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- Hey, everybody, happy Thursday. Today, we're gonna talk about ADHD and how it can be different as an adult. But before I get into that, are you new to my channel? Welcome! I put out videos on Mondays and Thursdays, so make sure you're subscribed and have those notifications turned on so you don't miss out. But let's jump into this topic. And today's question is, hey Kati, could you talk more about ADHD as a whole and how it can be different as an adult? I wasn't diagnosed until recently and I still don't really understand. In the past, everyone used to consider ADHD to be something that only affects children. Many professionals even believed that children who had been diagnosed with ADHD would later, eventually, grow out of it. But we know now that that line of thinking is completely false, and ADHD is something that will span a person's entire lifetime. ADHD can even present differently in adults versus children, and therefore, go undiagnosed for long periods of time. But before we jump into how ADHD can be different in adults versus children, let's define ADHD as a whole and how it's diagnosed. ADHD stands for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and it is a persistent pattern of inattention or hyperactivity and impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development. It is categorized by the number of symptoms one has in both the inattention and the hyperactivity/impulsivity categories. So let's get into the inattention portion first, and a person must have at least six of these following symptoms, and these symptoms must have persisted for at least six months, so it's kind of easy to remember. Must have six, must have been happening in your life for at least six months, and it has to be to a degree that is inconsistent with developmental level, and it negatively impacts our social or occupational functioning. Meaning that, y'know, kids can be restless and be inattentive, we can't force a two-year-old to watch a four-hour film, this is not gonna happen, so we have to kind of take all that stuff into consideration before we assume that someone has ADHD, okay? Now, the first symptom is, often fails to pay attention to detail, and therefore, can make careless mistakes frequently. Number two, has difficulty holding attention in tasks or hobbies. Three, does not seem to listen when spoken to directly. Four, often does not follow through on instructions and can fail to finish work. Five, has difficulties organizing tasks and activities. For example, y'know, having really poor time management or is extremely messy and disorganized with work. Six, dislikes activities that require sustained mental effort, and will often avoid them altogether if possible. And number seven, will often lose things necessary for tasks and activities. Like, for example, if we had a big presentation at work and we needed our thumb drive to even start the presentation, we leave the thumb drive at home on accident. Eight is easily distracted by stimuli. It could be outside of themselves, or even their own thoughts. Nine, is often forgetful in daily activities. Like, they can forget to pay bills, keep appointments, et cetera. Now we're gonna get into the second category, 'cause remember, that was just inattention, and now we're getting to hyperactivity and impulsivity. And again, just like the one above, they must have at least six of these, but they only have to have five if they're 17 and older, so we're talking about adult ADHD. They would only need to have five of these, and they need to persist for at least six months, and, y'know, not be consistent with their developmental level, and it has to interfere with their ability to function in their life. And they also note that this category of symptoms cannot be just because someone is being oppositional or hostile towards someone else, so you have to kind of, like, rule that part out first, and the first symptom is that they will often fidget with or tap hands or feet or just squirm in their seat. Number two, they'll often leave their seat times when remaining seated is expected, like at a wedding, in school, at a really important meeting. They have trouble just being there. Three, they can often run out or climb in situations where it's inappropriate. In adults, they say that this limited to feeling restless, but in children, they find that they just have to move, they need to get out, they need to climb around and do all sorts of things. You can see how this is just, like... I just have to move, I'm hyperactive. Sorry, guys, I had to cut the roll. Speaking of, like, things happening that are distracting, I think there's a wood chipper outside our house. I have no control over it, so I'm sorry if you hear it, but that's what's going on, but let's just keep going, we shall persist. And the fourth symptom is, they're unable to play or engage in leisure activities quietly. Five is that they often feel on the go or act as if they're driver by a motor, like, they'll be unable to sit still for a long period of time and people can really find them hard to keep up with, 'cause they just go go go go go go. Six, they can often talk excessively. It can be misdiagnosed, you'll see, I'll talk about this a little bit more, but ADHD is often misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder, because a lot of these symptoms, even as I say, can talk excessively, reminds me of the part of a bipolar diagnosis where we talk about pressured speech, where they almost just can't shut up. Seven, they'll often blurt out an answer before a question has even been completed. They can also complete other people's sentences when they're still talking or talk completely over others. Number eight, has difficulty waiting his or her turn. You can see, it's just, we have to move, it's that hyperactivity component, right? And number nine is, often interrupts or intrudes on others. Like, they'll butt into conversations, they can start using other people's things without permission, or even take over something that someone else is working on, because sometimes they become impatient with the speed with which someone is completing a task. Now, several of both sets of these symptoms, right, we talked about two different sets, must have been present prior to the age of 12. And several of both of those sets must also have been present in two or more settings, meaning that it has to