Adults also suffer from it: How do I know if I have attention deficit?
Attention deficit disorder -with or without hyperactivity- (ADD-ADHD) does exist in adults and it’s not something exclusive to children and adolescents, as it’s often thought. It is a disorder that — according to the approaches addressed by the Spanish psychologist Francisco Pérez — can cause serious difficulties and problems for people in their work environment.
It is very common for someone to overlook a task at work or forget to finish a report due to lack of organization or overwork. But what happens when this becomes recurrent to the point of continuous mistakes that put the person’s employment, the company’s responsibilities and a healthy work environment at risk?
If this happens to you repeatedly, you could be a victim of attention deficit disorder -with hyperactivity or not- and you still do not know that you need to treat this situation with the due care it deserves. If you don’t take action, your life in general could suffer a great debacle.
Francisco Pérez, psychologist from the University of Jaén, with a Master’s Degree in Clinical and Health Psychology from the Complutense University of Madrid (2008); and a specialization in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Childhood and Adolescence from UNED (2015); wrote an extensive article published on the following website: La Mente es Maravillosa. There, he explains the typical features of adults who suffer from attention deficit disorder and how they can recognize if they are being victims of this condition.
A person suffers from ADD-ADHD if they find it difficult to pay enough attention to details, if they make careless mistakes in study assignments, at work or other activities; or if you have difficulty maintaining attention in tasks or play activities. Also if you are told that it seems that you do not listen when they speak to you directly, if you frequently do not follow instructions and do not complete tasks or obligations; if you tend to daydream, if you avoid tasks that require sustained mental effort and are easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli.
Are you an adult with attention deficit disorder?
Pérez explains that it is often assumed that attention deficit with or without hyperactivity does not occur in adulthood, but recent studies say otherwise. “Today this assumption has clearly been shown to be inaccurate, not to say false. In fact, scientific studies have shown the presence of this deficit in adults”.
“This is very clearly reflected in the tales and comments that are heard in consultation. In them, recurrent difficulties are manifested, for years, in different areas. In turn, these difficulties are a consequence of the negative effects of chronic symptoms (…) Thus, today it is proven that attention deficit, with or without hyperactivity, is not an exclusive disorder of the childhood stage, since in a high proportion of people it continues into adulthood”, he adds.
On the other hand, he explains that it is no less true that the adult with attention deficit may have autonomously developed certain strategies that successfully compensate for the difficulties arising from the disorder.
The typical behaviors in an adult with attention deficit, with or without hyperactivity, put together symptoms that tend to build and sustain a subjectivity, a world of their own, often not without suffering, limitations and challenges that affect a wide range of vital areas .
According to an investigation by J.R. Valdizán, A.C. Izaguerri-Gracia, around 4.4% of the adult population could suffer from attention deficit and impulsivity disorders. Of that proportion, 1% would have been diagnosed. Furthermore, a good part of the sample may present hyperactivity.
Other studies suggest an even higher percentage. The department of Psychiatry at Syracuse University, in New York, said that ADHD would have an incidence of up to 5% in the adult population.
“Furthermore, 67% of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity syndrome continue to have symptoms during their adulthood. This can interfere with their performance in multiple areas, such as personal relationships, the workplace, vocation or the course of their studies”, he adds.
“The existence of attention deficit, with or without hyperactivity, in adults is irrefutable. Furthermore, having grown up with this syndrome without knowing it can have devastating effects. Furthermore, the prevalence of the disorder is higher in women, with a predominance of inattention (that is, without presenting hyperactivity)”, explains Pérez.
A calm person can suffer from the disorder
The lack of hyperactivity on many occasions disguises the problem and makes it go unnoticed as a real problem. In fact, in recent years, attention deficit without hyperactivity has begun to be detected and treated in women.
On the other hand, the symptomatic behaviors of the deficit increase the affective, intellectual and physical risks, among others. “Chronic deficits bring enormous pain and conflict”, emphasizes Pérez.
“Difficulties in maintaining attention are reflected in poor performance, impulsive decision-making behaviors, low self-esteem or family problems. It is more difficult for an adult with attention deficit to organize and control their life satisfactorily in general, unless the person has acquired strategies that compensate precisely for this difficulty“, explains the psychologist.
