![]() ![]() “ADHD doesn’t suddenly emerge when you’re 75 years old,” Nadeau said. At work, people may have had difficulty completing a task efficiently, failing to follow their schedules and working overtime to make up for their procrastination. ![]() Some may not have made it as far into school as they would have liked. Perhaps they were known as the class clowns. People may have had a hard time concentrating in class. Russell Ramsay, an associate professor of clinical psychology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, family members can help recall the possible presence of these symptoms throughout people’s lives. To assess whether patients had symptoms of ADHD earlier in life, Goodman generally asks his patients about their symptoms from elementary to high school, in college or during their first jobs.Īccording to J. “To distinguish ADHD from age-related cognitive changes is to understand that ADHD is a childhood and adolescent disorder that continues into adulthood,” said David Goodman, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Searching for Signs of Undiagnosed ADHD in Adults “Older people with ADHD who have never been diagnosed may suddenly fear that they’re developing dementia because they are absent-minded and forgetful,” said Kathleen Nadeau, founder and clinical director of The Chesapeake Center ADHD, Learning and Behavioral Health.īut, she said, it’s hard to find doctors with the expertise: “Very few neurologists have any training in recognizing and diagnosing adult ADHD.”Īnd because its symptoms may mirror those of dementia, mild cognitive decline, or normal aging, it takes a keen eye and thorough assessment to accurately diagnose older adults with ADHD. But because the disorder has only become better known in recent decades, for many it has gone undiagnosed, and research and clinical focus on older adults with ADHD is still scant. In fact, about three out of every 100 older adults has ADHD.Ĭlinical practice and scientific research on ADHD is growing: More people are receiving ADHD diagnosis and treatment, and researchers understand that ADHD is one of the most heritable disorders in medicine. As psychiatrist at McLean Hospital Stephanie Collier writes for Harvard Health, while we often think of ADHD as a childhood disorder, it can also affect older adults. But it turns out that some of the cognitive symptoms may be manifestations of a lifelong condition: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We might see increasing forgetfulness in older age as a red flag of mild cognitive decline or dementia. Is it dementia? Or ADHD? An expert discusses where the symptoms overlap. ![]()
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