Identify Adult ADHD

ADHD is short for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is a chemical imbalance in the brain, in the part of the brain responsible for concentration and inhibition. You are born with this disorder, but most will not outgrow it, instead continuing to suffer throughout their adult years.

Steps

 * 1)  There are three main symptoms to ADHD, they are Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity and poor impulse control.  Most people with ADHD suffer from problems in all three of these areas.  For adults to be diagnosed with ADHD they must be suffering from significant problems in at least one of these areas.  [[Image:Identify Adult ADHD Step 1.jpg|center|550px]]
 * 2) *Attention Deficit - difficulty concentration, underachievement at work, trouble paying attention during talks or during a conversation, procrastination and difficulty getting started on tasks, difficulty staying on task, difficulty completing tasks in required time, easily distracted, short attention span. In true ADHD the attention problems do not just happen at school or work but in all areas of life.  You will find it difficult to complete chores and daily living tasks at home, go shopping without being distracted, spend time with friends, read a book, watch a movie, play sport or do other things you like.
 * 3) * Hyperactivity - feeling restless all the time, needing to always fidget and fiddle, excessive talking, often being told you speak too loudly, sleeping a lot less than most people, having trouble falling asleep, needing to move around a lot, having trouble just walking from place to place and always feeling the need to run, trouble sitting still or staying seated too long, in general always being over the top.
 * 4) *Poor impulse control - doing things without really thinking them through, being impatient and having trouble waiting your turn, needing to dominate any conversation or activity, answering people and saying things before they have finished what they are saying, saying things and frequently regretting them later, lots of traffic infractions, rushing into things without much forethought. being easily carried away.  Once you get started up having trouble stopping.
 * 5)  Understand that ADHD is an inborn disorder, it is only diagnosed in adults if there is clear evidence that it has been present from a very young age.  Have a look for old school reports.  Do they show that you underachieved, had trouble sitting still, got in trouble frequently, had messy work and other problems.  Chat to your parents, siblings or people who knew you well as a child.  Do they remember you having these problems.  [[Image:Identify Adult ADHD Step 2.jpg|center|550px]]
 * 6)  Think back to your own later childhood and adolescence.  If you really have ADHD then there would have been problems then with getting in trouble a lot and not really understanding why, not achieving as well as you should in school and feeling different to others but not sure why.  [[Image:Identify Adult ADHD Step 3.jpg|center|550px]]
 * 7)  Most people with ADHD have had one or more of the following happen to them (usually more than one) by the time they reach adult years.  Repeated a grade, repeated more than one grade, suspended from school, expelled from school, in trouble with the police, fired from a job, recommended for evaluation or special help at school.  [[Image:Identify Adult ADHD Step 4.jpg|center|550px]]
 * 8)  ADHD is a pervasive problem, for you to be diagnosed you should be experiencing problems in a number of settings not just work.  [[Image:Identify Adult ADHD Step 5.jpg|center|550px]]

Related wikiHows

 * How to Cope With Adult Adhd
 * How to Keep a Job With Adhd
 * How to Recognize the Signs of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)