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Amber Lewis has always known she has a problem keeping it together.
Audrey Shtecinjo/Adobe Stock
She forgets to pay her bills on time.
She gets so flustered following driving directions that she often misses the turns she needs to make.
After a clinical assessment in February 2021, she finally got her answer: She hasADHD.
Additionally, for years society has generally overlooked, undertreated, and misunderstood adults with ADHD.
The fact that Lewis always excelled academically and professionally made it even harder to notice there was a problem.
I just started realizing that most other people had a much easier time with simple tasks.
Millions of kids and adults in the U.S. live with ADHD, which stands for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Some of those kids and teens have diagnoses that persist into adulthood.
Others arent even diagnosed until later in lifeif at all.
Thats because their symptoms dont usually fit the stereotypical symptoms and images we have of disruptive boys.
Girls tend to show less hyperactive and externalized symptoms and more internalized inattentive qualities.
While the causes of ADHD are unknown, research shows it tends to run in families.
Anxious about being judged an impostor, they are consumed with shame, says Dr. Littman.
Factor in the worstpandemicmost of us have experienced in our lifetimes and that anxiety can be unbearable.
The pandemic has amplified all ADHD challenges tounprecedented levels, says Dr. Littman.
Routines typically help people with ADHD to be consistent and remind them of expectations and consequences.
So now, Dr. Littman says, her patients report being more overwhelmed and frantic than ever.
and wonder why they cant find the time to prepare dinner, says Dr. Littman.
Meetings are another problem, which Zoom isnt helping.
Solden describes the role of executive function as similar to an orchestra conductors.
Executive functioning is orchestrating and coordinating and making decisions seamlessly, she says.
I had three or four commitments in March, drive-by birthday parties, and I missed all of them.
Then, a friend who had been recently diagnosed posted an article about adult ADHD on Facebook.
He said thats a big indication of inattentiveness.
You know the cameras are there.
You know they’re going to be taking pictures, but you just blow right past them.
But they can also refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist for a diagnosis.
A therapist can also help you process the diagnosis.
If this seems true for you, it’s worth bringing up this research with your doctor.
Since being diagnosed, Lewis has felt more positive about the future.
It feels great, honestly.
It just validates my struggles, she says.
Shes also started to check out brain-training tools such asLuminosity.
