Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder begins in childhood and for around 70% of people continues into adulthood. The symptoms of ADHD can change over time and are often different in adulthood than in childhood and can even differ between males and females.
Do I have ADHD?
ADHD symptoms can be divided into these categories:
- Poor attention and focus:
• Difficulty maintaining attention on tasks you find boring or difficult
• Procrastination and need for external pressure, like deadlines, to complete tasks
• On the other hand you may be able to hyper-focus on interesting tasks or when under great pressure to perform - Impulsivity:
• This means acting before thinking about the consequences
• Because of impulsivity, ADHD is highly associated with problems such as addictions, overspending, legal problems, and difficulties maintaining jobs and relationships - Hyperactivity:
• Can be external and physical (e.g. fidgeting, pacing, talking excessively) or internal and not visible to others (a sense of disquiet and restlessness, inability to shut off one’s mind) - Executive function problems:
• Executive functions are a broad range of mental abilities that allow us to plan, organize, and complete tasks. This category overlaps with some of the ones above.
• Typical issues include problems with memory, cognitive flexibility, and
ADHD in adults
A few hundred years ago society didn’t demand us to sit for hours in a classroom or behind desks and do repetitive and boring jobs. ADHD is simply not a good match with our current societal demands, but perhaps this wasn’t always the case.
I help adolescents and adults with a wide range of issues associated with ADHD. This can be from successful adults who are struggling with a certain aspect of their work or relationships to adolescents struggling with academics or conflict.
My program involves:
- A comprehensive assessment for adults
- Identifying the actual impact ADHD is having on your life and performance
- Explaining why you are experiencing these struggles
- Teaching effective behavioural techniques to overcome these struggles
- Follow-up and coaching to make sure you continue to use these techniques
- Referral to a psychiatrist if you feel you’d like to use medication