Is it difficult for you to form and keep friendships? Are you impulsive and have trouble keeping plans? Do you find yourself unable to focus on one task for very long? If these questions resonate with you, you might have adult ADHD.
ADHD is not just a childhood disorder or something that you can grow out of. The hyperactivity seen in children with ADHD usually lessens, but inattentiveness and impulsiveness can remain. Whether or not the coping skills you learned as a child continue to help you today, getting help for managing ADHD and the anxiety and frustration that comes with it can be beneficial.
Symptoms of adult ADHD
Symptoms of adult ADHD that you may be struggling with include:
- Hyperactivity: Rather than the overt hyperactivity notably seen in children, hyperactivity in adults with ADHD may present in the form of racing thoughts, feeling agitated often, craving excitement, talking excessively, or having trouble sitting still.
- Difficulty concentrating: This can include spacing out during conversations, having trouble following conversations, or easily getting distracted while performing a task.
- Hyperfocus: Hyperfocus means becoming so involved in a task that you forget everything else. This might seem like a good thing at times, but it’s problematic when it results in neglecting other responsibilities or putting all your attention on an unimportant aspect of a task.
- Disorganization: You might be messy, have trouble keeping on top of your responsibilities, or often find yourself running late. This can be especially so when you hyperfocus or have difficulty concentrating.
- Impulsivity: It may be difficult for you to be patient. You might interrupt others, struggle with self-control, act inappropriately as a result of not thinking things through, or have addictive tendencies.
- Emotional difficulties: You may get stressed easily, be irritable or frustrated, have mood swings or a short temper, and struggle with self-esteem and self-confidence.
How adult ADHD affects the way you socialize
Friendship is important to our health and happiness across the entire lifespan. Research has shown us that adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can have difficulty making and keeping friends in adulthood for a number of reasons. Among them, interrupting others and difficulty remembering important dates, names of new acquaintances, or other important details can make it more challenging for adults with ADHD to build and maintain the groundwork for relationships.
In social situations, difficulty recalling details or staying on one topic may affect your ability to effectively communicate with others in a work or social environment without frustration. For example, even though it is important to many people, it might not seem important to you to remember and take the time to congratulate a friend on a new job or an otherwise important event in their lives. You might fail to acknowledge many things that are important in a relationship and then not understand the reactions or distancing of others.
In addition to natural impulsiveness, restlessness, and memory difficulties, you may not have developed the skills as a child to maintain friendships. Typically, children learn how to have relationships outside of their family during childhood and their teenage years. However, many children with ADHD have difficulties in their social relationships. While other kids were practicing their social skills, you may have been struggling with bullying or spending extra effort to try and keep up in school, leaving you with less energy to dedicate to the challenge of making friends. As a result, you may not have developed the skills that you need today to build and maintain adult relationships.
Treatment for adult ADHD
There are many treatments for ADHD that are effective at any age. If you have difficulty with social relationships, therapy can be tailored to address this problem. Learning greater self-awareness, social skills, and better symptom control can have a beneficial impact on relationships in all areas of your life, including those you make at work, with family members, your children, and your friends. If you have never treated your ADHD symptoms or have relied on medication, one-on-one therapy can be extremely beneficial as therapy encourages behavior change and skill-building in a supportive and nonjudgemental environment.
Neurofeedback is also a method of treatment that is growing in popularity due to the short- and long-term improvements for ADHD. Neurofeedback teaches the brain, and as a result, causes the brain to change. Almost like exercising a muscle, the brain learns how to increase attention span and focus without the use of medication. You can read more about it by clicking here.
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Quiz: Is ADHD a problem in your relationship
