One in four US adults suspect they have undiagnosed ADHD, a new study finds, but only 13% have shared their concerns with a doctor.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a developmental disorder characterized by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior. An estimated 4.4% of adults 18 to 44 have ADHD, according to The Ohio State University researchers who oversaw the August survey of 1,006 adults.
“Anxiety, depression and ADHD — all these things can look a lot alike, but the wrong treatment can make things worse instead of helping that person feel better and improving their functioning,” said psychologist and Ohio State clinical assistant professor Justin Barterian.
Barterian said adults may realize they have undiagnosed ADHD once their kids are diagnosed and they notice they have similar symptoms.
Dr. Robert Dicker, associate director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital, said sometimes he will diagnose a child with ADHD and start treatment — only for one of the child’s parents to admit that they have long struggled with the same symptoms.
“Often with adults, they tell me that their parents didn’t believe they had ADHD, that it was frowned on, the school system didn’t support them, or they were stigmatized not for having ADHD, but being poor students and bad kids,” Dicker, who was not involved with the new research, told The Post.
ADHD tends to run in families. Environmental factors, such as brain injuries, premature birth and lead exposure during childhood, can also raise the odds of a diagnosis.
Barterian said social media videos have recently been cluing people into ADHD symptoms.
A 2022 study published in the journal European Psychiatry found that many young people are diagnosing themselves with ADHD after watching TikToks on the matter. The authors of that study said these discussions may reduce mental health stigmas, but the video creators are not often experts in the field.
“If you’re watching videos on social media and it makes you think that you may meet criteria for the disorder, I would encourage you to seek an evaluation from a psychologist or a psychiatrist or a physician to get it checked out,” Barterian said.
He reports that many adults with ADHD struggle with memory and concentration troubles, but children tend to experience hyperactivity more than adults.
Symptoms can worsen with stress, conflict or increased life demands.
“Symptoms of ADHD can look different between different people,” Barterian said. “Some people might have more difficulty focusing on lectures or with organization, while others may have more social difficulties with impulsivity and trouble following along in conversations.”
Treatments include stimulants to help improve focus and concentration and therapy to manage symptoms and develop coping strategies.
