Is it anxiety? Or adult ADHD?

Little kids aren’t the only ones who can be diagnosed with ADHD.

If an adult has difficulty completing tasks, paying attention to details or conversations, or even overdoing a simple task to the point where it becomes huge and unmanageable, they may blame anxiety: “It’s how I am and I guess I have to live with it.”

However, if they choose to talk to a healthcare professional about their concerns, they may learn it’s not anxiety— it could be adult ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). ADHD is often diagnosed in childhood, but it can continue, undiagnosed, into adulthood. At whatever age of the diagnosis, ADHD is treatable.

As a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, Anna Lewis, PMHNP, provides therapy and medication management in our Behavioral Health department. She has always felt led to provide compassionate care and to listen carefully to her patients’ concerns. After 15 years as an RN, she chose to dig deeper to provide care as a PMHNP for those with behavioral and mental health challenges.

“ADHD is 90% genetic,” said Anna. “In addition to genetics, other possible risk factors include a brain injury when young, or exposure to alcohol, tobacco, or lead during pregnancy or while very young. While it is often diagnosed in childhood, adults may also have symptoms of ADHD.”

In addition to talk therapy, medication management is another area of treatment she provides. Depending on the individual, there are two routes of prescription treatments.

“Medications allow the circuits in the brain to connect so the person has the ability to maintain focus to complete tasks,” she said. “If an adult patient diagnosed with ADHD has no prior addictions, they are often treated with a stimulant-type prescription, such as Adderall or Ritalin. If they have a prior history of addictions, a non-stimulant medication is used so it won’t trigger an addiction. I always discuss the various treatments with the patient and we arrive at an effective treatment plan based on their situation and concerns.”

Another recommendation is self-care. Encouraging them to get up and move their body or journaling are often helpful.

“I also recommend the book, How to Keep House While Drowning, by KC Davis,” said Anna. “It’s published as a book on cleaning and organizing, but it has become a resource for adults with ADHD. It gives small obtainable tasks that I can recommend for a patient— even setting a timer for 10 minutes makes the tasks more manageable.”

Another recommendation that’s beneficial for everyone is giving ourselves grace—curbing the negatives and talking nicer to ourselves.

 How to help a loved one who may have adult ADHD:

• Realize they may not understand that treatment is available for how they feel.
• Be gentle when they are feeling destructive or are frustrating to live with.
• Choose a good time to ask: “Does this feel normal or okay for you?” or “I don’t know your body so I can’t understand how you are feeling.”
• Allow going to treatment to be their decision.

Call 320-769-4323 to schedule an appointment.