Are you consistently late? Do you have problems concentrating? Do you find it difficult to get started on projects or have a hard time completing them? If you answered "yes" to these questions, you may have adult ADD.
Only a medical professional with expertise in this area can really determine if an individual has ADD or ADHD. However, many adults go undiagnosed because they never even consider ADD to be a possibility. All too often it associated only with children, and adults who have this neurobiological disorder simply attribute their adult ADD symptoms to nothing more character or personality. Thankfully, Thrive with ADD knows better.
If you suspect you may have this disorder, the first step to getting treatment is learning about adult ADD symptoms and deciding whether or not they apply to you. For example, the following self-test lists common adult ADD symptoms--all you have to do is read through the list and check off those traits that describe you. If you find that you have at least 15 ADD symptoms, then we suggest you see a diagnostic specialist for more in-depth testing.
The specialist will most likely give you a similar questionnaire to begin with, and they will probably ask you a number of questions about your childhood. Because ADD/ADHD is not an adult-onset disorder, they will expect to find that these symptoms have been present from an early age. They will also ask you questions about your lifestyle and may even perform a physical examination or an MRI/CT/EEG to rule out any other causes such as depression or substance abuse. Though this may sound overwhelming right now, remember that it is in your best interest to seek the help you need.
Copyright © Bonnie Mincu, 2005, All Rights Reserved.
