Adult ADD Is a Very Real Thing

ADD, or attention defecit disorder, is a neurological disorder that causes difficulty focusing, impulsive activity, and sometimes anxiety. Adults with ADD might say some of the following to themselves:

• “I just can’t seem to sit still. Sometimes, I have to get up and move around.”
• “I can’t do my work, I can’t clean the house, or do anything on time…nothing ever gets done!”
• “My thoughts are all over the place… I cannot get my work done!”
• “Because of the fact that I can’t say what I think effectively, my relationships have really suffered.”
• “I am so disorganized. I keep losing my things.”
• I can’t seem to ever make plans ahead of time. Everything happens spontaneously for me.”

Much more adults suffer through ADD than one might think, but it is hard to identify due to the wide range of symptoms. ADD is especially hard to deal with as an adult because of how it affects their work and home lives. Living with ADD makes it hard to concentrate on specific tasks, which can in turn lead to several job changes, dismal performance at work, and even unemployment at its worst. The biggest and defining symptom of ADD is that those effected suffer from the inability to plan ahead for tasks and take them to completion. Another defining symptom is general restlessness and distractedness.

ADD was once believed to not affect adults; in the 1980s, doctors and clinicians theorized that ADD could remain from childhood to adulthood. The amount of people that suffer from ADD increased by triple the previous amount from 2002 to 2007. In the USA alone, 10 million people experience ADD signs and symptoms. However, almost ¾ of the 10 million affected do not even know that it is ADD. Many adults that experience ADD symptoms are not able to recognize the signs because they were never diagnosed, especially when younger. When these same people start going through the trials and tribulations of adulthood, the stress of it all makes their ADD symptoms much more recognizable.

Are any of these symptoms sounding familiar to you? Is it hard for you to maintain focus and concentration? Is your work or social life suffering due to constant distraction? You are not alone. Reach out to us at the Institute for Advanced Medical Research at 770-817-9200 to learn about what treatment options are out there for you.