Adult ADHD is a disorder that is rather common among children but few are aware that over half of the children diagnosed will carry this disorder with them into adulthood.
A further concern is that most adults with attention deficit disorder do not know that they have it and it is left untreated.
For adults the symptoms are very similar but in more of a grown up way.
They have difficulty following directions, retaining information, concentrating, being organized, and when these problems are not addressed it can lead to many problems vocationally, academically, emotionally, and socially.
In childhood it is likely that more boys will have ADD than girls.
As they get older,it tends to balance itself out more.
In adults, if left untreated or undiagnosed generally results in substance abuse, aggressive and violent behavior, inconsistencies with relationships, and are twice as likely to end up institutionalized.
It can also result in the inability to maintain a job because they have a tendency to be excessively tardy or absent and very unorganized.
They also often find it difficult to sit through meetings and to retain what they have learned.
Often adults that have ADHD find that if there is something that they may be excited about, perhaps an upcoming event or something of that nature, they are unable to think about or concentrate on anything else.
Usually they also fall into one of two categories, one, they are very withdrawn and antisocial or they are overly social and do not want to be alone.
Either way it is a two sided sword.
Even if this disorder was not diagnosed in childhood, it is likely that an adult with ADD as a child was an underachiever, was frequently in trouble in school, failed one or more grades, or dropped out of school.
These "grown ups" normally require the same treatment as children do and well over half of the adults do very well with medication in the form of stimulants.
Especially with the shorter acting stimulants, they tend to wear off as the night progresses and then adults can sometimes find it difficult to do simple things at home like pay the bills, clean the house, cook dinner, or help their children with their homework.
As a result, an adult ADHD have tendencies to develop substance abuse problems in order to cope rather than speaking to the doctor and have their medication changed or adjusted.
When an adult with ADD is diagnosed as having the disorder, there are a series of questions that are important to ask about the route of your treatment such as what should you expect if you opt to see a psychologist, what are the best treatments for adults and also the side effects, what suggestions do they have for diet and exercise, what is their feelings on herbal remedies, how long will the treatment have to continue, and find out if there are any clinical trials that you might be able to participate in.
These are all perfectly valid and acceptable questions to ask about your adult ADHD treatment.