADHD, contact me for a free 30 minute ADHD coaching session.

I’ve helped hundreds of ADHD adults since 2003 with ADHD coaching over the phone.