ADHD Among Adult Men
No demographic group is immune from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but the problem is particularly prevalent among adolescent and teen boys. As a result of this reality, a considerable amount of time, energy and attention has been dedicated to diagnosing and treating the disorder in middle and high school students.
But ADHD doesn't come with an expiration date, and it doesn't simply disappear once a person earns a high school diploma or reaches the legal drinking age. So, what happens when the millions of boys and young men who have ADHD become full-fledged adults?
Surprisingly (to some, that is), many adolescent and teen boys who have ADHD carry their disorder with them into adulthood. Experts have estimated that between 30 and 80 percent of young people who have ADHD may continue to suffer from the disorder when they become adults.
In a Rising Women Magazine article titled "ADHD in Men: A Wife's Perspective," Leslie Vivian addressed the prevalence of ADHD among adult men:
If a child has ADHD, chances are extremely high that it was inherited from one of the parents. About 10 percent to 15 percent of teenagers continue on with it, and 3 to 5 percent of all adults in our country may have ADHD ranging from mild to extreme.
Simple translation: well over half a million adult males in Canada alone are affected, and roughly 7 to 8 million men in the U.S., most of who are undiagnosed.
"We know there are many adults out there [with ADHD] who were not diagnosed in childhood," Dr. Lenard Adler, a psychiatrist with New York University, said in a Sept. 9, 2004, article by MSNBC Health Editor Jane Weaver. "They can cope with the symptoms, but it's often at a personal cost."
The Effects of Adult ADHD
As Adler alluded to, ADHD can cause a wide range of problems for adult men -- and if the disorder is untreated, it can inflict considerable personal, social and professional damage.
In children, adolescents and teenagers, ADHD most commonly manifests itself as irritability, an inability to remain focused or difficulty controlling one's actions. And though some of these symptoms show up in adults who suffer from the disorder, many of the signs that an adult has ADHD are more subtle than one might expect.
In adult men, ADHD often leads to personal disorganization, problems fulfilling regular responsibilities (such as paying bills or adhering to a work schedule) and difficulties within relationships. The National Institute of Mental Health describes a typical adult ADHD experience in the following terms:
[Adults with ADHD] may feel that it is impossible to get organized, stick to a job, or remember and keep appointments. Daily tasks such as getting up in the morning, preparing to leave the house for work, arriving at work on time and being productive on the job can be especially challenging for adults with ADHD.
These adults may have a history of failure at school, problems at work, or difficult or failed relationships. Many have had multiple traffic accidents. Like teens, adults with ADHD may seem restless and may try to do several things at once, most of them unsuccessfully. They also tend to prefer "quick fixes," rather than taking the steps needed to achieve greater rewards.
While adolescent ADHD often leads to problems in school and stress at home, the disorder's impact is likely to be magnified when the sufferer is an adult.
For example, being suspended from school because of unacceptable behavior can be a temporary setback -- but losing one's job as a result of being unable to get to work on time can lead to the loss of one's home, the cancellation of a family's medical insurance policy and a range of other potentially devastating results.
ADHD, Depression and Substance Abuse
A disorganized life, a disastrous employment history and a disappointing inability to maintain healthy interpersonal relationships. With these and other experiences common among adult men with ADHD, it should come as little surprise that the disorder has been associated with depression, anxiety and a tendency to abuse alcohol and other drugs.
In an article that appeared in the February/March edition of ADDitude magazine, Carl Sherman, PhD, reported that adults with ADHD are three times more likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs than are adults who don't have the disorder. In many cases, Sherman wrote, adults with ADHD who abuse alcohol, marijuana or other substances aren't doing so for recreational purposes, but rather in an attempt to self-medicate (for example, to escape from stress or overcome insomnia).
“When people with ADHD get older, the hyperactive component often diminishes. But inside, they’re just as hyper as ever,” ADHD specialist William Dodson, MD, said in the ADDitude article. “They need something to calm their brain enough to be productive.”
An article on the MedscapeCME that was co-authored by Vatsal Thakkar, MD, and Lenard Adler, MD, leaves little doubt as to the strong link between adult ADHD and depression:
ADHD and major depressive disorder (MDD) are among the most common psychiatric disorders occurring in adulthood.
The National Comorbidity Survey-Replication data show a lifetime prevalence for MDD of more than 16 percent, greater for women than for men. The 12-month prevalence was 6.7 percent. The same survey found current clinically significant ADHD in adults in 4.4 percent of the sample population, with a higher prevalence in men than in women.
"When one considers that ADHD is under-recognized and undertreated in adults," Thakkar and Adler wrote, "it is easy to see that ADHD may be surreptitiously complicating the treatment of myriad psychiatric disorders."
Treatment and Recovery
For most adult men with ADHD, the first step toward a healthier tomorrow is being diagnosed with the disorder. Following initial diagnosis, most effective treatment plans combine medication (such as Ritalin or Adderall), therapy (including individual, group and family sessions) and education (for example, training in organizational skills or anger management).
ADHD can be both pervasive and destructive. But as awareness increases about the prevalence of ADHD among adult men, the likelihood of being properly diagnosed and effectively treated continues to increase.
If you suspect that you or someone you care about is suffering with ADHD, contact your family physician or another qualified healthcare provider and request an evaluation. The results of this analysis may be life-changing.
Read about ADHD in adult women.