Until the last bit of the 20th century, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder was a relatively unexplored cultural phenomenon. If you went door to door twenty years ago, most people wouldn't even be able to define the term. It wasn't until about halfway through the 1990s that ADHD really began receiving attention at the public awareness level. Even at that time, the attention to the disorder was mostly focused around children who displayed symptoms, and common misconceptions persist that ADHD is solely a childhood issue. Now, it is not a stretch to say that in most neighbourhoods there are at least a handful of children who have been diagnosed with the illness. However, children with ADHD often become adults with ADHD. In fact, some adults may have ADHD and have never been diagnosed with the syndrome. We will take a look at some of the symptoms that an adult who may have ADHD display.

Learn how to determine if you think you have adult adhd

Restlessness. Many of the problems of adult ADHD are the same as those in children with the disorder, but the symptoms displayed due to these core problems will display themselves differently due to the different environment the adult inhabits. Restlessness is one of the key problems. In an adult, this might mean an inability to relax, excessive talking, and a lot of fidgeting about all the time. ADHD adults often have trouble getting to sleep at night, and all of these indicate the hyperactivity side of an ADHD diagnosis. If you're at work this could greatly hinder your productivity. Content on this page is compliments of Appletree Dental for Kids, Want to learn more about pediatric dentistry procedures?

Impulsiveness. Again, one of the key problems of ADHD in children is impulsiveness, which is also manifested in the adult version of the disorder. Symptoms include moody behaviour, frequent interruptions of others, and blurting out inappropriate comments or remarks at inappropriate times. This behaviour will likely be seen as insulting by others. (Imagine for example if you're an assistant working at a busy dental clinic and you are frustrating patients with your non stop chatter or inability to focus on the task at hand. Your customers may not appreciate being interrupted during their chiropractic treatment.

Inattentiveness. Adults with an inability to maintain their attention span are at a great disadvantage, particularly in relationships and in the work force. They will often "wander off" while they should be concentrating on a conversation or task, and they usually have a hard time remembering where they put certain items. They may also frequently lose things. This could be life threatening if you're working on an assembly line or operating large machines.

Studies of ADHD in adults are fairly new, but what seems certain is that ADHD in adults is, most of the time, the natural progression from ADHD in a child. In fact, about 60% of people diagnosed with ADHD as children will go into their adult lives still dealing with the disorder.

It is important to note that self-diagnosis of adult ADHD is not possible. The many similarities of the symptoms of ADHD with what would be considered "normal" behaviour means that several observations have to be correctly confirmed by a trained professional such as a ADHD specialist before a diagnosis is made.