A study on the subject was published in the Journal World Psychiatry in 2008. Dr. Stephen Faraone points out that 30 years ago psychiatry began to perceive the impact and the great need to take into account the adult with attention deficit with or without hyperactivity.
“Psychometric studies show us that the tests that we currently use have high internal consistency and reliability, and that they are therefore useful when making a diagnosis. However, the problem is that not everyone is aware that they have a clinical condition. They have integrated that behavior, that approach, that impulsiveness from an early age until they come to think that it is their own personality”, adds Pérez.
The important thing — he indicates — is that there are no longer doubts about the fact that this disorder exists and is detectable in adults. Furthermore, once diagnosed, its treatment is effective.
“Before, it was believed that attention deficit, with or without hyperactivity, constitute a series of difficulties typical of childhood. It was thought that as the child grew up, it would yield and disappear. Unfortunately, in many cases this is not the case. A large proportion of children with this deficit will continue with it throughout their lives”, he says.
Pérez said that it has also been proven that, when the disorder is mild, the symptoms of the deficit can help shape a style, a way of being. In many cases, it changes in some of its manifestations as the adolescent grows and becomes an adult, but the core problems remain stable.
“Progressively, disabilities pile up painful and complex secondary consequences. This is detrimental to self-concept and the emotions that derive from it (self-esteem). Low self-esteem is a typical consequence in adults who suffer from the deficit”, he adds.
The adults often have low self-esteem
The department of Psychology of the University of Levander suggest a study published in the Nordic Journal of Psychiatry, which explains that an adult with the deficit usually presents a quite serious social deterioration.
“Thus, it is important to clarify that attention deficit manifests itself through different symptoms that have been grouped for classification. In this sense, someone can suffer from this disorder even if they do not identify themselves with all of them”, says Pérez.
According to the most popular psychology texts, the first symptoms are grouped into three large basic groups: attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity.
Symptoms referred to attention:
- The person does not pay enough attention to details.
- Makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities.
- Has difficulty maintaining attention in tasks or play activities.
- The person seems not to hear when spoken to directly.
- Does not follow instructions or complete tasks or obligations.
- Day dreamer.
- Avoids tasks that require sustained mental effort.
- Easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli.
Symptoms related to hyperactivity:
- The person moves its hands or feet excessively.
- Is often “running” or acts as if it had a motor.
- Talk excessively.
- Has difficulty engaging in leisure activities quietly.
Symptoms related to impulsivity:
- Rushes to answer before questions have been completed.
- Difficulty in waiting for his or her turn.
- Interrupts or intrudes in the activities of others.
“Research shows certain deficits, several already mentioned, and here more specific: attention deficits not only limit or hinder the ability to maintain a listening attitude. For example, also being able to activate, organize, start and sustain attention at work can be a real ordeal”, explains Pérez.
In addition, Pérez indicates, there may be problems sustaining energy and effort. Likewise, there can be a changeable mood and marked sensitivity to criticism. Memory glitches are also common. They may have difficulty retrieving concepts already learned, remembering names, dates, and information in general.
Other characteristics of attention deficit
Both, those who suffer from impulsivity and attention deficit, and those who have hyperactivity, suffer enormous and wide impacts linked to the symptoms described. Around them, a range of different forms of suffering and secondary consequences usually unfold, most of them based on misunderstanding.
“There is multiple evidence of attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity, in families. The research takes into account the genetic factors present in the deficit”, underlines the Spanish psychologist.
Among other characteristics that people present:
- Low resistance to fatigue when they have to do a task for a long period of time.
- Problems with self-control and regulation of behavior.
- Difficulties in regulating emotions, motivation, activating to…
- Low self-esteem.
- Difficulties in personal relationships.
- Difficulties with their impulsiveness in areas with significant potential risks: expenses, various addictions, food, physical safety, sexual relations and others.
- Trouble resisting temptations.
“As we can see, a lot of information that circulates lately about the deficit has as its main focus children and adolescents. However, without neglecting the work that can be done with them, it is time to pay attention to adults as well“, highlights Pérez.
So what should you do if you identify with these symptoms?; Do you think you are an adult with attention deficit with or without hyperactivity? If the answer is ‘yes’, it is best to start by assuming it and then go to a specialist.
“Attention deficit, with or without hyperactivity, can be treated in such a way that the difficulties it may cause you in your daily life are much less or even, and in the best of cases, non-existent”, concludes the expert.
