do you have ADHD?How to spot and treat symptoms

Although ADHD is common, affecting approximately 1 in 20 people, and the number of people diagnosed has increased dramatically in recent years, most experts believe that: NHS long waiting list This means that the disorder is still underdiagnosed.

Symptoms of ADHD begin in childhood, usually before age 12 in elementary school, which distinguishes it from other conditions such as bipolar disorder. That said, people often don't realize they have ADHD because childhood symptoms are often overlooked, especially in girls and introverts who don't present with classic symptoms.

“People are looking for the archetype of the boy jumping around the classroom, but this is a complete oversimplification and there are many more subtle forms of ADHD,” Dr. Smith explains. Fortunately, for most people, ADHD is very treatable.

What is it like to live with ADHD?

The classic symptom most people associate with ADHD is hyperactivity, manifested in the inability to sit still and listen during class. As adults, we may find ourselves fidgety or unable to sit still during meetings.

Additionally, because children with ADHD have difficulty concentrating on specific tasks, they often get into trouble for not reviewing homework or tests, which can result in them being branded lazy by teachers and parents. There is a gender.

“Imagine growing up and always having trouble at school and at home and starting to think that you are stupid for not being able to concentrate on school work. “As adults, hyperactivity may subside somewhat, but mental restlessness remains and the mind is constantly racing, which can lead to exhaustion,” explains ADHD at the Swiss luxury clinic Paracelsus. Dr Thilo Beck, expert and consultant psychiatrist, says: recovery.

“What I tell my patients is that they don't have a lot of filters in their minds, so all the input from the outside world comes in and they can't process it. People with ADHD need to be more active to cope with boredom. I recommend choosing a job that is unique or offers a lot of variety, but you also need to be careful not to get overwhelmed easily.”

How does ADHD affect your daily life?

Sleep is often a problem because the brain doesn't shut down at night. “Part of that is due to the anxiety, worry, or mental activity that comes with ADHD. When people get into bed, their head hits the pillow, and it takes them hours of looking at the ceiling before they fall asleep,” Smith says. The doctor explains.

Relationships can also be difficult for people with ADHD, as they have difficulty listening to what others have to say and may interpret this as a lack of interest. Or they may be too talkative and annoy people by interrupting others, or they may get angry easily and have trouble controlling their anger.

“This is known as emotion dysregulation and is controlled by the frontal lobes of the brain. Because people with ADHD are quiet, it can cause major problems in close relationships and at work,” says Dr. Smith. .

Inattention and difficulty concentrating are the main symptoms, but people with ADHD may “hyperfocus” on some things. “It's not that you can't concentrate, it's that you can't control where you put your attention,” Dr. Smith added.

As a result, people with ADHD tend to be thrill seekers and may abuse substances such as alcohol or drugs to relieve their constant restlessness. They may also struggle with their “executive functions,” which is the ability to plan and organize their lives.

ADHD is often accompanied by other conditions such as dyslexia, movement disorders, autism, Tourette's disease, anxiety, and depression. For diagnosis, clinicians typically look for significant impairments across two areas: work, home life, and relationships with others.

What types of ADHD are there?

When you are diagnosed with ADHD, you fall into one of two types, or a combination of the two types. Complex types are the most common.

• Impulsivity/hyperactivity: People with this type have excess energy, have difficulty sitting, often fidget, interrupt others, and may talk excessively.
• Carelessness: These people are dreamers who have difficulty concentrating, cannot listen to others, and are easily distracted. They have difficulty paying attention to details and organizing tasks and activities. You may be prone to losing things, forgetting things, or making mistakes.
• Join: Most people find that they have a combination of inattention and hyperactive ADHD. In Dr. Smith's clinic, 70% of his patients have combined ADHD. Also, as people get older, they may seem less hyperactive because they learn how to disguise it. “Some people may judge themselves to be inattentive, but when they reassess, they often find a hyperactive restlessness inside. “These are people who constantly find themselves busy, whether it's helping out at a party, crocheting during a meeting, or using a fidget device, and that helps calm the mind,” says Smith. says the doctor.

What causes ADHD?

ADHD is a genetic disorder that tends to run in families, so if you have ADHD, there's a good chance that your relatives will also be diagnosed with ADHD. However, environmental factors such as traumatic experiences, birth complications, brain injury, and exposure to toxins also appear to play a role.

“We still don't understand how these triggers affect ADHD. We have 60 years of research, but there's a lot of variation and no good, consistent findings. “No,” says Dr. Smith.

Many experts believe that ADHD is so common that it requires an evolutionary explanation.interesting recent the study They suggest that ADHD brains may have evolved in hunter-gatherer societies, where their impulsiveness and risk-taking nature may have been an advantage when searching for food.

ADHD commonly begins in childhood

ADHD usually begins in elementary school by age 12, but it may be missed in some children, especially girls who are dreamy and inattentive rather than hyperactive.

A red flag might be a child who is smart but doesn't do well in school, or who is very tiring when the family is around. “That's difficult because a lot of kids are exhausted, so it has to be on another level, a behavior that the child doesn't outgrow,” Dr. Smith said.

Dr Helen Reid is a consultant psychiatrist who ran ADHD services in the NHS for many years and now runs a private practice, The ADHD Consultancy. She says many children with undiagnosed ADHD manage to get through GCSEs, but most struggle when it comes to A-levels. She says: “Achieving A-levels requires 'executive functioning', but by this stage almost everyone falls off a cliff if they have undiagnosed ADHD.”

If you think your child may have ADHD, talk to your doctor. Your GP will likely refer you to a specialist for diagnosis, but as with adults, there are long waiting lists. You can also talk to your child's teacher or school's Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO).

Why is ADHD often overlooked in girls and women?

In recent years, there have been a number of stories in the news about women who only discovered they had ADHD later in life because their symptoms were overlooked as children.

“We don't know why symptoms manifest differently between men and women, but it may have something to do with the way men and women are socialized. It's easier for boys to accept being hyperactive. “Female students are more likely to daydream during class and not pay attention, but no one will notice because they sit quietly and don't disrupt the lesson unless they move,” says Dr. Beck. explain.

Women may be better able to hide symptoms. “Women may feel obligated to hide their behavior and develop compensatory behaviors, such as anxiety, in which case it is the anxiety disorder that is being treated rather than the underlying ADHD,” says Smith. the doctor added.

What should I do if I think I have ADHD?

Please visit your primary care physician first. We will refer you for an NHS assessment. However, NHS waiting lists are long and are often getting worse, with waiting lists of up to 10 years in the worst affected trusts.

No wonder there are so many Select private assessmentand that many private clinics also experience long waiting times.

If you choose folk medicine, make sure you choose a clinic with a good reputation as you may want to go back to the NHS to have your medication prescribed.

“Drugs are expensive and may be needed for the rest of your life. But if you return to the NHS, your GP will need to know whether they can trust the validity of your report before safely prescribing them. “This will need to be confirmed and if the report is not comprehensive, you may have to wait for a medical certificate. The diagnosis has been confirmed by the NHS,” Dr Smith says.

'Speak to your GP about the private clinic of your choice, as they may have previously worked with you.' Ask for recommendations. Approximately 80% of adults with ADHD also have another medical condition, so without proper training there is a risk that ADHD will be misdiagnosed or overlooked. .”