In contrast to popular belief, most children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) do not in fact outgrow the disorder according to a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Instead, it manifests itself in adulthood in different ways over a lifetime, increasing and decreasing.
“It’s important for people diagnosed with ADHD to understand that it’s normal to have times in your life where things maybe more unmanageable and other times when things feel more under control,” said lead researcher Margaret Sibley, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a researcher at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.
Decades of research characterise ADHD as a neurobiological disorder typically first detected in childhood that persists into adulthood in approximately 50% of cases, but this study found that only 10% of children completely outgrow it.
“Although intermittent periods of remission can be expected in most cases, 90% of children with ADHD in the Multimodal Treatment Study of ADHD continued to experience residual symptoms into young adulthood,” they wrote.
ADHD is characterised by two main clusters of symptoms: inattentive symptoms which look like disorganisation and forgetfulness, and also the hyperactive, impulsive symptoms. In children, those symptoms look like having a lot of energy, such as running around and climbing on things. In adults, it manifests more as verbal impulsivity, difficulty with decision-making, and not thinking before acting. The disorder affects people differently and looks different depending on the phase of life.
Some people with ADHD also report a unique ability to hyper-focus, as in some Olympic athletes. While many people may experience symptoms similar to ADHD, it is estimated the disorder roughly affects 5% to 10% of the population, said Sibley.
This study followed a group of 558 children with ADHD from 8-years old to 25 years-old. Every two years, the cohort had assessments to determine whether they had symptoms of ADHD. Family members and teachers were also asked about their symptoms.
According to Prof Sibley, the belief that 50% of children outgrow ADHD was first put forward in the mid-1990s. Most studies, she said, only re-connected once when the kids reached adulthood and weren’t able to see if the ADHD had really gone away.
Coping with ADHD
Researchers have yet to find what causes ADHD to flare. Prof Sibley said it could be stress, the wrong environment, and not having a healthy lifestyle of proper sleep, healthy eating, and regular exercise. Also, if a person is not taking the time to manage symptoms and really understand what works best for them, then the symptoms are probably going to get more out of control, she said.
The two main treatments for ADHD are medication and therapy, though people can pursue their own healthy coping skills as well, said Prof Sibley.
Researchers found that most people who technically no longer meet criteria for ADHD in adulthood still retained traces though they were coping well.
“The key is finding a job or a life passion that ADHD does not interfere with,” Prof Sibley said. “You are going to see a lot of creative people have ADHD because they’re able to be successful in their creative endeavors despite having ADHD, whereas people who might be required to do very detail-oriented work at a computer all day—that could be a really hard combination for a person with ADHD.”
Prof Sibley said the time to seek professional help is when the symptoms cause problems in life, including not performing at one’s best, interpersonal problems, and inability to complete basic daily tasks.
Source: Medical Xpress
