U.S. Health Watch

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is usually identifiable in early stages of childhood. There are instances when the disorder continues until adulthood if treatment is not prompt or effective. This is known as Adult Attention Deficit Disorder (AADD). The impact of AADD is severe compared to ADD because as an adult, coping strategies are required to a greater extent with regard to disorganization and other symptoms of the syndrome. The visible signs and symptoms of the disorder in adults are as below:

Impulsiveness. ADD adults have difficulties handling their impulsiveness. Sudden bouts of anger, impulsive spending, butting into conversations, and breaking relationships are all side effects of impulsiveness. This in turn leads to lack of cordial atmosphere and feelings of regret at later stages.

A high level of distraction. The ADD adult is always thinking of a myriad subjects and incidents that leave him/her unfocused and distracted. Apart from this, external stimuli introduce further distraction to the overactive mental process. When the adult leaves home and mixes with the society, he/she is bombarded with words, visuals, and noises that disturb and irritate.

Anxiety and lack of focus. Since the patient is also on the thinking track, there is tendency to do the task at hand with lesser concentration. This leaves them confused as to why mistakes occur in their work or why they leave their work half-completed. The patient resorts to writing important things in hand notes or schedulers.

Impatience. Just like children with ADD, adults too are fidgety with staying put in one place. They are always taking in things, keeping their hands busy, or keeping engaged in multiple activities. This tends to make them feel exhausted at times.

Socializing problems. Making friends, retaining relationships, caring for family members, and working co-operatively with colleagues are a strain for ADD adults due to their impatience and impulsiveness. This further brings down trust levels.

Lack of planning and disorganization. It is difficult for ADD adults to comprehend instructions, work procedures, do time estimates, and complete work within deadlines. They are unable to chalk out tasks involved in an activity and estimate the time likely to be taken for completing each task. This issue is the result of all the factors discussed above.

Memory problems. Short term memory loss is a hurdle for ADD adults that leads them to forget the task at hand or instructions given only a little while before. Their mind tends to jump from though to another in a matter of minutes, leaving them with no idea of the real situation.

Several strategies such as maintaining reminders in mobile phones, keeping notes in calendars and schedulers, attending skill-developing sessions, and deploying pneumonic to remember things would help these adults lead a comparatively normal life.