happen at, like, home and at work. And there must be clear evidence that these symptoms are interfering with or reducing the quality of our functioning as a whole. Now that we know what ADHD is and how it's diagnosed, let's get into how it can be different in adults, and why many people are not getting properly diagnosed with ADHD until they're much much older. First, I think it's important to know that all adults who are diagnosed with ADHD had it as a child, they just never got a proper diagnosis, and may have even struggled in school without support as a result. Which, I have to be honest, is always upsetting for me to read about, because children can grow up believing that they're stupid, lazy, or they're never gonna fit in, and if they understood what was really going on, they could have learned tools and techniques to better manage it and gotten more support in school, so they could have succeeded more easily. Now, adults with ADHD may have trouble at work. They change jobs frequently, and they often don't feel very fulfilled by their work. They can also tend to smoke cigarettes and abuse alcohol or drugs with more frequency. They talked about this a lot because, kind of like the impulse control issues that we can have, we feel so on edge all day and everything that we do to try to stay focused takes so much of our energy, we often reach out for unhealthy coping skills as a way to better manage. They also find that adults with ADHD struggle with mental health issues as well. Most common that they talk about are anxiety and depression, and you can see why, if you've been told as a kid that you're not as smart or you're slow and you've grown up feeling like you're different, or it's really hard for you to sit still and you have to put all this energy into, like, fitting in with other people, you can see how that would really be difficult. Research also shows that adults with ADHD get a lot of speeding tickets, they aren't good at saving money, and they oversalt their food, which I've found to be very interesting. There wasn't a ton to back that up, but I'm just giving you some of the signs and symptoms that adults may express that we won't see so much in children. Adults also tend to struggle with relationships, and due to the impulsiveness that comes along with ADHD, they often get married multiple times. And now, obviously, as I go through these traits, know that everyone is gonna be different. These are just some of the signs and symptoms that research has shown us over the years. Now, as for why many people aren't properly diagnosed as children, they believe it's often misdiagnosed as anxiety, OCD, or even bipolar disorder. Others are not diagnosed because they find ways to better manage their symptoms. Many adults reported that they learned mental tasks they can do to help them focus and not fidget. In order to fit in and get through school, they utilize these tools. Do you remember when I did the interview with Mark Suster, he talked about how, even as an adult, in meetings, he doodles as a way to keep him focused and trying to not be super disrespectful to the person talking, so he does a bunch of things, or he'll do, like, mental tasks, go through his list of to-dos, so that he doesn't appear disrespectful, when really, he's just trying to stay focused. But the good news is that we're learning more and more about ADHD every year. There are many therapeutic techniques and tools that you can use to better help you manage the symptoms. CBT has been the most researched and supported treatment, but here are some of, like, the basic tools that people find helpful that, some come out of the CBT treatment, others are just ones that I've read in blogs that people find really helpful. Number one, setting small goals and tasks each and every day. I find it to be really important for us to visually see what it is that we need to accomplish and when. Number two, setting a timer, so that you know how long you have to keep ding that thing, because maybe you're struggling to stay focused, and it's nice to know that, hey, I've only got a few more minutes of this, just push through, I'll be done, and then you get to do something completely different. Three, have a reward system for yourself, where you get something that you want, like watching that amazing YouTube video that's been in your feed that you saw earlier, and you're fighting to not watch, but make sure you get to do this reward and get the reward as soon as you complete one task, therefore, it keeps us a little bit more motivated to stay focused and finish. Four, establish a routine that you can follow most days. We find that people with ADHD work well when they have, like, a structured routine, and something that's kind of expected, so make sure you try to wake up around the same time and do certain things throughout your day. And number five, come up with distraction tools and techniques that you can do. Like I said, Mark Suster doodles while in meetings to help him stay focused. Find something you can do where you won't get in trouble for it, but it helps you stay focused for longer, so that you can complete the tasks you need to each and every day. And the sixth, be kind to yourself. Behavioral changes take time and practice, and some days, you may just be too tired to do it at all, but just keep trying, and know that it does get better and easier. Last, if medication is something you're interested in, that's another option for treatment. There are stimulants, such as Adderall or Vyvance, and non-stimulants, like Stratera or Intuniv, so it's best to talk to your doctor first, get properly assessed and diagnosed, remember, 'cause often it's often misdiagnosed, and then you get to decide what treatment is right for you. They talk about how stimulants can be a little dangerous for those of us who had an addiction in our past, and it makes our hunger/fullness cues get off, so make sure you talk to your doctor, ask all pertinent questions, make sure you're fully informed before you decide to start medication. This video has been brought to you by kinions on Patreon. If you would like to support the creation of these mental health videos, click the link in the description and check it out. And, as always, leave in the comments how ADHD has felt for you, or what tools you find to be the most helpful, because together, we are working for a healthy mind and a healthy body. And I will see you next time. Bye!